Chitosan as Alternative to Antibiotics for Ruminants

Filed in archive Energy, Environment and Ecology , Food and Agriculture on February 27, 2010

© Sadie_Girl

The use of antibiotics in animal feed is strictly regulated as it has been linked to the emergence of antibiotic resistant microorganisms. This prohibition has been reported, however, to raise production costs by an estimated 3.5% to 5%.

In a new research, scientists explore the use of a natural-occurring biopolymer known as chitosan as an effective alternative to growth-promoting antibiotics in the diet of ruminants. Apart from its proven antimicrobial activity, chitosan is a viable alternative as it is biodegradable, renewable and a non-toxic compound.

...in vitro trials obtained highly promising results, based on an improvement on the energy efficiency of the rumen fermentation process with fermentations aimed at the production of propionic acid and a reduction in the production of methane during this process of up to 50%.

In vivo trials also showed when chitosan was administered directly to the animals, improvements in energy efficiency of the rumen fermentation process were also obtained as in the in vivo trials, without
affecting the digestibility of the ration.

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