Evaluating the effect of microencapsulated blends of organic acids and essential oils in broiler chickens diet

A ban on using antibiotics as growth promoters in the diet of commercial poultry and swine in most developed countries and the public trend in consuming organic animal products have resulted in increasing the use of natural substances in feeding farm animals. Among different available alternatives, the beneficial impacts of phytogenic feed additives (PFA) and organic acids (OA) on the performance of poultry—and specifically broiler chickens—have been proven by previous researchers. Mostly it has been reported that PFA and/or OA improve the performance of animals by modulating the intestinal microflora in favor of beneficial bacteria like lactobacilli. There are also some published papers showing that the addition of PFA and/or OA is not significantly beneficial on broiler chickens’ performance. It has been suggested that rapid absorption or metabolism of these additives upon entering the duodenum is the reason. Therefore, protecting the additives from early metabolism and absorption can be an approach to increase their effectiveness.