As global demand for poultry continues to rise, the pressure to deliver safe, high-quality products grows with it. Strengthening the gut barrier offers a proactive, sustainable way to reduce foodborne risks, not only protecting the birds but also safeguarding the people who rely on them for nutrition.
From weeknight chicken stir-fries and omelettes to Sunday roast chicken dinners, poultry plays a central role in diets around the world. In 2023 alone, global poultry meat consumption hit a record 140 million tonnes, while egg production soared to 91 million metric tonnes. These numbers are not just impressive; they highlight the importance of poultry as a cornerstone of global nutrition.
But with popularity comes responsibility. As demand for poultry products grows, so does the need to ensure that what ends up on our plates is safe. Foodborne pathogens such as Salmonella and Campylobacter remain major threats to both human health and the poultry industry. These bacteria are the top two zoonotic culprits behind foodborne illness, causing symptoms such as diarrhoea, fever and stomach cramps and they come with a heavy economic burden. In the European Union alone, the cost of infections from Campylobacter and Salmonella is estimated at €2.4 billion and €3 billion annually, respectively.
To protect consumers and ensure the sustainability of poultry production, we need smarter strategies, ones that go beyond surface-level hygiene and address the issue at its root: the bird’s gut.
The gut barrier
When we think about disease prevention in poultry, we often picture biosecurity measures, vaccinations, or improved slaughterhouse hygiene. While all of these are important, one of the most powerful defences lies inside the bird itself: its gastrointestinal tract and the microbiota within it.
The gut is not just a digestive organ. It is a dynamic barrier that absorbs nutrients, houses immune cells, and serves as a battleground where good and bad bacteria compete. A healthy gut can help poultry resist infection, maintain optimal performance and reduce the risk of transmitting pathogens to humans.
The key to this defense system is a balanced and diverse microbiota. The community of beneficial microbes living in the bird’s gut plays a crucial role in nutrient absorption, immune modulation and, importantly, competitive exclusion. This means that beneficial bacteria occupy space and consume resources that harmful pathogens would otherwise use, effectively keeping them in check.
But this microbial balance is fragile. Factors such as stress, poor diet or disease can disrupt the microbiome, leading to gut inflammation, decreased nutrient absorption and vulnerability to pathogens.
The power of mannan-rich fraction
Alltech’s proprietary mannan-rich fraction (MRF), derived from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, can be an important tool to help poultry producers improve gut health, promote microbiota diversity and reduce pathogens.
MRF works on multiple levels. Firstly, it promotes a more diverse and stable gut microbiota. Studies in both broilers and layers show that MRF supplementation increases both α-diversity (richness within samples) and β-diversity (differences between samples), suggesting a healthier, more balanced microbiota. Birds with more microbial diversity are better equipped to resist colonisation by harmful organisms.
Secondly, MRF helps reduce the load of harmful bacteria. Research has shown that it can lower levels of E. coli, Clostridioides difficile, Shigella dysenteriae, Salmonella enteritidis and Campylobacter spp. in the gut content of poultry. Fewer pathogens in the bird mean fewer pathogens entering the processing plant and, ultimately, fewer reaching the consumer.
Preventing bacteria from taking hold
MRF is also able to bind directly to pathogens and block them from colonising the gut. Many harmful bacteria, including Salmonella and E. coli, use structures called type 1 fimbriae to attach to mannose receptors on the intestinal lining. This attachment is the first step in infection. MRF mimics these mannose receptors. When pathogens encounter MRF in the gut, they bind to it instead of the gut wall, making them unable to increase their number and cause harm. These bound bacteria are then flushed out of the system naturally.
This mechanism is particularly valuable for managing Salmonella, which has many strains and can rapidly evolve. MRF has been shown to bind a wide variety of Salmonella isolates, making it an effective tool even as new strains emerge. In one study, MRF significantly reduced Salmonella prevalence in the ovary tissue and ceca of laying hens. This is a critical step in reducing the risk of eggshell contamination.
Antimicrobial resistance
Food safety is not just about preventing illness. It is also about protecting our ability to treat infections. That’s where antimicrobial resistance (AMR) comes in as a food safety issue. Antimicrobial resistance is one of the biggest threats to global health.
AMR occurs when bacteria evolve to survive treatments that once killed them. In 2019, an estimated 1.27 million human deaths worldwide were directly caused by drug-resistant infections. The economic cost is staggering as well, with increased hospital stays, expensive treatments and lost productivity. In 2020, the overall resistance in Salmonella spp. found on broiler and turkey carcasses to ampicillin, sulfamethoxazole and tetracycline was moderate to very high, reaching over 50% in some cases. This makes AMR a huge food safety issue.
AMR can occur naturally, but one major driver in the increase in resistance is the misuse of antibiotics in animal production. Many countries have already banned the use of antibiotics as growth promoters. But banning antibiotics alone is not enough. Resistant bacteria can linger in the gut and in the environment, potentially transferring their resistance genes to other microbes.
This is where MRF shows even greater promise. Alltech research has revealed that MRF does not just bind pathogens — it can influence their susceptibility to antibiotics. In several studies, MRF reduced the growth of antibiotic-resistant E. coli and enhanced the bacteria’s sensitivity to antibiotics. This means that treatments became more effective and resistant populations decrease. By incorporating MRF, producers may be able to reduce reliance on antibiotics while also combating resistance at the microbial level.
A holistic approach to poultry health
There’s no single solution to eliminating pathogens in poultry production. Success lies in a multi-pronged approach, one that combines solid biosecurity, effective vaccination, hygienic processing and public education. But central to all of this is the gut. A healthy gut lays the foundation for disease resistance, better performance and safer food.
Alltech’s MRF technology offers science-backed support by fostering microbial diversity, binding harmful pathogens and reducing AMR. MRF provides producers with a natural, effective tool to strengthen the bird’s gut barrier.
Safety from the inside out
As global demand for poultry continues to rise, the pressure to deliver safe, high-quality products grows with it. Strengthening the gut barrier offers a proactive, sustainable way to reduce foodborne risks, not only protecting the birds but also safeguarding the people who rely on them for nutrition.
Incorporating gut health technologies such as MRF into poultry management strategies doesn’t just make scientific sense; it’s a practical step forward in the ongoing fight against pathogens and AMR.
And when the gut is strong, everyone benefits.
References are available on request.
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