ISSUE FOCUS FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE October 2024 35 ty for attachment and colonization by pathogens. Another proposed mechanism is that the intestinal microbiota secrete compounds such as volatile fatty acids, organic acids and natural antimicrobials that either inhibit the growth of, or make the environment unsuitable for, less favorable bacteria. Recent research has demonstrated that increased intestinal microfloral diversity correlates with increased resistance to pathogen colonization. In essence, the greater the diversity of microbes within the GI tract, the lower the risk of pathogen colonization. By enhancing overall microfloral diversity, it is possible to reduce the abundance of pathogens, including those that impact host health as well as those associated with food safety. Dietary supplements, which focus on enhancing and optimizing gut microfloral diversity to aid intestinal health and decrease the animal’s susceptibility to disease, can be broadly classed as either prebiotics or probiotics. Over the past number of years, a focus has been placed on identifying how nutrition can benefit the gastrointestinal microflora. In particular, there has been an emphasis on understanding how enhancing microbial diversity influences health and performance. Ultimately, the goal with nutritional intervention is not only to control pathogens detrimental to host health, but also to reduce the transmission of pathogens through the food chain. UTILIZING PREBIOTIC MANNAN-RICH FRACTION TO ENHANCE MICROFLORAL DIVERSITY From a nutritional standpoint, many feed supplements are focused on stabilizing the gut microflora to aid intestinal health and decrease the animal’s susceptibility to disease. Of the functional ingredients currently in use for microbial control, mannan-rich fractions (MRFs) isolated from the yeast cell wall are widely used in animal nutrition and have been shown to improve animal performance in a manner that suggests they are a viable non-antibiotic alternative. MRF products, most of which are derived from the cell wall of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, have
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