REPRINT 2020

It’s all about

antibiotic
reduction
#ADDITIVEVALUE

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ALL ABOUT FEED POULTRY WORLD PIG PROGRESS DAIRY GLOBAL

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 AGP reduction with
alpha-monoglycerides
Recent trials in rabbits and broilers show that However, research shows that it is possible to achieve a higher
glycerides of fatty acids were able to maintain efficiency and better health with organic acids if alpha-
productivity in animals fed antibiotic free diets. monoglycerides are used. In this case an organic acid, like a
short chain fatty acid (SCFA) or medium chain fatty acid
Due do their unique molecular structure, alpha-
(MCFA), is specifically linked to the first position of a glycerol
monoglycerides possess specific characteristics. molecule via an ester bond. The success of alpha-monoglyc-
These characteristics make them highly effective erides lies in this unique molecular structure. The molecules
in improving the health status of farm animals. are pH independent and less susceptible to enzymatic break-
down, which makes them active in the entire gastrointestinal
BY R&D FRAMELCO tract. Research shows that alpha-monoglycerides have a

PHOTO: FRAMELCO
much stronger antimicrobial effect compared to conventional

T
he use of antibiotics as growth promoters has been organic acids.
banned in the European Union since 2006. This
withdrawal was the result of concerns about the Antiviral and anti-inflammatory effects
development of antimicrobial resistance and the Today, the antibacterial effects of alpha-monoglycerides are
transfer of antibiotic resistant genes from livestock to humans. well-documented. In addition, it becomes more and more
The therapeutic use of antibiotics is also being restricted in clear that they also possess antiviral properties against fat-
most countries worldwide. Due to the increasing demand for enveloped viruses. Alpha-monoglycerides are found to cause
animal feeds without antibiotics, the feed additive market is leakage by affecting the viral envelope. Higher concentrations
witnessing strong growth. The variety of available additives, might lead to the complete breakdown of the viral particles.
such as essential oils, pre- and probiotics and all kinds of Ellen Damen of Framelco R&D: “We see that products based on
phytogenic products, is large. The feed additive that is still glycerides of lauric acid (C12) are gaining popularity in fighting
standing strong after all these years is the group of organic viral diseases like Newcastle Disease (ND) and Infectious Bron-
acids. Organic acids, especially when used in blends, are well- chitis (IB). These in vivo effects may not solely be attributed to
known for their strong antibacterial effects. They are able to the direct antiviral effect of alpha-monoglycerides, but also to
disturb the bacterial cell wall and, at a low pH, to enter the their immunomodulatory properties.” Studies have shown
pathogenic cell. As a consequence, vital cell processes, like that antibody titres against IB are increased in broilers fed
protein and energy production and the formation of DNA, glycerides of lauric acid. Furthermore, numerous studies have
are disturbed, causing the pathogenic cell to die. shown that monoglycerides can influence the level of
cytokine production in different animal species.
Table 1 – Effect of glycerides on rabbit performance. It has been suggested that immunomodulatory compounds,
like glycerides of fatty acids, may be more effective when
Effect of replacing the antibiotic valnemulin with FRA Gut Balance Dry on growth performance and mortality in absorbed via the lymphatic system. That is because the
rabbits from weaning at day 36 till 78 days. lymphatic system is the bodies’ principle transport pathway
Valnemulin FRA Gut Balance Dry for B- and T-lymphocytes, the most important immune cells.
(6 kg/ton of feed) That lauric acid was preferentially transported via this
Start weight (at d36; g) 970 937 lymphatic system was first demonstrated in rats by Sigalet and
Average daily weight gain (g/rabbit) 41.2 41.1 Martin (1999). Framelco has strong indications that the same
Total weight gain (kg/rabbit) 1.73 1.73 applies to pigs, as alpha-monolaurin was found in blood
Total feed intake (kg/rabbit) 6.26 6.22 samples of pigs fed alpha-monolaurin. It is believed that
FCR 3.62 3.60 alpha-monoglycerides also have a positive effect on inflam-
Mortality (%) 4.2 1.4 matory responses and elimination of infections in animals.
This could help reducing the negative impact of inflammatory

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PHOTO: FRAMELCO

processes on growth performance. The anti-inflammatory Lincomycin, see Table 2. Damen reacted positively on these
properties of alpha-monolaurin and a combination of results: “Glycerides of fatty acids could be a tool to reduce
alpha-monocaprylin (C8) and alpha-monocaprin (C10) were antibiotics in broiler diets.”
tested in vitro at the KU Leuven University, Belgium. Both In a world without antibiotic growth promoters and restricted
products showed a clear reduction of the nitric oxide (NO) use of antibiotics, products based on alpha-monoglycerides
production of marophage-like cells, indicating an anti- are gaining popularity to promote animal health and to opti-
inflammatory effect. To prove the described effects, several mise animal performance. This is due to their unique molecular
trials were conducted in collaboration with universities. structure, which allows them to be highly antibacterial and
antiviral in the entire gastrointestinal tract. In addition, they
Replacing antibiotics in broilers and rabbits show a positive effect on the animal’s immune response, there-
Results from Hungary show that FRA Gut Balance Dry, a by reducing the risks of secondary infections and decreasing
product based on glycerides of SCFA and MCFA, was able to the negative impact of infections on growth performance.
replace valnemulin in weaned rabbits. Valnemulin is common-
ly applied in commercial rabbit farms to reduce mortality due References available on request
to epizootic rabbit enteropathy (ERE). ERE is associated with
an imbalance in the microflora, which allows overgrowth of Table 2 – Effect of glycerides on broiler performance.
clostridia. Toxins produced by these clostridia paralyse the in-
testines. The results show that FRA Gut Balance Dry was able Replacing the antibiotic Lincomycin with FRA C12 Liquid
to maintain growth performance whilst strongly reducing Positive control Negative FRA C12 Liquid FRA C12 Liquid
mortality, see Table 1. Damen: “This is certainly a promising (Lincomycin) control (1 kg/1000L) (2 kg/1000L)
study. Further trials are now being conducted to validate Starter period (d 8-21)
these effects.” Total feed intake (g) 829.4 829.0 797.2 782.5
A study at the University of Agriculture Faisalabad in Pakistan Total weight gain (g) 532.2 490.1 525.0 513.4
showed that Lincomycin indeed has a positive effect on FCR 1.56 1.69 1.51 1.52
growth performance of broilers. Removing this antibiotic Grower-finisher period (d 22-35)
growth promoter resulted in inferior results. Adding glycerides Total feed intake (g) 1802.0 1673.4 1733.8 1784.6
of lauric acid (FRA C12 Liquid) to the drinking water improved Total weight gain (g) 1033.0 924.3 1016.2 1068.3
weight gain compared to the negative control. The FCR FCR 1.74 1.81 1.71 1.67
was even more improved with FRA C12 Liquid than with

