Mannan oligosaccharides (MOS) are essential for poultry health and nutrition due to their multifaceted benefits. These prebiotic compounds, derived from the yeast cell walls, are crucial in enhancing gut health, improving immune function, and promoting overall growth and productivity.
MOS is not just a preventative measure, it’s a proactive step towards ensuring the health of your flock. It works by binding to pathogens and preventing their attachment to the gut lining, reducing the risk of infections and diseases. This mechanism helps maintain a healthy gut microbiota balance and stimulates the immune system, boosting the birds’ ability to fight off diseases.
A deficiency in MOS can lead to several problems in poultry. Birds may experience increased susceptibility to gastrointestinal infections, which can cause poor nutrient absorption, diarrhoea, and weight loss. The imbalance in gut microbiota can also lead to the overgrowth of harmful bacteria, further compromising health and productivity.
The immune system may weaken without adequate MOS, making poultry more vulnerable to infections and diseases. This can result in higher mortality rates, reduced feed efficiency, and overall poorer performance, impacting the economic viability of poultry farming. The financial implications of inadequate MOS supply underscore the crucial need to ensure its provision in poultry diets.
In the ever-evolving field of poultry nutrition, searching for natural and effective feed additives has increased interest in prebiotics, particularly Mannan Oligosaccharides (MOS). It is derived from the cell walls of yeast, especially Saccharomyces cerevisiae and has gained prominence for its multifaceted benefits.
This comprehensive blog will delve into Mannan Oligosaccharides’ benefits as feed additives in poultry nutrition, highlighting their impact on gut health, immune system enhancement, nutrient absorption, pathogen reduction, stress mitigation, overall performance, and the reduction of antibiotic use.
Benefits of Mannan Oligosaccharides in Poultry Nutrition
- Gut Health Improvement: The primary requirement in poultry nutrition is enhancing gut health. The gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of poultry is a complex and dynamic ecosystem where beneficial and pathogenic microorganisms coexist. Maintaining a healthy balance of gut microflora is crucial for optimal nutrient absorption and overall bird health.
- Beneficial Microflora: MOS is a substrate for beneficial gut bacteria such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. These beneficial bacteria outcompete pathogenic microorganisms for nutrients and attachment sites on the gut lining, thereby inhibiting the growth of harmful bacteria like Salmonella and Escherichia coli. This competitive exclusion mechanism is pivotal in maintaining a healthy gut microbiota balance.
- Immune System Enhancement: A robust immune system is vital for poultry to combat infections and diseases. MOS play a significant role in enhancing the immune response of birds, making them more resilient to pathogens. Thus, mannan oligosaccharides feed additives play an essential role in boosting immunity.
- Immunoglobulin Production: MOS stimulate the production of immunoglobulins, particularly IgA and IgG. Immunoglobulins are antibodies that play a crucial role in identifying and neutralising pathogens. Higher levels of these antibodies in the gut and systemic circulation enhance the bird’s ability to ward off infections. MOS help birds mount a more effective immune response against invading pathogens by boosting the activity of immune cells.
- Nutrient Absorption: Efficient nutrient absorption is critical for the growth and productivity of poultry. MOS for poultry contribute significantly to improving nutrient absorption through their positive effects on gut health and morphology.
- Enhanced Digestion: Mannan Oligosaccharides promote the growth of beneficial gut bacteria and enhance the digestive process. The beneficial bacteria produce enzymes that break complex nutrients into simpler forms that the intestines can easily absorb.
- Strengthen Barrier Function: MOS strengthen the gut barrier function, reducing the permeability of the intestinal lining. This prevents the translocation of harmful pathogens and toxins from the gut into the bloodstream, ensuring nutrients are absorbed efficiently without compromising the bird’s health. Hence, MOS can be added to Poultry feed.
- Reduction of Pathogens: The presence of pathogenic bacteria in the gut can lead to various health issues and reduced productivity in poultry. MOS play a crucial role in reducing the pathogen load in the gut. It binds to pathogenic bacteria, preventing them from attaching to the gut lining. Once bound to MOS, these pathogens are expelled from the digestive system through faeces. This mechanism reduces the colonisation of harmful bacteria in the gut and minimises the risk of infections.
- Stress Mitigation: Poultry often face various stressors, such as heat stress, transportation, and changes in diet or housing conditions. Stress can negatively impact gut health, immune function, and overall productivity. MOS plays a beneficial role in mitigating the adverse effects of stress.
