The benefits of tributyrin on intestinal function and health and subsequent performance response

Butyric acid is a short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) that is produced naturally by fermentation of fiber in the lower gastrointestinal tract (GI). Butyric acid has known benefits such as providing energy to colonocytes, intestinal barrier function, apoptosis regulation, control cytokine production, mucus synthesis, and intestinal cell proliferation, differentiation and maturation. Exogenous supplementation of butyric acid was initially developed by making a salt derivative, with either sodium or calcium to reduce the rancid butter smell, and included into fat matrix to allow the butyrate to get past the upper GI and into the intestines. More recently, glycerol esters of butyric acid was developed to produce either mono- or tributyrins to further prevent the butyric smell and allow butyric acid to pass into intestine without the need of a fat coating/matrix. In this presentation published broiler and piglet research with tributyrin will be reviewed to demonstrate gut modification, such as morphology, and antioxidant responses.

Keywords: broilers, weaned pigs, tributyrin.