Gut health

The effects of dietary FOS on the GI microflora of poultry are well documented. Flidaka et ol. (1991) found that consumption of 8 g FOS per day increased numbers of bifidobacteria, improved blood lipid profiles and suppressed putrefactive substances in the intestine. Patterson et d. (1997) found that caecal bifidobacteria concentrations increased 24-fold and lactobacilli populations increased 7-fold in young broilers with FOS. Bifidobacteria may inhibit other microbes because of a high production of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) or the secretion of bacteriocin-like peptides (Burel and Valat, 2007). The improvement in gut health status by dietary FOS supplementation often results in improved growth performance. Ammerman et d. (1988) demonstrated that the addition of dietary FOS at a level of 2.5 or 5.0g/kg diet improved feed efficiency over the period from 1 to 46 days of age. Mortality was reduced with the higher level. However, Waldroup et d. (1993) found that supplementing the diet of broilers with 3.75 g/kg FOS had few consistent effects on production parameters or carcass Sdmonella concentrations. 

Probiotics have attracted interest because they have a role in the health status of individuals, particularly in improving gut health (Saarela et al. 2002). There are many strains of probiotic bacteria, with varying susceptibilities to acid, heat and oxygen. 

The demand for healthy foods has led to the development of several entirely new healthy ingredient and additive categories (Heasman and Mellentin 2001 Sloan 2004). An entirely new sector of functional food ingredients has developed, including products such as omega-3 fatty acids and phytosterols for cardiovascular health, prebiotics and probiotics for gut health, antioxidants, polyphenols and phytochemicals, and bioactive peptides. The established vitamins and minerals sector has also benefited from this functional food trend, with more and more products being fortified with beneficial vitamins and minerals. 

De Vuyst L, Avonts L, Makras E (2004) Probotics, prebiotics and gut health (Chap. 17). In Remade C, Reusens B (eds) Functional foods, ageing and degenerative disease. Woodhead Publishing, Cambridge, UK... 

Novel foods include those providing protein (soy and dairy), and those that are intended to improve cardiovascular health (stanol esters, P-glucan, bioactive peptides, and n-3 fatty acids), bone and joint health (calcium, glucosamine, and chondroitin), eye health (lutein), the immune system (milkmicronutrients, lactoferrin, lactoperoxidase, and colostrum), gut health (probiotics and prebiotics), body fitness (conjugated linoleic acid, amino acids, and glyco-macropeptide), energy level, and for beauty. 

Bornet FR, Brous F. Immune-stimulating and gut health-promoting properties of short-chain fructo-oligosaccharides. Nutr Rev 2002 45 326-334. 

Canibe, N., Engberg, R.M. and Jensen, B.B. (2001) An overview of the organie aeids on gut flora and gut health. In. Proceedings of the Workshop on alternatives to feed antibiotics and anticoccidials in the pig and poultry meat production, gut environment and feed additives. October 13-16, 2001, Oslo, Norway. 

The consumer demand on the functional foods increases as they promote the gut health and decrease the risk of diseases. The functional foods are categorized into three groups based on their mechanism of action as probiotics, prebiotics, and biogenics (Mitsuoka, 2002). The chitooligosaccharides can also be applied as functional foods in the food industry as they have the capacity to act as a... 

Chitooligosaccharides can be applied in the improvement of the quality of the animal origin food items by introducing them to the animals as feed additives. The enhancanent of the growth of the animal species, improvement of the animal gut health, and reduction of animal diseases may contribute to increase the application of COS in animal industries. 

K. Venema, A. A. de Graaf, A. J. H. Maathuis, P. Kovatcheva-Datchary and H. Smidt, Fermentation in the Large Intestine Unravelled Using C-Labelled Substrates Implications for Obesity and Gut Health , in Dietary Fibre New Frontiers for Food and Health, [Based on Selected Papers of the International Dietary Fibre Conference], 4, Vienna, Austria, July 1-3, 2009, ed. J. W. Van der Kamp, Wageningen Academic Publishers, Wagen-ingen, Netherlands, 2010, p. 539. 

Spray-dried plasma is a palatable source of digestible amino acids for newly weaned piglets. Its immunoglobulin content enhances gut health. 

Jacobs DM, Gaudier E, van Dujmhoven J, Vaughan EE. Non-digestible food ingredients, colonic microbiota and the impact on gut health and immunity a role for metabolomics. Curr Drug Metab. 2009 10 41-54. 

Cummings JH, Antoine JM, Azpiroz F, et al. PASSCLAIM—gut health and immunity. Eur J Nutr. 2004 43(suppl 2) II118-II173. 

Tuohy KM, Probert HM, Smejkal CW, Gibson GR. Using probiotics and prebiotics to improve gut health. Drug Discov Today. 2003 8 692-700. 

Puupponen-Pimia R, Aura AM, Oksman-Caldentey KM, Myllarinen P, Saarela M, Mattila-Sandholm T, Poutanen K (2002) Development of functional ingredients for gut health. Trends Food Sci Technol 13 3-11... 

Markets have developed very differently in different regions. In Europe, products aimed at improving gut health, particularly those containing probiotics, dominate the market. In the USA, there is much wider interest in anti-cancer products and the use of botanicals, while gut health products remain relatively undeveloped. The greater use of dietary supplements in the USA has also influenced market development, with increasing numbers of products being launched that straddle the line between dietary supplements and food products. 

It is difficult to quantify the Japanese functional dairy sector, where live cultures (probiotics) are used in almost all fermented milk drinks and desserts, often in conjunction with numerous other ingredients, including prebiotics and vitamins and minerals. The market for Yakult -style fermented milk drinks alone is worth over US 800 million/year, and the market for FOSHU products making gut health claims (likely to be predominantly dairy products) is about US 1.75 billion. 

While a number of margarines and spreads have been introduced that claim or infer benefits to gut health or bone health, the major focus of activity in this sector has been in phytosterol-enriched heart-benefit products. The first of these were laimched in Finland in 1995, but the sector did not really take off until 1999, when a number of products were launched in the USA, Europe and Australia. While heart-benefit spreads have been introduced based on n-3 (also known as omega-3 or co-3) fatty acids, these have not enjoyed anything like the commercial success of their phytosterol-enriched counterparts. 

The Japanese market is the most established by far. It consists largely of health and functional drinks in small bottles, although more recently lines are starting to appear in standard soft drinks packaging. Many of the brands on the market target gut health through the use of prebiotics and dietary fibre. Bone health is also a major focus, using various calcium sources in combination with promoters of calcium absorption such as calcium citrate malate. 

Sugiharto S. (2014). Role of nutraceuticals in gut health and growth performance of poultry. Journal of the Saudi Society of Agricultural Sciences. Article in press. 

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