Aug 2026· Animals· Vol 16, pp. 2381· 0 citations· 48 references
Medicine
Abstract
Simple Summary Plant-based feed additives are increasingly used in commercial poultry farming as natural options to support bird health and productivity. However, farmers and feed producers need practical advice on how to best include these products in everyday feed recipes. This study tested a phytogenic nutritional additive (PNA) containing star anise essential oil, thyme essential oil, and Quillaja saponaria Molina stem and leaf powder in chicken diets under different feed formulation strategies. The goal was to investigate if these strategies could support chicken growth while also affecting meat quality, gut health, and nutrient loss. The results showed that growth performance was not affected by the PNA-containing formulation strategies. These strategies also influenced nutrient utilization and intestinal health, and the effects depended on the specific nutrient matrix strategy applied. Interestingly, early signs pointed to a temporary adjustment in the gut lining, which was followed by signs of stronger connections between gut cells by day 22. These findings offer useful information for feed manufacturers on how to use plant-based additives more effectively, helping to balance bird performance, meat yields, and digestive health in modern poultry nutrition.
Poultry nutrition has evolved beyond simply formulating diets to meet nutrient requirements, with greater attention given to feed efficiency, animal health, environmental challenges, and the quality of poultry products. This Special Issue brings together 11 studies covering a range of topics, including alternative ingredients, functional dietary additives, feed processing, heat-stress mitigation, intestinal microbiota, and poultry product quality. The studies investigated insect meals, Bombyx mori, Camelina sativa, and Spirulina platensis, in addition to phytogenic compounds, selenium, fermented feeds, and enzyme-based approaches. The results show that these nutritional strategies can influence growth performance, nutrient utilization, immune and antioxidant responses, as well as meat and egg characteristics. At the same time, several factors may limit their application in commercial poultry production. These include differences in the composition of alternative ingredients, variation in responses under different experimental conditions, and the relatively small number of studies carried out under commercial production settings. Future studies should place greater emphasis on understanding their mechanisms of action, establishing appropriate inclusion levels, and assessing potential interactions among different strategies. It will also be important to consider the economic feasibility and environmental consequences of their use. Such information will help translate experimental findings into practical and more consistent nutritional strategies for poultry.
C. Stefanello, Valéria Biselo, E. A. Taschetto et al.· Veterinary Sciences· 0 citations
Antibiotic growth promoters such as virginiamycin have been widely used in poultry nutrition to enhance growth performance and feed efficiency. However, concerns regarding antimicrobial resistance have increased interest in herbal alternatives. Phytogenic feed additives such as amla, turmeric, and neem possess antimicrobial, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory properties and are considered potential substitutes for antibiotics. The present study evaluated the effects of antibiotic (Stafac-20) and herbal supplementation on growth performance, immunocompetence traits, blood biochemical parameters, digestive organ development, and carcass characteristics in broilers. A total of 180-day-old broiler chicks were randomly allocated to three groups: a basal diet supplemented with Stafac-20 @ 50 g/quintal (T1), a basal diet supplemented with a herbal mixture comprising 0.5% amla pulp powder, 0.25% turmeric powder, and 0.25% neem leaf powder (T2), and a basal diet without supplementation as the control (T3). Each group comprised six replicates of ten birds, which were reared for 6 weeks under standard management conditions. Growth performance parameters, viz. body weight, body weight gain, and FCR, were not significantly affected (P > 0.05) during the experiment. Serum ALP and SGPT activities were significantly higher (P < 0.01) in the antibiotic and phytobiotic groups than in the control group. Humoral immunity was significantly enhanced (P < 0.001) in both the antibiotic and herbal groups, whereas cell-mediated immunity was significantly higher (P < 0.001) in the antibiotic group than in the control group. Carcass traits were not significantly affected (P > 0.05), except for drumstick yield. In conclusion, phytobiotic supplementation improved immune responses without adversely affecting growth performance or carcass quality, indicating its potential as a natural alternative to antibiotics in broiler production.
M. Goswami, H. Singh, A. Bhattacharyya et al.· Journal of Advances in Biolo...· 0 citations
Simple Summary Feed cost and efficient nutrient use are major challenges in modern broiler production. Natural feed additives are increasingly used to support growth performance and intestinal health, but many phytogenic products primarily rely on essential oils or plant extracts with antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. Fibrafid differs by combining plant-derived fermentable fiber with organic acids, potentially providing both prebiotic and digestive-support functions. This study evaluated the effects of Fibrafid supplementation in broilers fed either standard diets or moderately nutrient-reduced diets with lower metabolizable energy and digestible amino acid density. Fibrafid supplementation, particularly at 2.5 kg/ton, improved body weight gain, feed efficiency, European production efficiency factor, carcass leanness, breast meat quality, and intestinal development. Importantly, Fibrafid supplementation was associated with maintaining productive performance under moderately nutrient-reduced dietary conditions. These results suggest that Fibrafid may be a promising natural feed additive for improve broiler productivity and supporting greater flexibility in feed formulation programs. Further research extending to market age and evaluating nutrient digestibility, intestinal microbiota, economic returns, and other underlying mechanisms is needed to confirm its practical value under commercial production conditions.
