Feed additives play a crucial role in modern animal nutrition to optimise growth, enhance feed efficiency, and improve overall health in livestock. These components are significant in achieving sustainable and efficient animal production. By leveraging innovative feed solutions, producers can improve the well-being of their livestock while maximising productivity.
Business Development Manager
Ohly
Feed additives are products added to animal feed to enhance its nutritional value, support digestion, and prevent disease. They can be classified into several categories, including probiotics, prebiotics, enzymes, organic acids, yeast-based products and others. Each type serves a unique purpose, helping to improve various aspects of animal health and performance.
One of the primary benefits of feed additives is their ability to improve nutrient utilisation. Enzymes such as phytase, protease, and NSP enzymes help break down complex feed components, making nutrients more accessible for absorption. This leads to better growth rates and feed conversion efficiency, reducing overall feed costs for producers.
Yeast-based feed solutions, part of the Animal Health portfolio at Ohly, are also effective ingredients for improving animal performance and feed efficiency. Yeast-derived solutions enhance gut health by promoting beneficial microbiota, leading to improved digestion and nutrient uptake. This is particularly important in poultry and aqua production systems, where efficient feed utilisation directly impacts economic returns.
BOOSTING IMMUNITY AND REDUCING ANTIBIOTIC DEPENDENCY
Antibiotic resistance is a growing concern for livestock producers. A 2019 WHO report estimated that antibiotic-resistant infections cause over 700,000 human deaths annually—a number projected to exceed 10 million by 2050.1 As a result, there is increasing demand for non-antibiotic solutions to improve feed efficiency and livestock livability. The rise in antibiotic-free animal production has driven demand for natural feed additives that support immune function. Probiotics and prebiotics promote gut health by fostering beneficial bacteria while inhibiting harmful pathogens.
Ohly supplies yeast-based feed solutions that contain beta-glucans and mannan oligosaccharides (MOS), which enhance immune responses in livestock. These compounds can help animals resist microbial infections, thereby improving their health status and reducing the need for antibiotics.
IMPROVING GROWTH PERFORMANCE AND PRODUCTIVITY
Nucleotides are semi-essential nutrients that support rapid growth, stress resistance, and immune function in animals. During high-demand periods, supplementation improves poultry productivity, enhancing daily weight gain and feed efficiency. Young chickens benefit significantly, as dietary nucleotides boost immune cell production and reduce infection risks, offering an antibiotic alternative. Stressed breeder birds do also benefit from a nucleotide-induced gut health support.
Feed additives like organic acids, essential oils, and yeast-based products further optimise growth. Organic acids improve nutrient absorption by lowering gut pH, while essential oils enhance feed efficiency through their antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. Yeast-based products can also help to manage mycotoxin and bacterial challenges via their binding capacity.
Nucleotide supplementation can also enhance egg production, fertility, and hatchability, increasing live chick output by up to 6%,2 which makes it especially valuable for breeding flocks.
ENHANCING GUT HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT WHILE IMPROVING MEAT QUALITY
Farm animals, such as young chickens, have immature digestive systems making early nutrition important for optimal growth. Dietary nucleotides play a large role in promoting intestinal development and maturation, contributing to a healthier gut.
Research indicates that supplementation enhances gut flora balance, increases villus height, and improves villus height-to-crypt depth ratios, signifying a more efficient digestive system.3;4 This results in better nutrient absorption, leading to greater body weights and improved carcass yields.
Additionally, meat quality might be improved with meat being more tender, redder in colour, and nutritionally superior, containing higher iron levels and lipids with enhanced unsaturation(5-7), contributing to overall meat quality and consumer appeal.
The industry should continue to develop innovative yeast-based solutions that contribute to efficient, sustainable livestock production. By incorporating these advanced feeding technologies, producers can optimise animal health and performance, ensuring a more productive and responsible agricultural future.
References
1No-time-to-wait-securing-the-future-from-drug-resistant-infections-en.pdf (who.int)
2Bonato, M., Araujo, L., Santos, G., Lohrmann, T., Barbalho, R. (2014) Nucleotide supplementation in the diet of broiler breeders and their effect on hatchability and subsequent progeny performance. International Poultry Scientific Forum, Abstract T131.
3Wu, C., Yang, Z., Song, C., Liang, C., Li, H., Chen, W., Lin, W., Xie, Q. (2018) Effects of dietary yeast nucleotides supplementation on intestinal function, intestinal microbiota, and humoral immunity in specific pathogen-free chickens. Poultry Science 0:1-10
4Jung, B. and Batal, A.B. (2012) Effect of dietary nucleotide supplementation on performance and development of the gastrointestinal tract of broilers. Br. Poult. Sci. 53:98-105
5Chiofalo, B., Lopresti, V., Agazzi, A. Invernizzi, G., Chiofalo, V. and Liotta, L. (2006) Administration of nucleotides in poultry’s diet: effect on the lipid composition of the Pectoralis major muscle. World Poultry Science Journal 62 (suppl): 320-321
6Chiofalo, B., Lo Presti, V., Savoini, G., D’Alessandro, E., Chiofalo, V., and Liotta L. (2011) Nucleotides in broiler chicken diet: effect on breast muscles quality. Czech Journal of Food Science 29: 308- 317
7Zhang, G., Ma, Q., and Ji, C. (2008) Effects of dietary inosinic acid on carcass characteristics, meat quality, and deposition of inosinic acid in broilers. Poultry Science 87:1364-1369