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 Glycerides of butyric
acid: A must for poultry
That butyric acid is beneficial for intestinal health secretion and stabilising the microflora, resulting in a more ef-
and growth performance, especially in young and ficient nutrient digestibility and better colonisation resistance.
vulnerable animals, is well known. However, the Hence, improved growth performance is observed, especially

PHOTO: DAVID ROZEMEYER

practical use of butyric acid entails some challenges. under suboptimal circumstances. That is why worldwide,
where the preventative and curative use of antibiotics is
Framelco developed products based on butyrate becoming more and more restricted, butyric acid is a popular
glycerides in order to bring butyric acid to the lower feed additive in young animals.
part of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). Interestingly,
these glycerides also have shown to positively affect Take maximum advantage of butyric acid
the carcass quality of broilers. So far, the good news. There are also some difficult aspects of
butyric acid. In its free form, butyric acid is corrosive and has
an incredibly bad smell. Butyric acid is a weak acid with a pKa
BY R&D TEAM, FRAMELCO value of 4.82. This means that, in the intestinal tract with main-
ly a neutral pH, it will be very rapidly metabolised in the crop

A
mong the short chain fatty acids, butyric acid has and the upper gastrointestinal tract. Suppliers started to use
special properties. It is a natural substance in mam- salts of butyric acid, primarily sodium and calcium butyrate.
mals and birds, normally produced by the microbi- This solid and generally odourless form is much easier to han-
ota present in the lumen of the caecum and large dle. One problem however remains, and that is the fact that
intestine. Although a lot is yet to be discovered about this fatty butyrate salts are absorbed in the upper part of the GIT. This in
acid, literature extensively describes its strong capacity to turn is very disadvantageous as pathogenic bacteria, like Sal-
improve intestinal health. Besides being the preferred fuel for monella, colonise in the caecum and colon. The most common
colonic enterocytes, the most known effect of butyric acid is way to handle this, is using micro-encapsulation or fat coat-
stimulating epithelial cell proliferation and differentiation. It ings. Salts of butyric acid are released at the moment the coat-
also has a beneficial effect on the colonic barrier function. ing is broken down by lipase in the small intestine. In case of
Other effects of butyric acid include stimulation of enzyme poor coating the active product is most probably released too
early, whereas in case of a proper coating the amount of butyr-
Figure 1 - Effect of tributyrin and coated sodium butyrate on ic acid in the product is relatively low, e.g. about 25%.
villus height in LPS challenged broilers. To overcome all former disadvantages, Framelco developed a
Villus Length (μm) third-generation butyric acid in the form of glycerides. Glycer-
1000
LPS LPS + tributyrin LPS + CSB
ides are produced by esterifying three molecules of butyric
900 acid to a glycerol molecule resulting in ‘tributyrin’. Tributyrin
800 therefore contains a relatively high amount of butyric acid, but
700
is non-corrosive, odourless and pH-independent and is there-
fore able to reach the lower parts of the gastrointestinal tract.
600
Studies show a significant effect of butyrate glycerides on the
500
composition of the cecal microbiota of broilers, indicating that
400 the glycerides indeed were able to reach the lower part of the
300 gastrointestinal tract. Several strains of Bifidobacteria were sig-
200 nificantly increased in relative abundance. Benefits associated
100
with increased numbers of Bifidobacteria in the intestine
include immunostimulation, competition with pathogenic
0
Duodenum Jejunum Ileum bacteria for nutrients and attachment sites, and production of
Adapted from Xiong et al., 2018.
volatile fatty acids that provide metabolic energy for the host.

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PHOTO: DAVID ROZEMEYER

The favourable effects of tributyrin packaging and transport of triglyceride in the blood and are
The beneficial effect of tributyrin in broilers has been con- therefore able to modulate lipid metabolism.
firmed in literature. One hundred and twenty Cobb broilers
were challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and either Conclusions
non-treated (control) or treated with tributyrin or coated sodi- Several forms of butyric acid are available in the market, devel-
um butyrate. At day 43 the chickens were euthanised to study oped to increase the effectiveness in the gut and to deal with
intestinal morphology. In contrast to the control group and its bad smell. However, the glyceride form seems to outperform
coated sodium butyrate, tributyrin significantly increased villus the other butyrate solutions. This is proven by the fact that
height in the ileum (Figure 1). This also confirms that tributyrin butyrate glycerides are very effective in supporting intestinal
can reach the lower part of the intestinal tract. In addition, health. Both by improving gut integrity as well as by increasing
villus: crypt depth ratio in the ileum was also improved by biodiversity of the microbiota. This results in a higher growth
tributyrin and to a lesser extent by coated sodium butyrate. performance, proven by several experiments all over the world.
The researchers concluded that tributyrin was more effective Moreover, recent research shows that butyrate glycerides posi-
than coated sodium butyrate in alleviating the harmful effects tively influence carcass quality by altering gene expression
of LPS. involved in fat deposition and via supporting the growth of
Next to the proven effect of butyric acid on intestinal health Bifidobacteria in the caecum. Promising results for the future!
and growth performance, an interesting new phenomenon
has been observed with the use of tributyrin. Dietary addition References available on request
of butyrate glycerides not only significantly improved the final
body weight and body weight gain of young broilers, but also Figure 2 - Effect of butyrate glycerides (1 kg per
decreased the relative abdominal fat weight. Butyrate glycer- tonne of feed) on relative breast muscle weight
ides were able to reduce body fat deposition via regulation of and relative abdominal fat weight in broilers
the expression of genes, which are involved in processes like (at 5 weeks of age).
lipid and fatty acid transport, fatty acid oxidation, and choles- 23.0 1.8
22.5
terol metabolism. It was also emphasised that tributyrin was
22.0 1.6
able to modulate lipid metabolism. Supplementation of bu- 21.5
21.0 1.4
tyrate glycerides decreased relative abdominal fat weight and
20.5
% BW

increased relative breast muscle weight at five weeks of age 20.0 1.2
19.5
(Figure 2). In another study, the positive effect of butyrate
19.0 1.0
glycerides on carcass quality was confirmed as a decreased 18.5
18.0 0.8
abdominal fat deposition was found. It was suggested that the
17.5
increased amount of Bifidobacteria, that was found in the Breast muscle weight Abdominal fat weight
caecum, may have contributed through the production of Control Butyrate glycerides
Adapted from Bedford et al., 2017
choline metabolites. Choline metabolites participate in the

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 Reduce antibiotic
usage with drinking
water solutions
Drinking water solutions based on alpha- oped viruses. Framelco has developed FRA C12 Liquid (apha-
monoglycerides can help to reduce the usage monolaurin) and FRA LiquiSal Liquid (alpha-monopropionin
+ alpha-monobutyrin). Both are drinking water solutions to
of antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) and
promote animal health and performances.
therapeutically used antibiotics.
Antibiotic growth promoters
BY ELLEN DAMEN, FRAMELCO As mentioned before, AGPs are still used as feed additives in
countries outside the EU. The meat production continues to

