Application of resistant starch in swine and poultry diets with particular reference to gut health and function

Abstract

The immediate post-weaning period poses a major challenge on the survival of piglets. Similarly, newly hatched chicks face life threatening challenges due to enteric infections. In the past several years, in-feed antibiotics have been used to reduce these production problems and improve growth. However, in-feed antibiotics have been banned in many jurisdictions and therefore the most effective alternatives to in-feed antibiotics must be developed. To date, several studies have been conducted to develop alternatives to antibiotics. One of the potential candidates as alternatives to in-feed antibiotics is resistant starch (RS). Resistance starch is a type of starch that resists enzymatic digestion in the upper parts of the gastrointestinal tract and therefore passes to hindgut where it can be fermented by resident microorganisms. Microbial fermentation of RS in the hindgut results in the production of short chain fatty acids (SCFA). Production of SCFA in turn results in growth and proliferation of colonic and cecal cells, increased expression of genes involved in gut development, and creation of an acidic environment. The acidic environment suppresses the growth of pathogenic microorganisms while selectively promoting the growth of beneficial microbes. Thus, RS has the potential to improve gut health and function by modifying and stabilising gut microbial community and by improving the immunological status of the host. In this review, we discussed the roles of RS in modifying and stabilising gut microbiota, gut health and function, carcass quality, and energy metabolism and growth performance in pigs and poultry.

Role of Feed Processing on Gut Health and Function in Pigs and Poultry: Conundrum of Optimal Particle Size and Hydrothermal Regimens

“…The latter fraction cannot, by definition, be enzymatically degraded in the small intestine by host enzymes and passes to the large intestine where it can be fermented by residing microbiota. There are numerous studies demonstrating that resistant starch modulated intestinal microbiota and increased the expression of genes responsible for gut development through the production of SCFA creating acidic and hostile environment for pathogen overgrowth (95). Moreover, there are numerous reports indicating that HTP changes physical chemical property of dietary fiber through increased solubility and particle size reduction (96).…”

Effect of feeding 3 zero-tannin faba bean cultivars at 3 increasing inclusion levels on growth performance, carcass traits, and yield of saleable cuts of broiler chickens

“…Benefits of faba bean as the crop are numerous, which includes greater grain yield than field pea, a high protein content realized through symbiotic nitrogen fixation, breaking crop disease and pest cycles owing to crop rotation with cereals and oilseeds, diversification of soil microbial ecosystems, and the ability to reduce greenhouse gas emission because of reduced crop inputs ( Strydhorst et al., 2008 ; Köpke and Nemecek, 2010 ). Besides, slow digestible starch found in faba bean ( Hejdysz et al., 2016 ) can contribute to the improvement of gut health and function in poultry and thereby possibly aid in reducing the need of in-feed antibiotics for therapeutic use ( Regassa and Nyachoti, 2018 ). Surplus food- and feed-quality faba bean tonnage is available regionally.…”

Maternal dietary resistant starch does not improve piglet’s gut and liver metabolism when challenged with a high fat diet

“…There, they can promote the establishment of beneficial microbiota [1]. Most of the studies applying RS in the diet of pigs at the time of weaning report an improvement of gut health and function [2]. Fermentation of RS results in an increased amount of short chain fatty acids (SCFAs).…”