Role of alternative feed ingredients and feed additives in managing feed costs

Improving animals feed efficiency means that less inputs are required to obtain better outputs, optimizing zootechnical performance, obtaining a greater economical profit, especially in a volatile commodity market and when feed costs are a major part of the expenses for the producer. However, additives can also contribute to a more sustainable animal production, reducing the environmental impact of feed production…

Population growth, with rising incomes and high living standards in developed countries, is driving an increased demand for high-quality protein sources. Due to its accessible cost when compared with other sources and high nutritional value, proteins of animal origin are still the preferred source for human nutrition. Ruminants, chickens, and pigs contribute to 96% of the global supply of animal protein and aquaculture is growing fast. Meeting the needs of consumers while taking into account food security, environmental concerns and cost-effective resources is a big challenge in the daily lives of animal producers who need to secure their profitability.

Production costs have been rising in every segment of animal production, where feed costs account for a significant amount. The COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical conflicts and extraordinary weather events led to climbing energy costs and volatile commodity markets. To face this challenge and optimize feed resources and feed efficiency, all stakeholders in the feed chain must ensure cost-effective, innovative and sustainable tools. Genetic improvement, precise nutrition and sustainable sourcing of raw materials play an important role in this synergistic strategy to minimize production costs and enhance feed efficiency.

But which other alternative ingredients can be used to minimize the feed costs for the producer? Nutrition plays a major role in the maintenance of the animal health through various possibilities. But are all equivalent in terms of cost and performances?

Managing animal health is one of the greatest challenges to animal production. It is estimated that more than one in five animals are lost from disease each year, while many more incur the costs of sub-clinical infections (WOAH, found as OIE, 2015). Disease and sub-optimal health not only constrain animal well-being and the economic return for the producer, but further negate sustainability, where unhealthy animals carry a heavier environmental footprint.

CONTRIBUTING TO ANIMAL RESILIENCE
Making sure that both energy and nutrients are efficiently absorbed and used by the animal is the nutritionists’ main goal.

Farm animals have an intense metabolism, making them more vulnerable to changes. Parameters such as environmental events, critical production periods or modification of the diet characteristics can affect animal performance. Those stressors/challenges can concern all animal species with various consequences:

• Early days of life up to weaning: The first days and weeks of an animal’s life are marked by heightened sensitivity to environmental factors, such as temperature, housing conditions, access to clean water and more.
– Some species are more at risk when separated from their mother and transferred to a new facility due to the immaturity of the newborn’s immune system, as 70 to 80% of the immune cells are located in the gut.
– Many animals are vulnerable to heat stress when air temperature and humidity rise for extended or unexpected periods, during periods of drought, and when air flow is lacking.

• Feed transition: New formula is first recognized as a stranger by the organism, especially during the weaning, which means the first encounter between piglets and some raw materials. Consequently, animals have to adapt their enzymatic system in order to digest these new raw materials, which is an important physiological change.

• External parameter: Vaccination, heat stress period.

• Metabolism intensity at gestation, farrowing, calving, laying peak, lactation peak, and high average daily gain period are periods requiring high energetic needs.

Although young animals are inherently more sensitive to fluctuations in their environment, certain environmental challenges can impact all animals, irrespective of age. Heat stress constitutes one such challenge, which may be increasingly problematic with climate change. High ambient temperatures can impact an animal’s ability to maintain energetic, thermal, hormonal and mineral balance. In turn, temperatures above the thermal neutral zone can be detrimental to lactation, growth and reproduction across all agriculturally important livestock species, including aquaculture.

Consequently, taking care of the feed composition with selected raw materials and feed additives according to the animal physiologic stage, its environment, management practices, genetics and objective of production is essential to successfully address the challenge.

GUT MICROBIOTA MODULATION
The complex microbial community (microbiota) of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) plays a crucial role in animal health and can be considered as an important metabolic “organ”. Composition of the intestinal microbiota is dynamic with spatial shifts along each GIT region in relation to environmental changes (Hooper et al., 2002). The entire GIT of chicken is estimated to house 640 species of bacteria from 140 different genera (Waite et al., 2015), where about 90% of the species are yet to be described. Thus, when talking about the importance and influence of gut microflora, the number of bacterial cells in the host is 10 times the eukaryote cell number in poultry body or their genes number is 50 to 100 times higher than the total number of genes constituting the host.

