Implementation of a pharmacologic protocol for testing bovine colostrum nutraceutical products in Broilers

Abstract

As antibiotic additives were deemed illegal to use in poultry feed as a growth promoter but also to prevent certain diseases such as necrotic enteritis, researches are increasingly oriented towards finding an alternative that will provide both economic gain for the farmer and safety for the end consumer. Bovine colostrum, the first milk secretion postpartum, is widely known for its beneficial properties, not only on the newborn organism, but also in the adult one. The bioactive components of the colostrum have healing properties in the gut, furthermore they help prevent bacteria from adhering to the intestinal mucosa. The biochemical constituents also have an antibacterial effect through lactoferrin and lactoperoxidase. The main objective of this paper was to establish a protocol through which to obtain consistent scientific data when researching the effects of a nutraceutical product in poultry. In order to achieve this we have conducted a study, in the University of Agricultural sciences and Veterinary medicine, Cluj-Napoca, Romania, on a population of 60 broilers that were divided into three groups: the control group and two other groups that were administered distinct nutraceutical products in their drinking water. The purpose was to evaluate the effectiveness of replacing antibiotic growth promoters and anticoccidial drugs with nutraceutical products from bovine colostrum. Various microbiological, health and productivity parameters were assessed and compared between the groups, over a period of 45 days. The immunoglobulins from the bovine colostrum, as bioactive components, will achieve its highest peak in day 14 in the blood serum of the bird. As such, blood samples were deemed best to be harvested on EDTA and Clotting agents every 14 days, as the products were administered 2 times throughout the study. Cloacal swabbing was also performed, feces samples were evaluated for microbial concentration and bacterial strain identification. A comparison was made with several other researches that performed similar clinical studies and we recommend that when administering bovine colostrum nutraceuticals, in order to obtain scientifically consistent results, a strict protocol has to be implemented, periodical evaluations have to be made according to the parameters that are assessed but also in compliance with the bioactive components of the product.