Maged A. Al-Garadi, R. Alhotan, E. Hussein et al.· Veterinary Sciences· 0 citations
Simple Summary As the commercial poultry industry transitions away from antibiotic growth promoters, farm managers and breeding practitioners need reliable, natural feeding strategies that maintain flock growth, feed efficiency, and intestinal robustness. This study examined whether blending wild thyme powder with standard prebiotics or probiotics could replace conventional antibiotics in broiler diets over a 28-day grow-out period. Our findings show that adding thyme powder, especially when paired with a spore-forming prebiotic, significantly increases final bird weight and improves overall feed conversion efficiency to levels that match or exceed antibiotic treatment. At the tissue level, these natural combinations act as a dual protective shield: thyme and beneficial microbes strengthen the intestinal lining, promote friendly gut bacteria, and enhance nutrient absorption. For poultry producers, combining thyme powder (1.0 g/kg) with a probiotic (0.50 g/kg) offers a viable, cost-effective, non-antibiotic strategy to optimize flock productivity, safeguard gut health, and reduce production losses in modern antibiotic-free broiler operations.
AA Aboragah, A. Alharthi, H. Al-Baadani· Veterinary Sciences· 0 citations
The poultry industry has increasingly sought natural feed additives as alternatives to synthetic growth promoters to enhance productivity and animal health in a sustainable manner. Garlic and its bioactive compounds have been widely recognised for their antimicrobial, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory properties, yet limited information is available regarding the efficacy of garlic leaf extract (GLE) in broiler diet. This study evaluated the effects of GLE as a natural dietary additive on growth performance, intestinal morphology, immune response, and gut microbiota composition in broiler chickens. A total of 160 one-day-old broilers were randomly assigned to 4 dietary treatments supplemented with 0, 125, 250, or 500 mg/kg of GLE for 35 days. Results revealed that dietary inclusion of 125 mg/kg GLE significantly increased final body weight and average daily gain compared with the control group. Supplementation with GLE also improved villus height in the jejunum and ileum suggesting enhanced nutrient absorption and intestinal integrity. The GLE treatment group exhibited significantly greater than that observed in the other experimental groups. In contrast, the concentrations of IgM and IgY did not differ significantly among treatments. Analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that dietary GLE significantly altered the composition and structure of the intestinal microbiota, characterised by an increased relative abundance of Firmicutes, a reduction in Bacteroidetes, and enrichment of beneficial genera such as Lactobacillus. Principal coordinate and LEfSe analyses confirmed these compositional shifts. In conclusion, dietary inclusion of garlic leaf extract, particularly at 125 mg/kg, effectively enhanced growth performance, intestinal morphology, immunity, and gut microbial balance, supporting its potential as a natural feed additive in broiler production.
S. Sommano, P. Sunanta, Chiao-Hsu Ke et al.· Poultry Science· 0 citations
Plant-derived lignans are increasingly investigated as components of feed supplements in poultry production due to their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and intestinal barrier-supporting properties. However, direct evidence linking lignan supplementation to improved nutrient digestibility remains limited, and the individual contributions of magnolol and honokiol to the biological effects of such additives are not yet fully understood. This study therefore examined the effects of a wood-derived lignan feed supplement containing both compounds on growth performance, nutrient utilization and intestinal health in broiler chickens, alongside targeted in vitro mechanistic investigations. In a 35-day broiler feeding trial, 180 birds in 6 pens per treatment received a control diet or the lignan supplement at 0.1 g/kg feed. Supplementation increased body weight by 90.8 g and reduced feed-to-gain ratio from 1.41 to 1.32. Apparent ileal digestibility of crude protein, crude ash, calcium and phosphorus increased by 2.8 %, 3.9 %, 5.1 % and 2.2 %, respectively. Jejunal gene expression analysis revealed a significant downregulation of IL-8, while TNF-α and IL-10 remained unaffected. To further investigate underlying mechanisms, magnolol and honokiol were evaluated in intestinal epithelial and immune cell models. Transepithelial transport was documented for both lignans in the Caco-2 model, with magnolol achieving higher apparent permeability. Magnolol enhanced wound closure speed in IPEC-J2 cells, reflecting a capacity to support epithelial restitution after injury. In contrast, honokiol reduced intracellular reactive oxygen species in epithelial cells and strongly suppressed nitric oxide production in LPS-stimulated macrophages, pointing to a dominant role in redox and inflammatory signaling. Both compounds inhibited NF-κB activation, though honokiol acted more broadly across TLR4-dependent and -independent pathways. These in vitro findings provide possible explanations for the in vivo effects, although their contribution to the observed responses in broilers remains to be established. Overall, magnolol and honokiol provide complementary and mechanistically distinctive activities in vitro and their combined use in a single feed supplement may therefore represent a promising strategy for improving nutrient utilization and productive performance in poultry production.
Mara Heckmann, Verena Stadlbauer, B. Schwarzinger et al.· Poultry Science· 0 citations
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