The animal food-producing industry is under pressure to find safe alternatives to using antibiotics in farming. Consumers are concerned for their health as the use of antibiotics in animal feed has been linked to antibiotic-resistant bacteria in humans. Some bacteria have developed resistance to antibiotics that were once commonly used to treat them.
The two main factors causing pressure for the industry: legislative restrictions and the demand for farmers to raise monogastric (one stomach) animals without antibiotics in animal feed.
To find a safe solution, studies have been done on different products in the hope of finding a replacement for antibiotic use in animals1. These studies show that medium chain fatty acids (MCFA), can play a very important role in minimising antibiotic use.
Chicks at a chicken farm.
Benefits of MCFA in monogastric diet
MCFA have positive effects on animal health. With anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, they stimulate the immune system, which improves gut health and inhibits the growth of bacteria. Adding MCFA when formulating a monogastric diet, for example, for poultry and swine, will help to grow healthier animals, reduce intestinal lesions, achieve better absorption of nutrients, and improve the feed conversion rate, which is essential in the animal food-production industry.
Feed conversion rate is a measure of an animal’s productivity and is defined as the ratio of the feed it consumes to the weight it gains. It is a very important parameter to take into consideration because feeding represents between 65-70 percent of monogastric production cost. For example, if four kilogrammes of feed are used to produce two kilogrammes of meat, the feed conversion is 2.00 (4 divided by 2). It is evident that the lower the conversion, the more efficient the animal is, which lowers the cost for farmers.
Piglet playing on a field.
GoNutri’s role in helping farms and farmers
GoNutri helps farmers with animal nutrition through livestock feed supplements. GoNutri’s two main product lines are the Energy and Protect lines. Let’s talk about the Protect line.
The GoNutri Protect range improves the gut health of poultry and swine. It contains bactericidal properties that can kill bacteria and partially replace antibiotics in diets. Under the Protect line, we have two types of products.
GoNutri Protect contains a minimum amount of 99 percent lauric acid. Lauric acid is a saturated fatty acid that stands out for its potent antibacterial effects against gram+ bacteria such as Streptococci, Staphylococci, Clostridium Perfringens, and fat enveloped virus. This supplement improves overall gut health.
On the other hand, GoNuti Protect Xtra contains a minimum amount of 90 percent alpha-glycerol monolaurate. Alpha-glycerol monolaurates are biologically active molecules that work throughout the gastrointestinal tract of the animal. They are non-corrosive, non-volatile, have a neutral taste and odour, resist high processing temperatures, and have a bactericidal effect about ten times more potent than their corresponding free fatty acids. Thanks to its fast lymphatic absorption, they have a systemic effect too, which means it supplements the animal’s whole body rather than one part.
GoNutri is a solution farms and farmers should take into consideration due to the new industry regulations and the challenges farmers face today—the ever-increasing demand for animal protein, the call to improve animal welfare, and especially the demands to reduce antibiotic use.
Read more about GoNutri’s product lines here.
Reach out to our animal feed specialist to help you grow your farm here.
About the writer
Alicia Suárez Velo has a degree in Veterinary Medicine, specialised in Poultry, and a master’s in Business Administration. She has worked in different animal nutrition companies such as Coren and Nuscience Group. She is currently working with GAR as a Technical Sales Manager in the area of monogastric feed in Spain.
[1] Fortuoso, Dos Reis, and Gebert 2019; Joshua A. Jackman, R. Dean Boyd, and Charles C. Elrod