Garlic and cinnamon: a natural solution to reduce the use of antibiotics

hanks to a unique technology, when alliin and alliinase get in Excential Alliin Plus preserves contact through mastication or Tthe best of nature to boost processing of the garlic clove. Thus, animals’ gut health. Combining the preserving the integrity of their broad range of benefits attributed to compartments by freeze-drying garlic with the powerful essential oil before milling is essential. Without of the cinnamon bark, Excential Alliin this protection, the most powerful Plus’ active ingredients have been effects of the garlic molecules reported anti-pathogenic, anti- would easily be lost during storage inflammatory and pro-gut flora. and processing.

by Dr Alexia Lépine, Garlic and cinnamon: an Central Technical Manager, optimal team for multiple Orffa Additives BV, Belgium. targets www.orffa.com Years of research have placed garlic and cinnamon at the top of the anti- Garlic’s fame in the world of health pathogenic natural agents. These is mostly attributed to the two plant-derived additives chemically-defined garlic derivative therefore qualify as phytogenics, or allicin, an alkaloid thiosulphinate phytobiotics. molecule identified as diallyl- Garlic’s active antimicrobial agents viral, bacterial, fungal, parasitic the intestinal epithelium. This would dithiosulphinate. belong to the thiosulphinates, of pathogens to support of also explain why growth promoting As in all plants, the natural levels which allicin is generally claimed to cardiovascular and immune effects remain although resistance of such active compound may vary be responsible for most of these functions. towards these same antibiotics rises. depending on the environmental benefits. Research indicates high Cinnamon oil, the second Growth promoting effects relying on conditions. Selection of effectiveness against pathogens, component of Excential Alliin Plus the anti-inflammatory capacity of thiosulphinate-rich cloves is allicin may thus prevent digestive contains agents that are reported to antibiotics like virginiamycin or therefore crucial to the production problems caused by, for example, have gut health promoting bacitracin might well be replaced by of Excential Alliin Plus. E. coli, salmonella and rotavirus. properties. The predominant agent, a strong phytogenic solution like Allicin’s volatility causes practical However, providing the full garlic cinnamaldehyde, accounts for Excential Alliin Plus. and logistic constraints for effective clove also confers effects linked to around 80% of the oil’s composition. use in animal feed. Nature itself has other sulphur compounds such as With a simple phenolic structure, found the best way to conserve the diallyl disulphide (DADS), cinnamaldehyde seems to feature a Garlic and cinnamon: full effects of garlic active molecules S-allylcysteine (SAC) and diallyl wide array of activities against parasites’ nightmare by storing a precursor molecule and trisulphide (DATS). countless bacteria, yeast and fungi. an activator but not allicin as such. Recent studies review the roles of Various studies report that Garlic on its own may prevent or Activated by the alliinase enzyme, phenolic and organosulphur cinnamaldehyde actively mitigate mitigate upon onset, a diversity of allicin’s precursor molecule alliin compounds present in whole garlic E. coli, Salmonella enteritidis, parasitic diseases in all animal transforms into allicin when the right in relation to anti-pathogenic as well Clostridium perfringens, and categories. By adding cinnamon conditions are met. While both alliin as global health effects. Aspergillus flavus. In addition to extracts, Alliin Plus widens this range and alliinase are present in the garlic Therapeutic uses and reducing the population of of applications. cloves, they are present in separate pharmacological properties of garlic pathogenic agents, cinnamaldehyde In aquaculture, where garlic is compartments. Allicin is formed only are reported for protection against stimulates intestinal secretions, already used against the white improves absorptive capacity and faeces syndrome in shrimp caused by modulates inflammation. the combination of gregarines Fig. 1. The production process. The array of garlic and cinnamon’s parasite and high levels of Vibrio functions together can serve as an spp., Excential Alliin Plus is applied alternative solution to growth to deter sea lice in aqua populations Enzyme Alliinase promoting antibiotics as they affect including cobia fish. the microbial populations and host Other species can benefit from the Alliin CRUSH responses, specifically anti- properties that comprise of Excential inflammatory properties. Alliin Plus. For example, in ruminants  Although the mechanisms through Excential Alliin Plus has been most Active which dietary antibiotics exert their useful in the diet of young calves Thiosulphinates growth promoting effects remain to suffering from diarrhoea and be established, they are more and cryptosporidium. Allin more suggested to improve growth In swine, Excential Alliin Plus used Enzyme Alliinase performance through an anti- in swine was tested against inflammatory effect directed toward Continued on page 22

