State Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition, Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China.
Department of Animal Production and Technology, College of Agriculture, Woldia University, Woldia P.O. Box 400, Ethiopia.
Int J Mol Sci. 2021 Sep 27;22(19):10392. doi: 10.3390/ijms221910392.
Intestinal dysfunction of farm animals, such as intestinal inflammation and altered gut microbiota, is the critical problem affecting animal welfare, performance and farm profitability. China has prohibited the use of antibiotics to improve feed efficiency and growth performance for farm animals, including poultry, in 2020. With the advantages of maintaining gut homeostasis, enhancing digestion, and absorption and modulating gut microbiota, organic acids are regarded as promising antibiotic alternatives. Butyric and citric acids as presentative organic acids positively impact growth performance, welfare, and intestinal health of livestock mainly by reducing pathogenic bacteria and maintaining the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) pH. This review summarizes the discovery of butyric acid (BA), citric acid (CA) and their salt forms, molecular structure and properties, metabolism, biological functions and their applications in poultry nutrition. The research findings about BA, CA and their salts on rats, pigs and humans are also briefly reviewed. Therefore, this review will fill the knowledge gaps of the scientific community and may be of great interest for poultry nutritionists, researchers and feed manufacturers about these two weak organic acids and their effects on intestinal health and gut microbiota community, with the hope of providing safe, healthy and nutrient-rich poultry products to consumers.
动物肠道功能障碍，如肠道炎症和肠道微生物群改变，是影响动物福利、性能和农场盈利能力的关键问题。中国已于 2020 年禁止在包括家禽在内的养殖动物中使用抗生素来提高饲料效率和生长性能。有机酸具有维持肠道内环境稳态、增强消化吸收和调节肠道微生物群的优势，被认为是很有前途的抗生素替代品。作为代表性的有机酸，丁酸和柠檬酸通过减少致病菌和维持胃肠道 (GIT) pH 值，积极影响牲畜的生长性能、福利和肠道健康。本综述总结了丁酸 (BA)、柠檬酸 (CA) 及其盐的发现、分子结构和特性、代谢、生物学功能及其在家禽营养中的应用。还简要回顾了 BA、CA 及其盐在大鼠、猪和人类中的研究结果。因此，本综述将填补科学界的知识空白，对于家禽营养学家、研究人员和饲料制造商来说，这可能是关于这两种弱有机酸及其对肠道健康和肠道微生物群的影响的有趣内容，希望为消费者提供安全、健康和营养丰富的家禽产品。
