Low dosage plant extracts improve carcass quality & production index

The Swiss feed additive manufacturer Pancosma recently revealed the last results of its partnership with the Poultry Disease & Animal Production departments of Cairo, Egypt, represented by Dr. Awaad, Dr. Elmenawey and Dr. Ahmed.  In a specific study, the effect of the products XTRACT Poultry 6930 was demonstrated and then published in Veterinary World Journal (EISSN: 2231-0916). This product is a standardized blend of plant extracts manufactured under Swiss quality standards.

The trial gathered 600 broilers Arbor Acres Plus, divided in 2 equal groups (with 10 replicates of 30 broilers each). The 2 groups received 3 different commercial diets (Starter: 23%CP, 3000 Kcal ME/kg; Grower diet: 22% CP; 3150 Kcal ME/kg and finisher: 19% CP; 3200 Kcla ME/Kg), with or without supplementation of 100 g/ton of XTRACT Poultry 6930, supplemented in the feeds through a premix on a vegetal carrier. The diets did not contain any antibiotics growth promoter but a coccidiostats treatment (Semduramicin, 25ppp).

The supplementation with XTRACT first improved the standard performance parameters without affecting feed intake, See table 1. Recent publication associated with this plant extract blend and published by external universities, showed its effect on digestive secretions (bile salts), fat and minerals digestibility coupled with an improvement of gut epithelium protection. The final results was a significative reduction of maintenance requirements resulting in a higher also Net Energy for production.

More than only improving the performance parameters and the weight of the birds, the supplementation also influenced the individual carcass quality and composition (See table 2), reinforcing the return on investment associated with the use of such additives. These effects can be attributed to the antioxidant effects of this blend, effects published by Dr. Pirgozliev in 2014. 

Finally, some histologic and morphologic analysis of tissus from the digestive tract were done in order to check the gut epithelium protection and the benefits of its antioxidant properties. The histological study showed that the addition of the additive increased the villus height and villus height/ crypt ratio. 

It was concluded from that studies the following elements: