ISSUE FOCUS FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE September 2024 47 from 0 to 42 days, the NC + sal and NC + sap-al treatments tended to improve the overall FCR compared to the NC treatment (P = 0.053) (Figure 2). The results of the current study indicate that the saponin-aluminosilicate blend can promote the resilience to coccidiosis in broilers. Therefore, this blend can be implemented as a replacement of, or complementary strategy to anticoccidials to further reduce the negative effect of subclinical coccidiosis on growth and feed efficiency in broilers and reduce the costs associated with these performance losses. GARLIC AND CINNAMON – A HEALTHY GUT FOR HEALTHY FOOD Many foodborne diseases can be transferred through the food chain. The chicken gastrointestinal tract is a reservoir of many zoonotic pathogens which contribute to foodborne diseases, the most relevant being Salmonella spp. Campylobacter spp., Enterococcus spp., Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus. Antimicrobial products have played an important role to ensure the safety of poultry products. Therefore, the development of resistant bacteria is also a public health concern. Another product from Orffa’s range of natural feed additives is Excential Alliin Plus, a blend with a high concentration of the active compounds of cinnamon and garlic. Garlic (Allium sativum) has many different bioactive compounds, including the organosulfur compounds alliin and allicin, of which the latter is formed by the action of the alliinase enzyme on alliin. Historically, garlic has been used medicinally and has a wide range of health benefits, and therefore it has also been used extensively as a feed additive for poultry (Abd El-Ghany, 2024). Garlic has specific antibacterial properties, meaning that it can reduce the numbers of pathogenic bacterial populations in the gut such as Escherichia coli, Clostridium perfringens, and Salmonella spp., while beneficial intestinal bacteria such as Lactobacillus spp. are the least sensitive to the inhibitory effects of garlic (Rees et al., 1993). Cinnamaldehyde is the main bioactive compound of cinnamon essential oils, obtained from the bark of aromatic cinnamon plants of the genus Cinnamonum (Friedman et al., 2017). Cinnamaldehyde has strong bactericidal effects against four major foodborne pathogens: Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica, Campylobacter jejuni, and Listeria monocytogenes (Friedman et al., 2002). Apart from its antipathogenic effects, cinnamaldehyde has also been shown to increase intestinal epithelial barrier integrity and decrease paracellular permeability of porcine enFigure 2. Effects of treatments on broiler body weight and feed conversion ratio (FCR) from 0 to 42 days of age. Body weight FCR 1,38 1,43 1,48 1,53 1,58 1,63 2700 2750 2800 2850 2900 2950 3000 3050 3100 3150 FCR Body weight (g) 1,568 1,604 1,55 1,562 ab ab b a N PC C NC + sal NC + sap-al
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