T
welve years ago the last four antibiotics permitted increase on a worldwide scale to feed the human population.
as feed additives to support growth of livestock The largest growth in meat production is realised by Asian
were banned in the European Union (EU). It was the countries from 1960 till now, but also in Southern America
final step to ban the usage of antibiotics for non- the meat production has been massively increased. However,
medicinal purposes. However, outside the EU antibiotics are in these regions the use of AGPs is still allowed. To study if
still used in feed to boost animal fattening. In these countries alpha- monoglycerides of lauric acid could replace the AGP
the awareness of the actual threat of bacteria resistance, and lincomycin in poultry feed a trial was conducted in Pakistan
the demand of importing countries to deliver antibiotic free at the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad.
meat, is increasing. Hence, the interest in alternative feed Seven day-old-broilers were divided over four treatment
additives that promote animal health and performance is groups (A, B, C and D) with five replicates of ten broilers each
increasing as well. and the trial started at day eight (Table 1). Broilers in treatment
group A received a commercial diet with lincomycin dosed at
Alpha-Monoglycerides 120g per ton of feed. For the other groups (B, C and D) an anti-
Alpha-monoglycerides possess, like antibiotics, antimicrobial biotic free starter and finisher diet were composed. Group B
properties. Monoglycerides of short chain fatty acids like served as the negative control group as the broilers were fed a
propionic acid and butyric acid have bactericidal and bacte- diet without antibiotics and additives. Group C and D received
riostatic properties against Gram-negative bacteria. Mono- next to the antibiotic free diet FRA C12 Liquid via the drinking
glycerides of medium chain fatty acids have anti-microbial water. The product was supplemented in group C at a dose
effects mainly against Gram-positive bacteria and fat-envel- ­level of 1kg/1000L drinking water. Broilers in group D received
2 kg FRA C12 Liquid per 1000L drinking water.
From the trial it can be concluded that adding AGP via the feed
or the product via the drinking water improves animal growth
and performance compared to the negative control group. FCR
was the best in group C and D followed by group A in the start-
er and finisher period. The highest weight gain in the finisher
phase was observed in group D. These broilers had an extra
weight gain of 144 grams compared to the negative control
group. From this data it is concluded that lincomycin has a good
effect on weight gain and FCR. Removing this AGP from the
feed will result in a reduction of feed intake, weight gain and
REINADEVRIES

FCR. Adding alpha-monoglycerides of lauric acid through the

drinking water will increase weight gain and improves FCR even

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 Table 1 – Broiler performance for the different experimental diets for the
starter and finisher phase.
Lincomycin (A) Negative control (B) FRA C12 Liquid 1kg/1000L (C) FRA C12 Liquid 2kg/1000L (D)
Starter: day 8-21
Feed intake (g) 829.4 829.0 797.2 782.5
Weight gain (g) 532.2 490.1 525.0 513.4
FCR 1.56 1.69 1.51 1.52
Mortality (n) 0 1 2 1
Finisher: day 22-35
Feed intake (g) 1802.0 1673.4 1733.8 1784.6
Weight gain (g) 1033.0 924.3 1016.2 1068.3
FCR 1.74 1.81 1.71 1.67
Mortality (n) 2 1 0 0

more than lincomycin, suggesting that alpha-monoglycerides The other three groups were orally challenged at day 10 with
are a positive tool to reduce and replace AGP’s in poultry feed. S. heidelberg (SA627) at a dose level of 3.0×106CFU/0.1ml/
broiler. The positive control group was not treated with any
Antibiotics as a treatment antibiotics nor feed additives. The third group received orally
Next to AGPs in feed, antibiotics are also used to treat an ani- 40 mg/kg live weight FOS from day 12 till 18 of life as a treat-
mal when it is ill. It is not only important for animal health to ment against Salmonella. The last treatment group was sup-
get rid of an infection caused by pathogen bacteria, but also plemented with FRA Liquisal Liquid via the drinking water at
for food safety. Poultry products contaminated with Salmonella a dose level of 1.5 kg/1000L from day 8 till day 21. The liver,
are frequently a vehicle for human salmonellosis. In 2014, spleen and caecum were collected to test for re-isolation of
65 Dutch children became ill and 7 children were hospitalised Salmonella spp. At day 7 and 21 litter samples were collected
after eating a meal contaminated with S. Heidelberg. It is there- to determine the presence of Salmonella spp. in the environ-
fore important to reduce the presence of Salmonella in live ment. The organs and litter were found positive or negative
broilers and to limit faecal shedding as much as possible to for Salmonella spp.
lower the risk of meat contamination during slaughter. The an- From this trial it could be concluded that the preventive use of
tibiotic fosfomycin (FOS) is administrated to broilers for treat- FRA LiquiSal Liquid was more effective in reducing Salmonella
ment of Salmonella spp. infections. Fosfomycin, a propionic in broiler organs than a therapeutic treatment of FOS. A reduc-
acid derivative, is a broad-spectrum antibiotic. However, the tion of 38% in Salmonella positive livers/spleens was found in
use of antibiotics is not preferred and resistance against FOS the group receiving alpha-monoglycerides compared to the
and other antibiotics against S. Heidelberg have been reported. positive control group and FOS group. Feeding alpha-mono-
In 2017, a trial was performed by the University of São Paulo glycerides reduced the percentage of positive caecum samples
and carried out at the Experimental Center of Aviary Patholo- for Salmonella with almost 25% compared to the positive con-
gy of FMVZ-USP (Table 2). The aim of the trial was to investi- trol group. FRA LiquiSal Liquid improved Salmonella depletion
gate the effect of FOS and alpha-monoglycerides of S. Hei- with almost 19% compared to FOS in het caecum.
delberg ­infected broilers. One-day-old male broilers were In conclusion, alpha-monoglycerides applied via the drink-
divided over four treatment groups. The first group was not ing water have shown to be a tool to help reduce AGPs and
challenged with S. Heidelberg and did not get any treatment. therapeutically used antibiotics in poultry.

Table 2 – Protocol and results of S. heidelberg challenge trial in broilers.

Protocol Results: Positive re-isolation of Salmonella spp. (%)
Infection Treatment Litter Organs Mortality
Day 10 Day 7 Day 21 Liver/spleen Cecum
1. Negative control No No 00.00 00.00 00.00 00.00 4.17
2. Positive control Yes No 00.00 16.67 60.87 60.87 4.17
3. Fosfomycin Yes Day 12-18: 40 mg/kg 00.00 33.33 60.87 56.52 4.17
4. FRA LiquiSal Liquid Yes Day 8-21: 0.15% 00.00 16.67 37.50 45.83 0.00

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 Fish diets are
changing and
often contain

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK
vegetable fat
and protein
sources.