- Maintain Gut Integrity: The gut barrier function can be compromised during stressful conditions, leading to increased permeability (leaky gut). MOS help maintain gut integrity by strengthening the gut lining and reducing permeability. This ensures that the gut remains functional and efficient even under stress. Therefore, Mannan Oligosaccharides can be used as a feed additive in Poultry.
- Immune Support: Stress can weaken the immune system, making birds more susceptible to infections. MOS provide immune support during stress by enhancing the activity of immune cells and stimulating the production of immunoglobulins. This helps birds maintain a robust immune defence despite the presence of stressors.
- Improved Performance: The combined effects of better gut health, enhanced immune function, improved nutrient absorption, and stress mitigation contribute to the overall improved performance of poultry. Birds fed MOS-supplemented diets tend to show better weight gain than those on conventional diets. The enhanced nutrient absorption and improved gut health enable birds to utilise feed more efficiently, resulting in faster growth rates.
- Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR): FCR is a critical parameter in poultry production, indicating the efficiency with which birds convert feed into body weight. MOS improve FCR by enhancing nutrient absorption and reducing feed wastage. This translates to better economic returns for poultry producers.
- Egg Production and Quality: MOS supplementation has been associated with improved egg production and quality in laying hens. Hens on MOS-supplemented diets produce more eggs with better shell quality and internal contents. This is attributed to the overall improved health and nutrient absorption facilitated by MOS.
- Reduction in Antibiotic Use:The use of antibiotics in poultry production has been a contentious issue due to concerns over antibiotic resistance and residue in poultry products. MOS offer a natural and effective alternative to antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs), supporting gut health and performance without antibiotics.
- Antibiotic Resistance: The overuse of antibiotics in poultry production has led to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, posing a significant threat to public health. MOS helps reduce the reliance on antibiotics by promoting gut health and enhancing the immune system, thereby reducing the incidence of infections.
- Consumer Demand: There is a growing consumer demand for antibiotic-free poultry products. By incorporating MOS into poultry diets, producers can meet this demand while ensuring the health and productivity of their flocks. This aligns with the trend towards more sustainable and natural poultry production practices.
Conclusion
Mannan Oligosaccharides (MOS) have emerged as a valuable feed additive in poultry nutrition, offering many benefits. From enhancing gut health and immune function to improving nutrient absorption and reducing pathogen load, MOS contribute significantly to poultry’s overall health and performance. Their role in stress mitigation, improved performance, and reduction of antibiotic use further underscores their importance in modern poultry production.
As the poultry industry continues to evolve, incorporating natural and effective feed additives like MOS will play a crucial role in meeting the challenges of sustainable and antibiotic-free production. By harnessing the power of MOS, poultry producers can achieve better productivity, healthier flocks, and higher economic returns, while also addressing consumer demands for safe and natural poultry products.
In conclusion, MOS represent a promising and versatile tool in the arsenal of poultry nutritionists and producers. Their ability to enhance gut health, support the immune system, improve nutrient absorption, and mitigate stress makes them an indispensable component of modern poultry diets. As research continues to uncover the full potential of MOS, their role in shaping the future of poultry nutrition and production is set to become even more significant.
About Titan Biotech Limited
Titan Biotech, based in Delhi, India, specialises in supplying top-quality raw materials to diverse industries such as Animal Nutrition, pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, cosmeceuticals, and the food and beverage sector. Renowned for our premium offerings, we are prominent manufacturers and exporters of Protein hydrolysate, collagen peptides, proteins, ox bile extract, yeast extract, bone and joint & skincare ingredients, and more, catering to various essential applications.
Leveraging our technical proficiency, we ensure our customers receive superior products and services. Our robust market presence enables us to stay abreast of local trends, fostering collaborations with key players across the globe.
With cutting-edge manufacturing facilities in Bhiwadi, Rajasthan, we adhere to stringent international quality standards throughout our production processes, including ISO and GMP. If you require Protein hydrolysate for Animal Feed, call or contact us. Our technical support team will provide the solution to meet your requirements.
References:
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6827142/
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/320322444_Use_of_Mannan-Oligosaccharides_MOS_As_a_Feed_Additive_in_Poultry_Nutrition
- https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/world-s-poultry-science-journal/article/abs/use-of-mannan-oligosaccharide-in-broiler-diets-an-overview-of-underlying-mechanisms/11E87A5B63AEC35B3FB97F6A9C92C756
