At the end of 2019, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs's No. 194 "Ban Order" landed, which means that the era of animal husbandry's long-term dependence on feed antibiotics has ended. The animal husbandry industry urgently needs to benchmark the feeding efficacy and low cost of antibiotics, find green and safe alternatives, and continuously improve the level of green ecological breeding.
In the early days, antibiotics were widely used in the breeding industry because they could effectively inhibit the reproduction of microorganisms in livestock and poultry, regulate immunity and promote digestion and absorption. And what is the application effect of plant extracts in sterilization and bacteriostasis, promoting digestion and improving immunity?
Antibacterial and bactericidal effect of plant extracts
Under the initiative and guidance of the international antibiotic-free breeding concept and the reduction of the use of domestic veterinary antibacterial drugs, domestic and foreign scientific research institutions and feed veterinary drug enterprises have begun the discovery and development of Chinese herbal medicines and plant extracts. Eucommia leaf extract can destroy the fungal cell wall and penetrate into the cell to kill and inhibit bacteria. Eucommia leaf extract is widely used as an additive by feed enterprises at home and abroad. Traditional Chinese medicine research has also found that tannins extracted from oak or sumac can directly or synergistically kill bacteria by inhibiting a variety of enzyme activities such as proteases in ruminant rumens; patchouli oil, an extract of patchouli of the plantSaccharidae, has inhibitory effects on Salmonella, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, etc. Breeding enterprises have also gradually tried to add additives with local characteristics such as eucommia leaf extract to livestock and poultry feeding, which on the one hand plays its bactericidal and bacteriostatic effect, on the other hand, it hopes to enhance the flavor of livestock and poultry meat and highlight the characteristics of local meat.
Pro-digestion and absorption effect of plant extracts
It has been found that piperine, thyme powder and cinnamaldehyde can stimulate the secretion of digestive enzymes, stimulate the mucous membranes of the digestive tract, activate the activity of digestive enzymes, and thus improve the feed conversion rate. Chen Guoshun, president of Gansu Aonong Institute of Animal Nutrition, professor of the Academy of Animal Sciences of Gansu Agricultural University, and doctoral supervisor, carried out the application research of Chinese herbal feed additives in the fragrant pig breeding base, added Chinese herbal medicine (folk traditional Chinese herbal medicine) to the fragrant pig feed, and found that the level of umami amino acids in its flesh quality increased. The study also found that the addition of eucommia leaf extract to the diet can significantly improve the feed conversion rate of broiler chickens and increase the daily weight gain of broiler chickens.
This shows that the nutrients of Chinese herbal medicines and plant extracts can make up for the lack of dietary nutrients to some extent, improve digestibility and enhance meat flavor. Therefore, adding an appropriate amount of Chinese herbal medicine to livestock and poultry feeding is conducive to the construction of characteristic brands of livestock and poultry products.
Plant extracts improve the body's immunity
Chinese herbal medicine contains bioactive ingredients such as polysaccharides and alkaloids, which can effectively activate animal immune cells. Enhance the disease resistance and stress resistance of livestock and poultry. Active ingredients such as chlorogenic acid in eucommia leaf extract have enhanced the immune efficacy of a variety of poultry vaccines and are very valuable immune enhancers.
In summary, the effect of plant extracts in feed addition has been generally recognized, with a variety of nutrients and biological activities, both nutrients and drugs, both disease prevention and treatment can also improve the production performance of animals. Plant extracts have small toxic side effects, and it is not easy to form residues in animals, which can effectively ensure the quality and safety of livestock and poultry products. However, the active ingredients and mechanisms of action of many plant extracts are not clear, and the dose and formula need to be gradually determined in the long-term process of chinese veterinary drug development and livestock and poultry breeding and feeding; in addition, the quality of Chinese herbal raw materials, the separation and purification process and the industrialization road also need to be further explored.