Lysolecithins help
sea bass grow better
Lysolecithins have proven to be a cost effective micelles, improving nutrient transport through the unstirred
water layer surrounding the intestinal villi. Hydrolysed soy lec-
solution to improve fat emulsification, fat digestion
ithin has good levels of lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) and
and nutrient absorption in broilers and piglets. It has lysophosphatidylethanolamine (LPE) which are both impor-
also been shown to be very beneficial for sea bass. tant components of the lipid bilayer of cell membranes of the
epithelium cells. Dietary LPC and LPE can interfere with the
BY ELLEN DAMEN AND OLGA DANSEN, FRAMELCO, THE NETHERLANDS phospholipid bilayer of animal cells, increasing their fluidity
and permeability and thus facilitating nutrient and fat ab-

N
ative lecithin is obtained during degumming of sorption. Hence, lysolecithins in the diet will help to obtain
crude oil from oilseeds and oil fruits with water better animal performance.
and is a complex mixture of phospholipids, some
oil, glycolipids and carbohydrates. Lecithins are Application of (lyso)lecithins in sea bass
naturally occurring and are for instance a major component of Many fish larvae receive phospholipids in their natural diets,
the lipid bilayer of cell membranes. Native lecithins are ap- whether from yolk sac lipids prior to first feeding or from nat-
plied in animal feed because they are a relatively cheap ural prey. In the early 1980s it was already shown that when
source of energy and act as emulsifiers for fats. Lysophospho- live feeds were replaced by micro diets, dietary phospholipids
lipids (also named lysolecithins) are derived from phospholip- were essential for normal development and survival. Howev-
ids by the action of the enzyme phospholipase A2 (Figure 1). er, due to the growth of the aquaculture industry, the demand
The obtained lysolecithins have a more hydrophilic character for the major aqua feed ingredients; fish meal and fish oil,
compared to native lecithins, which results in a better oil-in- continues to increase. Therefore, the industry started to use
water emulsification and smaller fat droplets. Lysolecithins alternative fat and protein sources, like those originating from
promote the formation of small and highly hydrophilic mixed plants. Vegetable fat and protein sources have disadvantages,

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 Figure 1 - The formation of a lysophospholipid (lysolecithin). As an example the formation of lysophosphatidylcholine
from phosphatidylcholine is shown.

N1(CH2)3
1
CH2 N (CH2)3 CH2
Hydrophilic
head

Hydrophilic
head
CH2 Choline CH2 Choline Nitrogen
O O
Phosphate Phosphorus
O P O– O P O– Phosphate
Phospholipase A2
O O Oxygen
CH2 CH CH2 Glycerol CH2 CH CH2 Glycerol
O O O OH Carbon
C O C O C O
Hydogen

Head
Head
(hydrophilic)

Fatty acid tails

Fatty acid tail
(hydrophobic)
PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

LECITHIN LYSOLECITHIN

such as higher anti-nutritional factors, high level of carbohy- performed close to satiation, twice a day (09:00H and 14:00H),
drates and lower nutrient densities. In literature it was men- six days a week. Water temperature was set at 25 ± 2 °C and
tioned that accumulation of lipid droplets in the GIT of salmo- oxygen concentration ranged from 5.4 – 6.7 ppm.
nids fed vegetable oils was repaired by the supplementation At the end of the trial fish almost quintupled their weight
of phospholipids. This accumulation could be the result of a ­(Table 1). The final weight of the fish in the control group was
limited synthesis of phospholipids by the fish itself, and the lower (76.6g) compared to the treatment groups (83.3g and
lack of a well-developed pancreas as found in some teleost 81.2g for treatment 1 and 2 respectively) in which the sea
species. The pancreas produces phospholipase A2 which pro- bass received lysolecithins. Moreover, the addition of lysoleci-
motes the formation of lysophospholipids which are needed thins resulted in improved feed efficiency (FE) and feed con-
for an optimal fat emulsification. This indicates that a dietary version ratio (FCR). Furthermore, these two parameters were
emulsifier is needed. Scientific articles state that soybean leci- only significantly better than the control group when the trial
thin in feed improves emulsification and digestibility in the product was given (P=0.007 and P=0.013 respectively).
fish intestine. Next to these characteristics, phospholipids are
also an important source of energy. Phospholipids tend to Conclusions
be a rich source of essential fatty acids and may be easier to From this trial it became clear that adding (lyso-) lecithin
digest than neutral lipids. Hence, products containing phos- based products (750 g/ton) to the diet of sea bass containing
pholipids and lysophospholipids are of interest for both fish 38.8% fish based raw materials and 56.2% vegetable based
meal/oil and vegetable oil based diets for aquatic species. raw materials, resulted in better growth, FE and FCR. Feeding
a product with a higher content of lysophospholipids resulted
Importance of phospholipid profile in the best performances.
To study the effect of different (lyso-) phospholipid profiles
on performances of sea bass, a trial was performed in Greece.
Table 1 - Growth and feed utilization of sea bass
The European sea bass was used for this study and were ob-
fed different phospholipid supplemented diets
tained from a local fish farm. In total 270 fish were used and
during.
distributed over 9 cylinder-conical tanks of 0.170m3 in an
open flow water system (30 fish/tank). The trial lasted for Control Treatment 1 Treatment 2
92 days. Three treatment groups were used which received Initial body weight (g) 14.55 ± 0.15 14.64 ± 0.07 14.56 ± 0.17
the same commercial diet (45% protein and 18% fat, of which Final body weight (g) 76.56 ± 4.24 83.31 ± 0.98 81.16 ± 4.68
11.8% added salmon oil and 2% added fish oil). The control Weight increase (g) 62.01 ± 4.09 68.67 ± 1.02 66.61 ± 4.6
group did not receive any additive; treatment group 1 re- Feed Efficiency (%) 81.18 ± 4.5a 94.59 ± 1.2b 86.38 ± 8.4ab
ceived FRA® LeciMax Dry (trial product) with an inclusion rate FCR   1.23 ± 0.1a   1.06 ± 0.01b   1.16 ± 0.11ab
of 750 gram/ton of feed. Treatment group 2 received a com- Feed consumed (g/fish) 76.54 ± 6.5 72.6  ± 1.12 77.58 ± 9.27
peting product that contains a smaller amount of lysophos- Values are means of 3 replicates accompanied by the standard deviation of the means.
pholipids and was dosed at 750 gram/ton of feed. Both a,b  Values without a common superscript within a row differ significantly (P≤0.05).
­products were added on top of the basal diet. Feeding was

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 ASF – A closer look
at antiviral means
With the major outbreak in China and further spread the membranes of the host cells, making them hard to target.
to other Asian countries like Vietnam, African Swine Because of these limitations, prevention of contamination still
is the best way to prevent the spread of viruses. But there is
Fever (ASF) is seriously threatening the global pig hope. Over the last decades, research has provided many new
industry. Although feed additives will not solve the insights in the field of antiviral means. Effective vaccines were

PHOTO: FRAMELCO
emerging problems with ASF, they are a useful tool to developed against various viruses in both animals and hu-
improve the immune status of the animal. mans, like HIV and hepatitis, for example. Although a vaccine
against ASF is not yet commercially available, experimental
BY R&D TEAM, FRAMELCO vaccines look promising. Also in the field of feed additives, it is
interesting to take a closer look at some recent developments.