Those bacteria have several roles:
• Metabolic and nutritional (digestion)
• Maturation of immune system
– Barrier effect to protect the organism of ‘stranger attack’
– Participation to the set-up of a mature mucosa
– Production of Immunoglobulin A and activation of pro inflammatory signals
• Global health because dysbiosis can be the first step of an infection, which decreases the tolerance of animals to fight against other agents and consequently, can lead to a more global disease.

In the dynamic world of livestock production, the increase of antimicrobial resistance and consumer demand for high-quality food has raised the interest for sustainable and ‘natural’ alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) to meet growth performance and feed efficiency expectations. To support growth and maintain a well-balanced and secure microflora during the whole life of the animals, a lot of solutions are available on the market. Among them, a unique non-viable whole-cell Pichia guilliermondii yeast can positively impact gut microbiota populations in poultry, swine and ruminants. Studies also demonstrated that an innovative combination of copper at very low level associated with a synthetic zeolite have capabilities to modulate the intestinal microbiota thanks to the well-known antimicrobial properties of copper (Meyer et al. 2015).

ENHANCEMENT OF FEED DIGESTIBILITY
An optimal zootechnical performance can be achieved from different angles. Genetic selection allowed to have the highest performance ‘athletes’ in the livestock industry, but even with the best genetic breeds, to achieve top-level performance it is necessary to maintain health, maximize feed utilization and have the best farm management practices. Different and innovative tools are available to potentiate the best response from the animals from the feed digestibility perspective:

• Enzymes are especially important for monogastric animals as they allow greater formulation flexibility to utilize opportunity ingredients containing higher amounts of NSPs (non-starch polysaccharides), expanding the portfolio of cost-saving ingredients that can be utilized in diets. NSPs multi-enzyme complex enables swine and poultry to better utilize the fibrous components of feedstuffs, such as hulls, middlings, and dried distillers grains (DDGS), by improving their digestibility and availability and getting more energy available from those ingredients. Phytases enable swine and poultry to better utilize phytate-bound phosphorus present in plant-based ingredients.

• Organic acids and their salts help to decrease the buffer capacity of feed, supporting the reduction of the gastric pH, which will inactivate pepsinogen to active pepsin for effective protein hydrolysis. This is especially essential in young animals during the post-weaning period and transition diets when there is a limited digestive and absorptive capacity due to insufficient production of hydrochloric acid.

THE BEST PERFORMANCE INSPIRED BY NATURE
For decades, antibiotic growth promoters have been a cost-effective ally in the animal industry to improve zootechnical performance and feed efficiency. Given the increase in antimicrobial resistance and the ban on the use of antibiotics as growth promoters, it is essential to consider alternative solutions. To meet this demand, many additives on the market have been evaluated and among them, plant extracts have shown to be one of the most beneficial. The proposed mode of action of phytogenic compounds is attributed to the stimulation of enzymatic secretions and activity, nutrient utilization and absorption in the gastrointestinal tract, mitigation of gut inflammatory response, improvement of animals’ antioxidative status, reducing damage to intestinal cells and maintaining the integrity of the intestinal mucosal layer (Awaad et al., 2014; Bravo et al., 2014; Karadas et al., 2014; Pirgozliev et al., 2019).

An extensive number of studies in broilers demonstrated that the combination of carvacrol (present in oregano), cinnamaldehyde (present in cinnamon) and capsicum oleoresin (present in red chili pepper) has the potential to achieve similar levels of growth performance as AGPs and showed positive results in broiler carcass and meat quality (Bravo et al. 2009; Heng et al. 2017; Oguey., 2017). Additional studies also showed this combination improved the nutritional value of low-metabolizable energy diets when fed to broilers. This beneficial effect seems to be mediated by decreasing the energy required for the maintenance of gastrointestinal tract, diverting more energy towards animal growth rather than maintenance (Bravo et al., 2011). In addition, all existing results were gathered in a meta-analysis (Oguey et al., 2015) showing consistency in the product’s effects by increasing body weight gain (BWG: + 4.5 %), improving feed efficiency (FCR: – 3.9 %), and increasing the amount of metabolizable energy available (AMEn: +50 kcal/kg) when supplemented to broilers at 100 g/ton (Figure 1.).

