Feed additives in poultry nutrition.

The use of feed additives to improve the efficiency of growth and/or eggs production, prevent disease and improve feed utilization is a strategy to improve the efficiency of the poultry industry. Feed additives may not enter the market in Europe unless authorisation has been given following a scientific evaluation. The use and development of enzymes, phytogenics, prebiotics and probiotics has gained momentum in poultry feeding. The enzymes widely used by the industry are the non-starch polysaccharidases that cleave the non-starch polysaccharides in viscous cereals, microbial phytases that target the phytatecomplexes in plant ingredients. Proteases are of interest to improve protein and amino acid digestibility, particularly in very young animals. Phytogenics are an alternative to in-feed antibiotics to prevent the risk of developing pathogens and also to satisfy consumer demand for a food chain free of drugs. Probiotic feed additives generally consist of one single strain or a combination of several strains of bacteria, Bacillus spores or yeasts species. Prebiotics are non-digestible food ingredients, such as fructo-oligo-saccharides, xylo-oligo-saccharides, mannan-oligo-saccharides and galacto-oligo-saccharides that are also used in feeds to protect poultry against pathogens. Future research needs to be directed towards understanding how combinations of these additives can be used to improve the effi ciency of poultry production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]