T
he highly contagious viral disease, ASF, has already
caused the death and culling of millions of pigs. As a Direct attack: Next to their well-documented antibacterial ef-
result, stocks are shrinking and pork prices are rising. fects, alpha-monoglycerides, and especially alpha-monolaurin
The decreasing sow population will cause future sup- (C12), also possess antiviral properties, especially against
ply problems. Animal health experts expect the disease to rap- fat-enveloped viruses. They are found to affect the viral enve-
idly spread further. The fact that the virus remains latent in the lope, causing leakage and, at higher concentrations, a com-
environment for a long time, makes the outbreak hard to con- plete disintegration of the envelope and the viral particles.
trol. Moreover, the ASF virus is able to spread through com- These alpha-monoglycerides are specific molecules in which a
plex and varied means; via infectious domestic pigs and wild fatty acid is attached to the first, usually called alpha, carbon of
boars, contaminated carcasses, food waste and contaminated a glycerol molecule. Scientific literature suggests that the ef-
vehicles or equipment . In Asia, backyard farming, swill feed- fect of alpha-monoglycerides, like alpha-monolaurin, is much
ing and poor biosecurity also play a significant role. stronger compared to the corresponding free fatty acids.

Antiviral opportunities Lymphatic transport: The lymphatic system is the principle

Viruses are difficult to fight with medication. This is due to the systemic transport pathway for B and T lymphocytes. As such
fact that viruses are multiplied by the host cells using their it has been suggested that immunomodulatory compounds
machinery. They are also highly variable due to mutations and may be more effective when absorbed via the lymphatic
a rapid lifecycle. Some of them, like the ASF and PRRS virus, route. Alpha-monolaurin is thought to be such an immuno-
are covered with a fat-envelope, which is almost identical to modulatory compound. In a study of Sigalet and Martin
(1999), conducted with rats, the amount of lauric acid ab-
Figure 1 - Effect of alpha-monolaurin, a combination of alpha- sorbed via the lymphatics was approximately four times
monocaprylin and alpha-monocaprin and OTC (oxytetracyclin, higher compared to the absorption via the portal vein.
control) on nitrogen oxide (NO) production by LPS challenged
Hence, lauric acid is preferentially transported via the lym-
macrophage-like cells.
phatic system. Framelco has strong indications that the same
Alpha-monolaurin
Alpha-monocaprylin + Alpha-monocaprin
applies for the monoglyceride of lauric acid, as alpha-
30
OTC monolaurin was found in blood samples of pigs treated with
alpha-monolaurin. If the alpha-monolaurin would go via the
μM NO

20 hepatic portal vein, the liver would have broken down al-
pha-monolaurin directly and it would not be possible to find
10 the supplemented alpha-monolaurin in the blood.

0 Anti-inflammatory effects: If pathogenic pressure is high, a

1 10 100 1000 10000 proper immune response is desirable. However, in case of
ppm
small challenges an overreaction should be avoided in order to

10 ▶ FRAMELCO | REPRINT 2020

20PPR000_Reprintsz010 10 13-01-20 14:43

PHOTO: FRAMELCO

save energy for growth. Anti-inflammatory compounds could C12 Liquid of Framelco). Figure 2 shows that the highest
help reduce the negative impact of pro-inflammatory process- amount of antibodies against viruses causing Newcastle Dis-
es. At the Belgium University KU Leuven, the anti-inflammato- ease (a) and Infectious Bronchitis (b) was found in the group
ry properties of alpha-monolaurin and a combination of with the highest dose level of alpha-monolaurin (group D).
alpha-monocaprylin (C8) and alpha-monocaprin (C10) were However, more research is needed to investigate the precise
tested by Framelco. Both products showed a clear reduction working mechanisms behind this.
of the nitric oxide (NO) production of macrophage-like cells in
vitro, indicating an anti-inflammatory effect (see Figure 1). Role of alpha-monolaurin
Also in literature the effect of alpha-monolaurin on the cy- Products based on alpha-monolaurin, are gaining popularity
tokine levels in experimentally infected laboratory animals against viral diseases. This is mainly due to the positive effects
have been demonstrated. It is believed that alpha-monolaurin of alpha-monolaurin, with its unique molecular structure, on
has a modulatory impact on the host inflammatory responses the animal’s immune response, thereby reducing the risks of
and that it supports the elimination of infections. secondary bacterial infections and reducing the negative im-
pact of infections on growth performance. More research will
Boost your vaccination strategy: A new remarkable effect of be conducted to understand how alpha-monolaurin is able to
alpha-monolaurin was recently discovered at a renowned support the animal in case of viral challenges, focusing on
Pakistani university. Results might implicate an improved immunomodulatory properties of the molecule.
efficacy of the vaccination programme and a better protection
against the viruses when receiving alpha-monolaurin (FRA References available on request

Figure 2 - Hemagglutination Inhibition (HI) titre against Newcastle Disease (ND, 3a) and ELISA titre
level against Infectious Bronchitis (IB, 3b) of broilers of group A (positive control), B (negative control),
C (FRA C12 Liquid 1kg/1000L) and D (FRA C12 Liquid 2kg/1000L).
10 500
476.4

8 8.4 400
IB ELISA titer

6 300
ND HI titer

298.2
5.6
263.4
4.8 246.4
4 200
4.0

2 100

0 0
A B C D A B C D

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 Glycerides of
butyric acid for
pig health
Optimal gut health is essential for high producing production
animals to reach their genetic growth potential. Butyric acid is
known for its beneficial effects on gut health and development.

PHOTO: HENK RISWICK

Nowadays several forms of butyric acid based products are on the
market. Glycerides of butyric acid in the form of alpha-monobutyrin
and tributyrin have shown to improve weaned piglet performances.

