Ferronato Giulia, Prandini Aldo
Department of Animal Sciences, Food and Nutrition (DIANA), Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Science, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Via Emilia Parmense 84, 29100 Piacenza, Italy.
Animals (Basel). 2020 Sep 25;10(10):1740. doi: 10.3390/ani10101740.
Reduction of antibiotic use has been a hot topic of research over the past decades. The European ban on growth-promoter use has increased the use of feed additivities that can enhance animal growth performance and health status, particularly during critical and stressful phases of life. Pig farming is characterized by several stressful periods, such as the weaning phase, and studies have suggested that the proper use of feed additives during stress could prevent disease and enhance performance through modulation of the gastrointestinal tract mucosa and microbiome. The types of feed additive include acids, minerals, prebiotics, probiotics, yeast, nucleotides, and phytoproducts. This review focuses on commonly used acids, classified as inorganic, organic, and fatty acids, and their beneficial and potential effects, which are widely reported in the bibliography. Acids have long been used as feed acidifiers and preservatives, and were more recently introduced into feed formulated for young pigs with the goal of stabilizing the stomach pH to offset their reduced digestive capacity. In addition, some organic acids represent intermediary products of the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA), and thus could be considered an energy source. Moreover, antimicrobial properties have been exploited to modulate microbiota populations and reduce pathogenic bacteria. Given these potential benefits, organic acids are no longer seen as simple acidifiers, but rather as growth promoters and potential antibiotic substitutes owing to their beneficial action on the gastrointestinal tract (GIT).
在过去几十年中，减少抗生素使用一直是研究的热门话题。欧洲对生长促进剂使用的禁令增加了可提高动物生长性能和健康状况的饲料添加剂的使用，特别是在生命的关键和应激阶段。养猪业的特点是有几个应激期，如断奶期，研究表明，在应激期间正确使用饲料添加剂可以通过调节胃肠道黏膜和微生物群来预防疾病并提高性能。饲料添加剂的类型包括酸、矿物质、益生元、益生菌、酵母、核苷酸和植物产品。本综述重点关注常用的酸，分为无机酸、有机酸和脂肪酸，以及它们的有益和潜在影响，这些在参考文献中已有广泛报道。酸长期以来一直用作饲料酸化剂和防腐剂，最近被引入仔猪饲料中，目的是稳定胃内pH值以弥补其消化能力的下降。此外，一些有机酸是三羧酸循环（TCA）的中间产物，因此可被视为一种能量来源。此外，其抗菌特性已被用于调节微生物群数量并减少病原菌。鉴于这些潜在益处，有机酸不再被视为简单的酸化剂，而是由于其对胃肠道（GIT）的有益作用而被视为生长促进剂和潜在的抗生素替代品。
