Abstract
Food borne illnesses have a world-wide economic impact and industries are continuously developing technologies to reduce the spread of disease caused by microorganisms. Antimicrobial growth promoters (AGPs) have been used to decrease microbiological infections in animals and their potential transfer to humans. In recent years there has been a global trend to remove AGPs from animal feed in an attempt to reduce the spread of antimicrobial resistant genes into the human population. Phytobiotics, such as oregano powder, are one of the potential replacements for AGPs due to their well-established antimicrobial components. 16S rRNA gene amplicons were used to determine the effect of oregano powder (1% w/v) on the microbiota of mixed bacterial cell cultures, which were obtained from the ceca of traditionally grown meat chickens (broilers). Oregano powder had a mild effect on the microbial cell cultures increasing Enterococcus faecium, rearranging ratios of members in the genus Lactobacillus and significantly reducing the genus Streptococcus (p = 1.6e-3). Beneficial short chain fatty acids (SCFA), acetic and butyric acid, were also significantly increased in oregano powder supplemented cultures. These results suggest that oregano powder at a concentration of 1% (w/v) may have beneficial influences on mixed microbial communities and SCFA production.
Highlights
Illness caused by the consumption of contaminated foods has a wide economic and public health impact worldwide [1]
The occurrence of bacterial resistance in animal production facilities has led to the fear of the resistance genes spreading into the human population [4, 6,7,8], driving the European Union in banning Antimicrobial growth promoters (AGPs), which has resulted in the global decrease of AGP usage [9,10,11]
The gastrointestinal tract (GIT) microbiota has been extensively studied because of the significant role it plays in the health and performance of animals, including poultry [47,48,49]
Summary
Illness caused by the consumption of contaminated foods has a wide economic and public health impact worldwide [1]. Broiler producers have begun searching for alternatives to low dose sub-therapeutic AGPs that can maintain a healthy microbial gut flora without affecting the cost to poultry producers, the consumer or the environment. The ideal AGP alternatives would display similar influences over the microbial populations, while avoiding unforeseen problems with the health and performance. AGPs added to livestock and poultry feed have been shown to decrease zoonosis whilst improving animal health and performance [4, 5]. The efficiency of AGP alternatives need to be thoroughly investigated to ensure that the benefits to animals, consumers and producers are not lost. One such AGP alternative could be the use of oregano powder, replacing the system while maintaining similar benefits
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
