ISSUE FOCUS 38 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE October 2024 In animal nutrition a lot of attention is given to strategies that optimize gut health by focusing on establishing a stable and diverse gut microbiome. However, in many practical situations where diet changes, antibiotic reduction and environmental stressors influence performance, maintaining gut integrity – or the physiological functionality of the intestinal barrier – may have a more immediate and significant impact on animal performance and welfare. WHY GUT INTEGRITY SHOULD BE A PRIORITY Evidently, our industry has a central focus on gut health as dysfunctional gut is directly correlated with suboptimal animal performance, lower profit for farmers and integrators, decreased animal welfare and well-being and increased environmental impact. Simultaneously, other factors, such as the increasing nutritional requirements due to improved modern genetics, cost-reduction and focus on sustainability, put a lot of pressure on gut health by pushing our industry towards using more circular raw materials, less antibiotics and increased animal welfare. In this article we would like to emphasize two strategies for influencing and improving gut health. One is focusing on the bidirectional interaction between a healthy microbial population and the intestinal environment and underlying gut immunity. The other is related to the physiological role of the gut, being the barrier structure, with all its functionalities and immune system. In most practical situations, this second strategy, hereafter referred to as gut integrity, seems to be primordial for preventing further development of intestinal disorders. The intestinal barrier is a complex system that consists of tight epithelial cells, a mucus layer and gut immunity to prevent harmful pathogens and toxins from entering the bloodstream. Moreover, gut integrity implies a full development and proliferation of the epithelial barrier, so that it is able to produce sufficient digestive enzymes, absorb nutrients and restore physical damage to the gut barrier. As this structure is only one cell thick, its integrity is easily compromised, which leads to increased intestinal permeability (leaky gut), pathogenic colonization and systemic inflammation. Hereby, for For many challenges in the animal industry, the underlying cause is an impaired gut integrity. Pigs and poultry species benefit from rapid intestinal development and an established gut integrity as a basis for overall gut health and zootechnical performance. Since butyric acid has numerous benefits for the gut barrier functioning, butyrate-based additives are key ingredients in livestock diets for a healthy start and prolonged productivity. LOCKING IN GUT INTEGRITY: HOW BUTYRATE SECURES OPTIMAL HEALTH Arno Duchateau Global Product Manager Impextraco
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