In a more recent trial in swine (results presented at European Federation for Animal Science Annual Meeting, Lyon 2023) the effect of supplementing a standardized blend of cinnamaldehyde, capsicum oleoresin and carvacrol (80 g/ton of feed) was evaluated on growth performance of fattening pigs fed restricted-feed and water diets. Three experimental groups were evaluated: the first one (negative control, NC) with a low nutritional value diet (2317 kcal/kg NE), the second with low nutritional value diet supplemented with the phytogenic mixture (NC+PHYT), the third group (positive control, PC) was fed with a high nutritional value diet (2365 kcal/kg, +48 kcal/kg vs. NC). As presented in figure 2, during the fattening period the pigs fed the phytogenic mixture observed significantly higher (P< 0.0001) growth performance in comparison to NC group (+6.1 average daily gain, – 6.6% feed conversion ratio) and it showed comparable values to the PC in the same period of the study till slaughter (Samson et al., 2023). This confirms that phytogenics can improve feed efficiency in fattening pigs and may compensate for the reduced nutritional value of the diet.

This specific combination of phytogenics showed to be an effective tool to increase the energy available for growth performance and to optimize the feed formulation costs. In ADM, we use state-of-the-art technology to deliver high-quality end products and meet customer needs. Our phytogenic bioactive-based products consist of a combination of finely selected substances found in aromatic plants and spices, encapsulated in a fat matrix for greater stability and application. In addition, phytogenic molecules have proved their effectiveness without involving risks to animals, consumers or the environment (Gharib et al., 2014).

FINDING THE IDEAL BALANCE BETWEEN FEED COST AND FEED EFFICIENCY
Gut health is a multifactorial and complex topic, depending on the environment, farm management, feed and housing changes. It is also probably the greatest concern for meat producers because of its impact on growth performance, animal welfare, economic sustainability and a consumer concern about food safety and traceability. Nutritional factors, infectious disease agents, genetic selection, environment, and management practices can negatively affect the delicate balance among the components of the gut and subsequently impair growth rate and feed efficiency. That’s why improving gut health is an essential step to reach the best feed efficiency. Small changes in FCR parameter at any given feed price will have a substantial impact on financial margins, as more than 50% of the total production costs is allocated to the feed. In a context of high raw materials cost leading to high feed price, looking for strategies to reduce FCR in a flock are a must. Some solutions are aimed at quickly lowering the feed cost but show their technical limits. Another approach can be the use of solutions as feed additives ingredients that will reduce the FCR through an improvement of animal weight or the optimization of the feed consumption. This strategy will lower the production feed cost and/or will be iso-cost but profitable as leading to a higher production level.

CONCLUSION
Nutritional management offers a large panel of alternative feed ingredients targeting better nutrients digestibility, feed quality and gut health available on the market. They are essential to optimize animal productivity and feed efficiency as well as to ensure the profitability of the sector.

Nevertheless, as feed efficiency is a multifactorial complex trait, a holistic approach on other parameters involved such as the equipment and facilities, animal health, genetics, farm management and environmental factors have to be considered to achieve the best feed efficiency possible.

Furthermore, there is no consensus on a unique definition for feed efficiency as it would depend on economic, geopolitical, environmental and food security aspects.

Improving animals’ feed efficiency means that less inputs are required to obtain better outputs, optimizing zootechnical performance, obtaining a greater economical profit, especially in a volatile commodity market and when feed costs are a major part of the expenses for the producer. However, additives can also contribute to a more sustainable animal production, reducing the environmental impact of feed production, including carbon footprint mitigation from crops cultivation, processing and transport. In addition, the application of additives as preservatives also contributes to reducing spoilage, waste and to maintain the best nutritional value in animal diets.

It is in this direction that ADM will continuously work to unlock the power of nature to contribute to a more resilient animal production and a sustainable future.