BY ELLEN DAMEN, RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT, FRAMELCO in order to release the butyrate further down the intestines
with the help of lipase. Due to this coating, the relative

B
utyric acid is a natural substance present in the amount of butyric acid is low in the product. Another option
gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of swine, where it is is to esterify butyric acid to a glycerol molecule, either to form
produced by microbial fermentation in the large alpha-monobutyrin or tributyrin.
intestine. Numerous studies have demonstrated the
positive effect of butyrate on animal performance. Butyric Glycerides of butyric acid
acid not only provides energy to epithelial cells, but it is also Butyrate glycerides consist of butyric acid molecule(s)
involved in processes such as cell differentiation, gut tissue attached to a glycerol backbone (Figure 1). An alpha-
development, gene expression, immune modulation, monobutyrin is formed when the butyric acid molecule is
diarrhoea and enteric pathogen control. It is therefore often attached to the first (alpha) position of the glycerol molecule.
chosen as a feed additive for piglets. Alpha-monobutyrin is known for its antibacterial effects
Unfortunately, the incredibly bad smell of butyric acid makes against Gram-negative bacteria and it is shown that these
it difficult to apply this acid in practice. As a solution, feed effects are stronger compared to butyric acid itself. In order to
additive producers came up with salts of butyric acid. These deliver relatively high levels of butyric acid in the intestinal
salts, like sodium- and calcium butyrate, are converted into tract, a triglyceride of butyric acid can be used. This molecule
butyric acid in the acidic environment of the stomach and consists of glycerol and three butyric acid molecules. Alpha-
consequently will be rapidly absorbed. The salts are fat coated monobutyrin will reach the small intestine because of its
strong covalent bond between the glycerol and butyric acid
Figure 1 - Schematic overview of an molecule which furthermore makes the molecules pH inde-
α-monoglyceride and triglyceride. pendent. Butyrate from tributyrin is liberated from glycerol
through the action of lipase in the small intestine. Butyric
G FATTY G FATTY
ACID ACID acid is therefore protected from absorption in the upper GIT
L L
and will target the lower GIT.
Y Y
C C The beneficial effect of adding tributyrin has been reported
FATTY
E E ACID in literature. A trial investigated the effect of tributyrin on
R R growth, intestinal digestive function and intestinal barrier
O O function in intrauterine growth-restricted (IUGR) piglets. IUGR
FATTY
L L ACID piglets have lower neonatal survival, postnatal growth and
immunity. Supplementation with tributyrin has shown to
α-Monoglyceride Triglyceride (fat) significantly improve body weight compared to IUGR piglets,

12 ▶ FRAMELCO | REPRINT 2020

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 Table 1 – Performance results of weaned piglets.
Piglets receiving glycerides of butyric acid compared to the control group (week 1-6).
Control FRA Butyrin Hybrid Dry P-value
Start weight (kg) 6.53 6.65 -
End weight (kg) 24.53 25.31 0.521
Growth (kg) 18.00 18.66 0.521
ADWG (g/pig/day) 428.49 444.33 0.521
Feed intake (g/pig/day) 625.81 606.81 0.118
FCR 1.461 1.366 0.023

which did not receive tributyrin. Also intestinal villi were feed I to feed II and at the end of the trial. Feed intake was
healthier and villi surfaces were larger, resulting in proper measured every week for each pen. Diarrhoea incidence was
nutrient absorption and increased growth. recorded twice a week during the whole trial period. Results
In scientific literature it has been clearly described that of the entire trial are presented in Table 1.
alpha-monoglycerides of fatty acids have stronger anti- A comparison between the control group and treatment
bacterial effects than its corresponding fatty acid. Framelco group was made for the overall period of six weeks. Average
believes that a combination of alpha-monobutyrin and daily weight gain of piglets receiving the product increased
tributyrin will help to maintain gut health, intestinal integrity with 3.7% compared to the control group, resulting in a higher
and microbial control, especially in young animals during final body weight. Moreover, FCR was improved with 9.5
times of high bacterial challenge. The antibacterial effect of points (P=0.023). The piglets tended to eat less which could
alpha-monobutyrin helps to control the intestinal microflora, be the result of the energy provided by tributyrin and an
whereas the butyric acid released from tributyrin will provide improved nutrient absorption because of a better gut devel-
extra energy for gut development resulting in a better opment. There was low pathogenic pressure at the farm, but
intestinal integrity, immune status and an improved nutrient the piglets did suffer from some weaning diarrhoea. There was
absorption. For this reason, FRA Butyrin Hybrid Dry, a combi- slightly less diarrhoea in the treatment group during the first
nation of alpha-monobutyrin and tributyrin was developed. three weeks after weaning (control diarrhoea score: 1.278,
treatment diarrhoea score: 1.167). In the last three weeks of
Weaned piglet trial the experiment there was no difference in diarrhoea. It is
A weaned piglet performance trial was conducted at a expected that FRA Butyrin Hybrid Dry, including alpha-
commercial farm in Denmark to test the effect of the product monobutyrin, would result in an extra beneficial effect when
compared to a negative control group. In total 180 weaned there is higher pathogenic pressure on farm. During this trial in
piglets of 26-28 days of age were divided into two groups. each group one piglet died, the cause of death was unknown.
Piglets were housed in 18 pens to have nine repetitions of 10 Feed intake and final body weight six weeks after weaning
piglets in each pen with an average starting body weight of were calculated for 1,000 piglets to make a clear economical
6.59kg. In each pen five gilts and five barrows were placed. All comparison. For each Euro invested in the product, a return
animals received the same basal diets (Feed I & Feed II). The of € 10.90 was obtained as a result of improved growth and
treatment group received mono- and triglycerides of butyric lower FCR. In conclusion, glycerides of butyric acid are a great
acid at 3kg/ton on top of Feed I for the first three weeks and source of butyrate and improve weaned piglet performances
1.5kg/ton Feed II for the last three weeks of the trial. by providing energy and an extra antibacterial agent.
Body weight (BW) of all piglets was measured individually by
a mobile scale at the start of the trial, at feed transition from References available upon request

▶ FRAMELCO | REPRINT 2020 13

20PPR000_Reprintsz013 13 13-01-20 14:45

 Take feed formulation High achievers

to the next level

in feed additives

WITH FRA® LECIMAX

FCR ADWG Feed Costs

€
ADWG Feed Costs

€
G Feed Costs

IMPROVE PERFORMANCE

€
The objective in swine husbandry is to make animals grow fast with the
lowest feed costs possible. Lysolecithins improve fat emulsification, fat
hydrolysis and fat absorption in feed. As a result more nutrients and energy
are available for the animal.

Framelco has developed FRA® LeciMax, containing a natural source of hydro­

lyzed lecithins. Adding FRA® LeciMax to swine diets leads to an improved feed
conversion ratio and an increase in average daily weight gain. Furthermore,
fat can be dosed in lower quantities, which results in lower feed costs.

