THE NEED FOR PERFORMANCE ENHANCERS

Antibiotic growth promoters are commonly used in the feed industry to control infections and maintain the general health of the animal and thus improve animal performance. The antibiotics are used to kill or inhibit pathogenic bacteria and are added to the feed at a low, sub-therapeutic dose.

The consistent use and overuse of antiobiotics as growth promoters in the animal feed industry has led to widespread concern that this could lead to bacterial populations becoming resistant to the antibiotics and thus rendering them ineffective for clinical or vetinarary use.

The EU passed a total ban on the use of antibiotics as growth promoters effective 1 January 2006. This measure is in line with the European Commission's overall strategy to combat the threat to human, plant and animal health posed by antimicrobial resistance

There are a number of alternatives to antiobiotic growth promoters that are also based on improving the general health of the bird by maintaining a healthy gut microflora. The health of the gastrointestinal tract is key to productivity, acquisition and assimilation of nutrients and maintenance of a barrier of infection against microbial and viral infections.

Probiotics and gut acidifiers are two of the most promising group of products to replace antibiotic growth promoters in the feed.

A probiotic is a living microorganism which assists in the establishment of an intestinal population which is beneficial to the animal and antagonistic to harmful microbes

A gut acidifier is a blend of organic or inorganic acids which controls the growth of pathogenic bacteria and promotes the growth of healthy microflora in the gut of the animal. Their mode of action includes; reducing the pH of the feed and the GIT, thus inhibiting the microbial growth of pathogenic bacteria and more importantly there is a direct killing effect on harmful bacteria such as Salmonella and E.coli.

PERFORMANCE ENHANCERS

Acidifier
Controlled release gut acidifier comprising a blend of organic acids and essential oils.

Probiotic
Patented liquid probiotic which contains "hardy bacteria" essential to surviving the
passage to the gut and maintaining the level of viable cfu in the GIT.