New Age Phytogenic solution to Antibiotic as growth promoter: Nbiotic

Antibiotics have been added to livestock in Industrial farms since 1946 to caused animal to grow faster and put on weight more efficiently. Between 1985 and 2001, the use of antibiotics in feed for industrial livestock production rose a startling 50%. As global demand for animal protein grows, antibiotics used to raise food-producing animals in intensive production mostly to promote growth rather than treat disease. It is estimated that approximately 75 % of all the antibiotics given to the animals are not fully digested and eventually pass through the body to enter the environment. This indiscriminate, overuse and misuse of antibiotics causing the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria “Superbug”. These superbugs are a threat to humanity because infection from resistant bacteria is increasingly difficult and expensive to treat. According to a report, a continued rise in resistance by 2050 would lead to 10 million people dying every year and a reduction of 2% to 3.5% in Gross Domestic Product (GDP). It would cost the world up to 100 trillion USD. The top three classes by global sales for animal use in 2009 were macrolide ($600 million), Penicillin ($600 million), and Tetracycline ($500 million), all of which are categorized as critically important in human medicine (WHO List of Critically Important Antimicrobials, Geneva; 2011).

Antibiotics are being routinely administered to chicken in poultry farms in small doses to promote growth and keep the disease at bay, almost as a replacement for nutrition and sanitation. The chicken is being popularized day by day and its consumption increases in all parts of the world, so there is the need of regulations for judicious use of antibiotics in animal husbandry sector in India and abroad. There is a threat that the human race will again enter the situation of the post-antibiotic era. Most parts of the developed world had already understood the situation and came up with the regulations to completely ban the use of antibiotics growth promoters (AGPs). Now the responsibility is on our shoulder to take initiative to keep the environment safe by saying no to the antibiotics for use as growth promoters.

Because of the ban on antibiotic use as growth promoters and the increased awareness of the consumers, triggered a need for natural and safe feed additives to achieve better production results from farm animals. Among possible alternatives are plant-based products (extracts, essential oils, polyphenolic compounds) that may positively affect poultry health and productivity. Several authors have indicated that the use of plant extracts or plant-based substances have the potential as alternative growth promoting feed additives. Feeding natural dietary supplements to animals to enforce their innate defense mechanisms could effectively reduce or prevent the need for therapy of enteric infections. The main advantage of natural or herbal growth promoters over AGPs is that they usually do not bear any risk regarding bacterial resistance or undesired residues in animal products such as meat, milk or eggs.

There are many alternatives available and the effective one is a phytogenic noble solution named Nbiotic. It is not only environment-friendly and safe for long-term use but also poses the capability to replace the antibiotic.

Nbiotic is a phytoadditive that is a ‘bacteriostatic herbal growth promoter with essential oils added to feed of poultry & swine and possesses a number of beneficial effects, including rapid development of a healthy gut microflora, stabilization of digestion, increased growth performance, stimulation and rapid maturation of the immune system & many more.

Nbiotic contains a wide variety of active components. Different herbs and essential oils, which affects digestion, process differently. Most of them stimulate the secretion of saliva. Herbs like ginger, mint, onion and cumin enhance the synthesis of bile acids in the liver and their excretion in the bile, what beneficially affects the digestion and absorption of lipids. Most of the prelisted herbs stimulate the function of pancreatic enzymes (lipases, amylases and proteases); some also increase the activity of digestive enzymes of gastric mucosa. According to a report allicin from Allium sativum protects intestinal cells from increased permeability of membrane in pigs infected with E. coli. It also contains active substances, which suppress the action of fungi and viruses. Essential oils like eucalyptus and thyme is having proven antimicrobial activity. 

It was also observed from the various field trials that the herbal constituents present in the Nbiotic cause in an improvement of digestibility, absorption of nutrients, modification of intestinal microbiota and stimulation of the immune system. They also have antibacterial, anti-viral, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

We are presenting one of the very recent and interesting validation report of the Nbiotic.

A total of 1200 day-old Cobb 430 Y as hatched chicks separated into six equal groups with 200 birds in each group (10 replicates each of 20 Birds in each group) for 42 days.

Nbiotic at both the doses found to be more superior than the other antibiotics used in terms of FCR. However, the improvement in body weight is not significant but Nbiotic treated group show better result. Providing better FCR and final body weight in comparison to few of the mostly used antibiotics proves the efficacy of the Nbiotic and its potency to replace antibiotic as a growth promoter.

Nbiotic supplement gives extra benefit to the farmer by causing increase in the dressing percentage and breast weight percentage of the broiler chicken when compared with control group. In that way Nbiotic, supplemented group gave 212 gm more edible meat as compare to control group.