Inquire into the possibilities. www.framelco.com

 Replacing ZnO requires
a combined approach
BY OLGA DANSEN, FRAMELCO Time is running out to find solutions that could be

Z
used to replace therapeutic, high-level zinc oxide in
inc is an essential trace element which is part of sev-
eral enzymes and it is involved in many metabolic
weaned piglets. The EU will ban the use of medicinal
processes. For instance, zinc is involved in protein levels of zinc oxide in 2022. It is becoming increasingly
synthesis and carbohydrate metabolism, but it is clear that zinc oxide cannot be replaced by a single
also important for skin and wound healing and has many bio- product. So a combination of strategies is needed.
logical interactions with hormones such as insulin and corti-
costeroids. Furthermore, zinc plays a role in water and cation
balance and it’s required for the proper functioning of the im- for pathogenic bacteria, increasing the risk of ETEC infection.
mune system. Hence, it is important that daily zinc require- Reducing crude protein levels in pre-starter diets to a level of
ments are met in order to avoid zinc deficiencies leading to 16.5-17.5% is commonly used in the Netherlands as part of
health problems and reduced animal performance. the strategy to replace medicinal levels of zinc oxide. Supple-
Therapeutic high-level zinc oxide has been shown to be a menting essential amino acids to maintain the optimal
very effective tool for preventing post-weaning diarrhoea in ­dietary amino acid profile is part of this strategy.
piglets. Therefore, the use of zinc oxide has increased drasti- Reducing crude protein levels indirectly stimulates the gut
cally all over the world. More recently we became aware of its health of piglets. Other important interventions in the strate-
environmental impact and the EU decided to ban medicinal gy to prevent post-weaning diarrhoea include the use of easi-
use of zinc. From June 2022 zinc as a feed additive can only ly digestible nutrients, good feed hygiene, clean drinking wa-
be supplied in the feed in quantities that meet daily require- ter and stimulation of feed intake when suckling and directly
ments. The allowed maximum level in the Commission Im­ after weaning. In addition, there are many options for differ-
plementing Regulation (EU) 2016/1095 is currently set at ent feed additives on the market that might be part of the
150 mg/kg of complete feed. strategy. These feed additives usually target reducing the
By 2022, all EU farmers need to be ready to grow their piglets growth of ETEC or killing it, improving the morphology of the
without the using medicinal levels of zinc, while maintaining epithelium in the small intestine or stimulating the proper
animal health and performance without increasing antibiotic functioning of the immune system, including prevention of
use. Finding a solution to replace therapeutic high-level zinc excessive inflammation. It seems that no single feed additive
oxide is not easy and there is no solution that will work on can achieve this, so a combination of different feed additives
every farm. This makes it complicated since each farmer
needs to find out which solution will work on his or her farm.
Table 1 – Performance results of weaned piglets
Furthermore, the solution must be cost-effective, which
receiving medicinal levels of zinc (control) or a
seems very difficult given the very low cost of high-level
specific blend* (treatment group). Average
zinc oxide.
­results of week 1-7 after weaning.
Enterotoxigenic E. coli Control Treatment
Post-weaning diarrhoea is associated with E. coli infection, Final body weight (kg/pig) 21.8 22.3
more specifically enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC). Therefore, Average daily weight gain (g/pig/day) 342.6 354.1
finding an alternative for medicinal levels of zinc mainly tar- Average feed intake (g/pig/day) 491.2 504.8
gets the reduction of E. coli infection and a combination of FCR 1.447 1.431
different strategies to reduce the progression of ETEC infec- Mortality (%) 2.14 1.19
tion is advised. Perhaps one of the best documented strate- * Custom blend by Framelco.
gies involves reducing dietary crude protein in the diet for Trial at InnSolPig, Belgium.
weaned piglets. Undigested protein will serve as a substrate

▶ FRAMELCO | REPRINT 2020 15

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 PHOTO: FRAMELCO
In order to re-
duce the effect is required. However, as the solution seems to be farm-specif- Table 1). Average daily growth rate was increased by almost
of E. coli in ic, it remains a real challenge to come up with a solution to 3.4%. Moreover, feed intake was slightly higher in the treat-
weaner pigs, a prevent post-weaning diarrhoea. ment group, resulting in almost two points better feed con-
combination of version ratio (FCR) for the piglets in the treatment group. Un-
strategies is Problems with post-weaning diarrhoea fortunately, diarrhoea problems were not solved in either of
­recommended. Feed additives manufacturer Framelco has designed a the groups. In both groups antibiotics had to be used, but the
farm-specific solution for a Belgian farm which is known to amount of medicinal treatments in the control group was
have problems with E. coli and post-weaning diarrhoea. The clearly higher compared to the treatment group (47.1%
feed formulation was optimised and a crude protein level of ­versus 29.2%, respectively).
17% was used in both the control group and the treatment
group. Piglets in the control group received therapeutic Applying the treatment
high-level zinc oxide during the first two weeks after weaning. Although the application cost of the farm-specific solution
The piglets in the treatment group received, during the first was higher than the use of medicinal levels of zinc oxide, the
two weeks after weaning, a specific blend of alpha-mono- performace of the piglets in the treatment group improved,
glycerides, hydrolysed lecithins and glycerides of butyric as indicated by higher final body weights and improved
acid. In the following five weeks, the piglets in the control FCR, resulting in more revenue and a positive return on
group did not receive any feed additives, whereas the piglets ­investment (ROI).
in the treatment group received a small amount of glycer- Based on these results one can conclude that a solution has
ides of butyric acid. been found to replace medicinal levels of zinc without com-
After seven weeks, the average final body weight was 0.5 kg promising animal performance or increasing the use of
higher in the piglets receiving the farm-specific solution (see medication.

16 ▶ FRAMELCO | REPRINT 2020

20PPR000_Reprintsz016 16 14-01-20 09:36

Use the full potential of butyric acid with

FRA Butyrin Line ®

Promising effects of FRA® Butyrin Hybrid

for poultry
» Return On Investment = 3.5
» Efficient target release of butyrate
» Active in entire GIT and via bloodstream
» Significantly improves FCR
» Higher end weight

ROI = 3,5

Formulating
For more information: www.framelco.com Revolutionary
Additives
 Supporting fat digestion
in weaned piglets
Modern animal production requires pigs to grow these animals do not produce sufficient amounts of bile
fast and for that reason, energy dense diets are phospholipids for an efficient emulsification.
formulated. Oils as well as fat-rich ingredients are Moreover, several studies have shown that levels of pancreat-
used to achieve a high energy content in the feed. ic lipase are low in weaned piglets. Although pancreatic li-
pase activity increases with age, a dramatic drop in activity is
Fat digestion, however, is not optimal in piglets after observed at the moment of weaning. Digestive problems
weaning. Lysolecithins are a solution to support fat may occur as a consequence of the poor emulsification and
digestion in weaned piglets. low pancreatic lipase activity which results in suppressed
growth. Hydrolysed lecithins resolve these problems as these
BY OLGA DANSEN, FRAMELCO, THE NETHERLANDS molecules are known to enhance the oil-in-water emulsifica-
tion process, stimulate enzymatic fat digestion by lipase and

