{"id":1960,"date":"2025-12-19T20:13:22","date_gmt":"2025-12-19T20:13:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/plmea.com\/?p=1960"},"modified":"2025-12-19T20:19:32","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T20:19:32","slug":"bacticidng-a-next-generation-solution-for-poultry-gut-health-and-performance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/plmea.com\/?p=1960","title":{"rendered":"BactiCid\u00aeNG: A next-generation solution for poultry gut health and performance"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>\"\"<\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0By<\/strong> Valerie Daher, Product Manager, UTRIX S.A.L.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Recognizing the complementary strengths of tributyrin and essential oils, UTRIX developed\u00a0BactiCid\u00aeNG, a next-generation feed additive designed to optimize gut health and performance in poultry. This feed innovation offers poultry producers a reliable path toward sustainable, antibiotic-free production.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0<\/em>A balanced and functional GIT is critical for optimal nutrient absorption, help fight pathogens, and achieving optimal bird performance and profitability. Photo: Shutterstock<\/span><\/p>\n

In today\u2019s rapidly evolving poultry industry, gut health is regarded as the cornerstone of productivity, welfare, and sustainability. The gastrointestinal tract (GIT) not only governs nutrient digestion and absorption, but also plays a central role in immune function and disease prevention. For producers, ensuring that birds maintain a balanced and functional GIT is critical to achieving optimal performance and profitability. However, the transition away from antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) has made this task increasingly complex, especially in the Middle East.<\/p>\n

Common responsibility to reduce AMR <\/strong><\/p>\n

For decades, AGPs were widely adopted to improve growth performance and to mask deficiencies in management practices. They reduced the incidence of intestinal diseases such as necrotic enteritis, which remains the most challenging disorder in poultry raised without antibiotics (Whitling & Seiler, 2015). Yet, their continued use has been strongly associated with the rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Resistant bacteria originating in animals can transfer to humans via direct contact, contaminated feed and water, or the food chain, posing a global health crisis (World Health Organization, 2023). The scale of the threat is alarming. In recent years, bacterial antimicrobial resistance was directly responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths, and projections warn that if no action is taken, AMR could lead to 10 million deaths annually by 2050 (Antimicrobial Resistance Collaborators, 2022; O\u2019Neill, 2016). Regional reports highlight the urgency; in Lebanon, Daoud (2018) documented the burden of resistant pathogens, underscoring that the issue is not confined to developed nations but is global in scope.<\/p>\n

The power of natural feed additives<\/strong><\/p>\n

As a result of AMR threats, governments, consumers, and producers alike are driving a decisive reduction in AGP use. This shift necessitates reliable, science-based alternatives able to safeguard gut health, while improving performance and ensuring food safety. Natural alternative to antibiotics have proven its efficacy in delivering optimal birds’ performance without increasing the risk of antimicrobial resistance. Among the most promising solutions are\u00a0tributyrin\u00a0and\u00a0essential oils, two categories of feed additives that deliver multifaceted benefits when properly formulated and protected.<\/p>\n

Tributyrin: An effective way to deliver butyric acid<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Tributyrin, a triglyceride form of butyric acid, has an unique structure that ensures\u00a0slow and sustained release\u00a0of butyric acid throughout the intestine. This feature avoids premature degradation in the upper GIT, while also preventing issues such as sodium overload linked to sodium butyrate supplementation. Butyric acid has long been recognized for its role in intestinal development and health. However, its effective delivery in poultry production has been limited by the instability and poor palatability of butyrate salts. This issue is tackled by supplying it in the form of tributyrin.<\/p>\n

The benefits of tributyrin are supported by extensive research:<\/p>\n