We are fortunate to live in a time with access to so much information. The modern day broiler farmer and poultry feed manufacturer is no exception, confronted with a range of commercial products for use in broiler diets to increase performance and improve return on investment.

Feed manufacturer’s and broiler farmers are therefore faced with complicated choices of which products to use each painted with clever publicity to promote their own active ingredients and claim superiority. Often farmers and feed manufacturers don’t have the time to analyse which feed additive gives the best performance and return on investment, but it is an important choice for them to make.

This bulletin uncovers production parameters showing users the performance differences between the 100% natural essential oil based feed additive Orego-Stim and a commercial synthetic “alternative” in the form of a Carvacrol based feed additive.

Further changes in EU use of feed additives

European laws on feed and food safety are the strictest in the world. EU regulations which enforce these rules have been updated frequently in the last decade. These changes are based upon new scientific understanding of agricultural, nutritional and health and disease parameters in both animal and humans for the benefit of the consumer and animal welfare. As such a tightly controlled commercial market, The EU has been considered to be the world leader in safety and development standards with regard to animal feed and food production safety.

The latest European changes enforced by the European Food Safety Authority are expected to become registered by the end of this year. There are currently around 2800 feed additives in the EU market which will shortly be re-evaluated in light of new scientific understanding. The main categories of feed additives for use in broiler nutrition include botanical extracts, enzymes, probiotics, prebiotics, and organic acids. They all have their individual specific mode of action.  Orego-Stim falls into the category of botanically derived products which are sensory additives or flavouring compounds, and the particularly interesting properties of Orego-Stim give extra beneficial features to broiler producers.

Synthetic and Natural feed additives

To produce the concentrated form of natural botanical or phytogenic compounds requires systematic and specific manufacturing processes which must be properly regulated to ensure risks and contamination don’t occur at critical control points within the production cycle.

Chemical synthesis aims to copy this process using batch production of industrial chemicals and achieving a ‘similar’ product. The “organic” in organic chemistry takes on a completely different significance to the “organic” in organic agriculture! Organic chemistry is defined by carbon based compounds and their derivatives irrespective of whether these chemicals pertain from living biological sources or not. As carbon is such an essential molecule in living organisms and biological systems, the discipline of organic chemistry blends in with biochemistry and the key biochemical compounds found in phytogenic feed additives.

The biochemical structure of certain active phenolic components of Orego-Stim include the two predominant molecules Carvacrol and Thymol of which Carvacrol constitutes more than 75% of the entire percentage of the active ingredients. Orego-Stim also contains over 30 other natural biochemical compounds in similar proportions as found in the plant itself. These additional compounds are known to have an in-vivo synergistic effect which is greater than the individual benefits of each of its components (Tsinas, 2002).

The other major plentiful source of carbon based compounds is found in crude oil. Refinement of crude oil and its downstream products has formed our lifestyles and the unique way we live our lives compared to any other humans that have lived on this planet in history. It is beyond the scope of this bulletin to emphasise the extent that crude oil based products affect the operation of our industry, but suffice to say that synthetic ‘phytogenic’ feed additives are derived directly from crude oil. The chemical compounds which convert oil based compounds into carvacrol feed additives are intermediary synthetic reagents such as p-cresols, AlCl3, Iron and Ruthenium compounds which are both toxic, carcinogenic and never produce a final product which can be guaranteed to be 100% pure carvacrol. This is the part that the small print on the label doesn’t tell you!

The trial

Many broiler producers may automatically presume that natural and synthetic products are similar, the only differences being the cost between the two. This trial uncovers the truth about the differences between Orego-Stim and a synthetic carvacrol product.

The trial was carried out in a Malaysian company which produces Antibiotic Growth Promoter (AGP) & Coccidiostat free color broilers for export to Singapore. 31,500 Sasso color broiler chicks were used for the trial. The trial was conducted in replicate on two separate farms with 14,950 and 16,550 birds respectively on each farm. The farm withdrew AGP’s and coccidiostats from day 26 to end of the lifecycle, and it was during this period that the two test groups were trialed. Orego-Stim was used at 300g/MT feed and the synthetic product was used at 1kg/MT feed Figure 1.

Figure 1 - Trial design

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Results

Table 1 - Trial results

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figures 2-5 - Trial results

  

  

Table 2 - Percentage Performance improvements using Orego-Stim

 

 

 

 

 

 

Value for money

Production parameters which improved using Orego-Stim compared to the synthetic product include lifecycle, FCR, feed intake, performance index, total feed used, feed cost and cost savings. Table 2 shows the percentage performance improvements between the two groups for a range of important broiler production parameters. As can be seen, farm 2 gave more improvements than farm 1. This could have been due to either/or a combination of husbandry / endemic pathological conditions between the two sites. An average reduction of 17% in feed costs per bird between using Orego-Stim rather than the synthetic product is a significant and profitable difference.

Discussion

The performance index includes a range of variables including final weight, age, growth rate, mortality and FCR. Consequently any adverse or beneficial effect relating to health, environmental stress or food quality will be reflected in the performance index. A lower performance index indicates the need to evaluate production parameters to determine the possible causes of inferior production. As can be seen from the results in this experiment, the performance parameters were significantly improved in both of the Orego-Stim groups compared to the synthetic groups. These improved performance parameters in the Orego-Stim groups translated into cost savings per bird and total cost savings for the farmer.

Orego-Stim is a natural feed additive that can be used in various stages of the production cycle in broilers. During this experiment it was used for the withdrawal period alone, and when used in this way as it has the advantage of leaving no residues in broiler carcasses.  Orego-Stim has also been used in some countries commercially as a natural replacement for synthetic anti-coccidiostats earlier on in the lifecycle. Commercial practice of broiler farmers that use Orego-Stim shows that it is used effectively anywhere in the lifecycle of broilers between starter diets, and finisher diets. The flexibility of Orego-Stim and working applications to answer challenges within commercial broiler production is one of this feed additive’s strengths and advantages.

Conclusion

This trial proves that Orego-Stim improves production performance when compared to a synthetic alternative. This trial ascertains which product is superior both practically and economically, a natural one or a synthetic product.  Orego-Stim is a multifunctional product which works on a range of physiological levels within its target animal, in this case commercial broilers. The results of this trial prove unequivocally that Orego-Stim benefits poultry producers both in terms of production performance and economical returns.

 

Disclaimer: The information contained within this bulletin is intended for international use and is for information only. Specific details and licensing arrangements may vary from country to country including the EU. Details of formulations, indications and applications for any particular country should be checked.