I
t is generally accepted that pigs will grow faster when even improve general nutrient transport and absorption.
they are heavier at the time of entering the finishing
house. As a rule of thumb, for each kg higher body Native versus hydrolysed lecithins
weight at the start of the finishing period, that phase is Lecithin is a complex mixture of phospholipids, some oil, gly-
shortened by one week. This will save one week of feeding colipids and carbohydrates. Lecithins are naturally occurring
costs, which makes it even more interesting to stimulate in plant and animal tissues. The phospholipids in lecithins
­optimal growth directly after weaning when feed intake is have an amphiphilic character, meaning the molecule has
relatively low and thus less expensive. both hydrophobic and hydrophilic characteristics.
This can be explained by the molecular structure, which con-
Limited fat digestion in weaned piglets sists of two hydrophobic fatty acid tails and a hydrophilic
Often, weaned piglets are provided with an energy-dense phosphate head, joined together by a glycerol molecule. The
diet, including high amounts of oils and being rich in fat in- phosphate groups can be modified with simple organic mol-
gredients. That, however, does not always result in the opti- ecules such as choline, ethanolamine or inositol forming
mal growth that is aimed for. That can be explained by the phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine and phos-
fact that fat digestion is limited in weaned piglets, because phatidylinositol respectively. These so called native lecithins

Figure 1 - The formation of a lysophospholipid (lysolecithin). As an example the formation of

lysophosphatidylcholine from phosphatodylcholine is shown.
CH2 N1(CH2)3 CH2 N1(CH2)3
Hydrophilic
head

Hydrophilic
head

CH2 Choline CH2 Choline Nitrogen

O O
Phosphate Phosphorus
O P O– O P O– Phosphate
Phospholipase A2
O O Oxygen
CH2 CH CH2 Glycerol CH2 CH CH2 Glycerol
O O O OH Carbon
C O C O C O Hydogen

Head
Head
(hydrophilic)

Fatty acid tails

Fatty acid tail
(hydrophobic)
LECITHIN LYSOLECITHIN

18 ▶ FRAMELCO | REPRINT 2020

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 are byproducts from the oil refinery and usually applied in
animal feed as a relatively cheap energy source.
In contrast, lysophospholipids, also known as lysolecithins,
are better known for their strong capacities of promoting an

PHOTO: RONALD HISSINK

oil-in-water emulsification. These lysolecithins are obtained
by hydrolysis of a native lecithin by the action of the enzyme
phospholipase A2 (see Figure 1). The hydrophobic fatty acid
at the C2 position of the glycerol molecule is removed by the
action of this enzyme. The obtained lysolecithins have a more A hydrolysed soy
hydrophilic character and a higher hydrophilic-lipophilic were used as a control group (no additive) and the other six lecithin strategy
­balance (HLB) than native lecithins, which explains their in- pens were used as treatment group. The pigs in the treatment on top of a com-
creased capacity to promote an oil-in-water emulsification. group received 500 g hydrolysed soy lecithin product per mercial diet is
tonne of feed, added on top of their diet during the total peri- able to signifi-
How lysolecithins support fat digestion od of six weeks. The basal diet was the same for both groups. cantly improve
For maximal utilisation of dietary fat in weaned piglets, all The farm applied two feeding phases of three weeks each. In growth and FCR
three stages of fat digestion should be considered: both feeds the fat mainly originated from soy. of weaned pig-
1. In the first stage of fat digestion, fat is emulsified by the ac- Average starting weight was comparable between the groups lets.
tion of bile salts. As fat is insoluble in water, fat droplets will (6.11 kg and 6.02 kg for the control and treatment group re-
accumulate into bigger fat globules in the aqueous envi- spectively). After six weeks, piglets in the control group had a
ronment of the small intestine. Lysolecithins promote an final body weight of 21.8 kg, whereas the piglets in the treat-
oil-in-water emulsion and are able to emulsify large lipid ment group had a final body weight of 23.1 kg, which was sig-
globules into small lipid droplets. nificantly higher. As shown in Figure 2, average daily growth
2. As the contact surface of the fat globules is increased by was significantly improved by the hydrolysed soy lecithin ap-
­reducing the fat globule size by the action of lysolecithins, proach. The FCR was also significantly better from 1.719 in the
more fat is exposed to lipase and thus more fat can by hy- control group down to 1.539 in the treatment group.
drolysed. The fat molecule, a triglyceride, is broken down
by the action of lipase into two free fatty acids and one Improved fat emulsification
sn2-monoglyceride. These trial results prove that adding a hydrolysed soy lecithin
3. After hydrolysis, mixed micelles with fatty acids, sn2-mono- strategy on top of a commercial diet is able to significantly
glycerides, bile salts and bile phospholipids are formed. improve growth and FCR of weaned piglets. This can be ex-
These mixed micelles facilitate the transport of lipophilic plained firstly by the improved fat emulsification and conse-
substances in the aqueous environment of the intestinal quently fat digestion, providing the piglet more energy. Sec-
lumen and finally through the unstirred water layer sur- ondly, general nutrient digestion, more specifically protein
rounding the enterocytes. Lysolecithins promote the for- digestion and nutrient absorption is improved as well, which
mation of small and highly hydrophilic mixed micelles, im- allows the piglet to grow more.
proving nutrient transport through the unstirred water
layer. Hence, fat absorption is improved. Figure 2 - Effect of hydroloysed soy lecithin product* on growth
Lysolecithins not only promote fat emulsification, fat hydroly- and FCR of weaned piglets from week 1-6 after weaning.
sis and fat absorption, but also improve nutrient absorption Growth week 1-6 FCR week 1-6
420 1.800
in general. This is explained by the interference of specific lys-
ophospholipids with the phospholipid bilayer of the cell P = 0.005
P = 0.038 1.719
membranes of the epithelium cells, increasing their fluidity 405
1.700
and permeability and thus facilitating nutrient absorption. 400
(gram/day)

Growth and FCR significantly improved 1.600

Framelco’s product Fra LeciMax Dry contains high amounts of 1.539

380
hydrolysed soy lecithins and has shown to be able to signifi- 376
1.500
cantly improve growth and feed conversion ratio (FCR) in
weaned piglets. These results were obtained at a commercial
farm in Germany, belonging to the research organisation 360 1.400
Livestock Feed Tests Denmark. Control Hydrolysed Control Hydrolysed
soy lecithin* soy lecithin*
In total 384 weaned piglets of four weeks of age were used.
* Fra LeciMax Dry.
Piglets were divided over 12 pens of 32 piglets each. Six pens

▶ FRAMELCO | REPRINT 2020 19

20PPR000_Reprintsz019 19 13-01-20 14:46

Discover the antiviral, antibacterial and
animal improving properties of FRA® C12

FRA® C12 properties:

» Active in the entire GIT and bloodstream
» Better start for pigs and poultry
» Improve gut health
» Reduce mortality
» Non-antibiotic

BENEFIT FROM
FRA® C12

Formulating
For more information: www.framelco.com Revolutionary
Additives