International Poultry Production • Volume 28 Number 3 21 Continued from page 21 live micro-organisms that have direct A. pleuromoniae induced coughing modulatory effects on the gut Score n 0 n 1 n 2 n 3 and supports performance. microflora. A very common example 0.0d 2.3a 1.7b 1.2c 1.3c 1.1c 1.1c Finally, for poultry application of feed additive probiotic is Bacillus both garlic and cinnamon have been subtilis. 100 reported to exterminate adult and Broiler chickens are fast growers juvenile red mites and their eggs. and their short life span restricts the 80 Additionally, Excential Alliin Plus may usage of sustainable solutions such lower Eimeria counts responsible for as vaccinations. In this context, 60 coccidiosis and an indispensable prevention and reducing onset of 40 factor for necrotic enteritis in coccidiosis and Eimeria pre- Birds (%) chickens and may be used as a food dispositioned necrotic enteritis (NE) 20 safety initiative to reduce salmonella can be achieved with coccidiostats, a populations prior to processing. specific category of antibiotic-like 0 pharmaceuticals. Occurrence of NE is tightly NC CC AGP BS50 AP BS50AP BS30AP Supporting probiotic connected to the presence of additives to lower necrotic asymptomatic coccidiosis due to the Different letters indicate p value < 0.05 enteritis Eimeria parasites. However, NE onset will only be triggered when Fig. 2. NE lesion scores. Y axis includes the proportion of birds which either In line with the worldwide trend to Clostridium perfringens bacterium received a lesion score of 0, 1, 2 or 3 and the averages are depicted on top. reduce growth promoting antibiotics co-infects the bird’s gut. In this 0 = no lesions and 3 = severe lesions. The control models (Negative Control and therapeutic antibiotic context, the use of B. subtilis as gut vs Positive Control) depict that NE lesions were presented as moderate to treatments, Excential Alliin Plus has flora stabiliser may prevent the severe. All birds treated (Antibiotic Growth Promoter, Bacillus subtilis earned its place within global development of C. perfringens in the C-3102 at 50ppm, Alliin Plus at 450ppm or the combination of these two) ‘alternative to antibiotic’ strategies. gut. presented less severe lesions. Distribution of the lesions is crucial. The Such strategies commonly champion As feed additives do not claim to highlighted combination of AP with either BS at 50 or 30ppm had over the usage of probiotics as highly compete with pharmaceutical two thirds of the birds scoring 0 or 1 (Wilson et al., PSA 2019). effective. Probiotics are defined as solutions, combining complementary

feed solutions is a well-established impacted the digestion performance Table 1. The Negative Control (NC) vs Clostridium Control (CC) depict alternative. of the birds as measured by that NE had a high impact on FCR. Birds treated with Antibiotic Growth Excential Alliin Plus combines anti- improvement of the feed conversion Promoter (AGP), Bacillus subtilis C-3102 at 50ppm (BS50), or Alliin Plus pathogenic and anti-parasitic effects, ratio. (AP) at 450ppm had better FCR than CC. This improvement was likely to support those of the consistently observed with the combination BS and AP, as highlighted. probiotic B. subtilis. This was regardless of BS dosage: 50 or 30ppm, and it was observed at all In this context, a controlled study Summary periods. However, when looking at the period 0-21 days which includes organised by an independent the healthy period of the birds, only the combination reached statistical university tested the combination of In Excential Alliin Plus, garlic and significance (see in bold). B. subtilis with Alliin Plus. cinnamon team up to replace Low inclusion level of the antibiotics for a better gut health. Treatments 0-21 14-18 14-28 probiotic (30g/ton of feed) was Backed by an extensive number of Prior to D14 Eimeria Including challenge combined with Excential Alliin Plus trials, Excential Alliin Plus performs C. perfringens challenge with C. perfringens (450g/ton of feed) in a mash feed. its highly beneficial effects in As shown in Table 1, this specific dosages on all animal NC 1.336 c 1.404 f 1.392 e combination provided better species.

a a a protection against macroscopic gut The strong phytogenic feed CC 1.926 3.154 2.955 lesions observed during NE, than the additive Excential Alliin Plus appears AGP 1.827 ab 2.628 bc 2.710 abc high dose of probiotic alone at a to be supportive of other gut health higher dose (50g/ton of feed). solutions like probiotics, all working BS50 1.769 b 2.440 cd 2.386 d Also, broiler chickens that received together in the quest of limiting the AP 1.816 ab 2.691 b 2.745 ab Excential Alliin Plus alone were as overuse of antibiotics and well protected against early onset of coccidiostats. n BS50AP 1.752 b -95 pts 2.206 e -81 pts 2.142 d -17 pts NE as the birds receiving the

cd bcd antibiotic treatment. BS30AP 1.690 b -67 pts 2.469 -50 pts 2.451 -24 pts Protecting the broilers’ gut from References are available Different letters indicate p value < 0.05 NE-induced damages positively from the author on request

22 International Poultry Production • Volume 28 Number 3