Keynote Lecture 3 “African plants: valuable sources of phytogenic alternatives to antibiotic feed additives in poultry”

Poultry is one of the fastest growing animal industries and contributes substantially to food security and nutrition. Poultry diseases threaten public health and cause global economic losses. Bans on antibiotic feed additives due to their role in promoting antimicrobial resistance (AMR) gave rise to a need for alternative poultry and livestock growth promoters. Phytogenic feed additives (PFAs) may have useful properties such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and immune modulatory activity. We investigated selected African plants used in traditional poultry healthcare, and those with known bioactivity, for future development of poultry PFAs. Extracts, fractions and purified compounds were subjected to in vitro bioactivity tests, and proximate analysis was conducted on active extracts to assess nutritional benefits. A pilot scale in vivo study was carried out in broiler chickens experimentally infected with zoonotic Campylobacter jejuni. Morinda lucida, Acalypha wilkesiana and Erythrina abyssinica had promising antibacterial activity with MIC values as low as 20 µg/mL against poultry bacterial and fungal pathogens. Senna singueana had excellent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity and bioassay-guided fractionation led to improved activity. Active compounds were identified, including luteolin from S. singueana, which may serve as chemical markers in development of standardised PFAs from botanical extracts. Morinda lucida had promising antibacterial and anti-biofilm activities, and adding nutrient rich Morinda leaf powder to the broiler diet improved feed conversion ratios and other parameters, compared to a standard antibiotic growth promoter. Further research concentrates on bioactivity of combined fractions from various plant species to develop a cost-effective PFA for enhanced poultry production.

 

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Conflict of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Publikationsverlauf

Artikel online veröffentlicht:
16. November 2023