References:
1. Awaad M. H. H., Elmenawey M., and Ahmed K. A. 2014. Effect of a specific combination of carvacrol, cinnamaldehyde, and capsicum oleoresin on the growth performance, carcass quality and gut integrity of broiler chickens. Veterinary World 7(4): 284-290.
2. Bravo D., 2009. Meta-analysis of broilers fed a mixture of carvacrol, cinnamaldehyde and capsicum oleoresin. ESPN.
3. Bravo D., Pirgozliev V. and Rose S. P. 2014. A mixture of carvacrol, cinnamaldehyde, and capsicum oleoresin improves energy utilization and growth performance of broiler chickens fed maize-based diet. J ANIM SCI 92:1531-1536.
4. Bravo D., Utterback P., and Parsons C. M. 2011. Evaluation of a mixture of carvacrol, cinnamaldehyde, and capsicum oleoresin or improving growth performance and metabolizable energy in broiler chicks fed corn and soybean meal. Journal of Applied Poultry Research 20(2): 115-120.
5. Gharib H.B. 2014. Evaluation of using dietary phytogenics, as growth promoters, on broiler performance, under normal and subnormal temperature conditions. Egyptian J. Anim. Prod. 51(1):49-59.
6. Hengl B., Đidara M., Pavić M., Lilić S. and Šperanda M. 2017. Antioxidative status and meat sensory quality of broiler chicken fed with Xtract® and zeolite dietary supplementation. Pak. J. Agri. Sci., Vol. 54(4), 897-902.
7. Hooper, L.V., Midtvedt, T. and Gordon, J.I. (2002) How Host-Microbial Interactions Shape the Nutrient Environment of the Mammalian Intestine. Annual Review of Nutrition, 22, 283-307
8. Karadas F., Pirgozliev V., Rose S.P., Dimitrov D., Oduguwa O. & Bravo D. 2014. Dietary essential oils improve the hepatic antioxidative status of broiler chickens, British Poultry Science, 55 (3), 329-334.
9. Meyer, T.J., Ramlall J.,Thu P., Gadura N. (2015) Antimicrobial properties of copper in gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria. WASET, Int. J. of Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sc., 9(3); 274-278
10. Oguey C. 2017. Effect of a standardized blend of carvacrol, cinnamaldehyde and capsicum on carcass quality of broilers using multiple trial analisys. Poult. Sci. 96(E-Suppl. 1) 89
11. Oguey. C. and Bravo. D. 2015. Meta-analysis of the effects of a blend of capsicum oleoresin, cinnamaldehyde and carvacrol on the performance and metabolizable energy of broilers. PSA annual meeting.
12. Pirgozliev V., Mansbridge S. C., Rose S. P., Mackenzie A. M., Beccaccia A., Karadas F., Ivanova S. G., Staykova G. P., Oluwatosin O. O. and Bravo D. 2018. Dietary essential oils improve feed efficiency and hepatic antioxidant content of broiler chickens. Animal 13(3): 502-508.
13. Samson A., De Gaiffier W., Janvier E., Constantin S., 2023. Book of Abstracts of the 74th Annual Meeting of the European Federation of Animal Science (pp. 209-209). (Book of Abstracts; No. 29). Wageningen Academic Publishers
14. Waite, D.W. and Taylor, M.W. (2015) Exploring the Avian Gut Microbiota: Current Trends and Future Directions, Frontiers in Microbiology, 6, 673
15. World Organization of Animal Health (WOAH) found as OIE, 2015

About Célia Gomes da Silva
Graduated in Animal Science with a MSc degree from the University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (Portugal) and with a double BSc degree in Animal Husbandry (The Netherlands), Célia Gomes da Silva conducted her academic research in projects related with the effect of polyphenols on in vitro rumen fermentation and mycotoxins occurrence in feed. In 2016, Célia started her path in the feed additives industry, working with a broad range of product categories applied to microbial control, feed to food safety, gut health and contributing to the development of new solutions. In 2020, she joined ADM for the position of Global Product Specialist, focusing on Phytogenic Bioactives, where she’s been actively involved in applied research, technical support, trainings to technical and sales teams and product life cycle assessment.

About Pauline Pourtau Tilly
Pauline Pourtau graduated with a MSc degree in Nutrition and Health by the University of Burgundy in Dijon (France). She started her path in the feed additives industry in 2012 within ADM, working with a broad range of product categories applied to gut health prevention, mycotoxins solutions, modulation of the microbiota and internationally sold. In her current role as Global Product Specialist, Bioactives, she promotes technical support, provides training to technical and sales teams, and develops technical and marketing materials to support the positioning of products and identify market needs.