Improving broiler performance by reducing the threat of endotoxins

Endotoxins are toxic compounds from bacterial origin. The most well-known endotoxins are lipopolysaccharides (LPS), which are part of the cell wall of Gram-negative bacteria (e.g. E. coli). In production animals, the gastrointestinal (GI) tract contains a large group of microorganisms, and therefore it is the most important source of endotoxins. During normal bacterial division and lysis, LPS molecules are released into the lumen. Once absorbed from the lumen, endotoxins trigger an inflammatory response, that will consume energy and nutrients meant for growth and production. The integrity of the intestinal barrier is critical for the prevention of endotoxin translocation through both transcellular and paracellular pathways. Several factors (e.g. heat stress, mycotoxins, pathogens, feed transition, weaning) are known to increase gut permeability, promoting leakage of endotoxins. Moreover, translocated endotoxins may facilitate the passage of larger amounts of endotoxins by further increasing the permeability of the intestinal barrier. Therefore, EndoBan, a unique feed additive that removes and detoxifies endotoxins before they can pass through the GI barrier, was developed.

The objective of these studies was to investigate the effect of EndoBan on male and female broiler performance when combined with a commercial feed additive providing protection against mycotoxins, as other non-mycotoxin related factors can increase gut permeability.

At the end of the trial (d42), the body weight of birds fed the EndoBan supplemented diet was improved by 65g or 2.1% compared to that of the control birds. Also, corrected FC was improved by 4pts or 2.8% for the EndoBan supplemented birds compared to the control birds.

At 42 days of age, the end of the experimental period, a significant (p = 0.015) improvement in body weight by 88g or 3.6% was obtained for the birds fed the EndoBan supplemented diet. Feed conversion was unaffected by the supplementation of EndoBan to the diet.

The results of this study indicate that EndoBan can improve growth performance of broilers, even when a mycotoxin binder is already present in the feed.