Experimental evaluation of the effects of commercial additive (plant extracts) as an alternative to growth-promoting antibiotics in broiler chickens

Vet World Vol.18 March-2025 Article - 11

Research Article

Veterinary World, 18(3): 636-645

https://doi.org/10.14202/vetworld.2025.636-645

María Julieta Luna^1,2, Maite Corti Isgro^2,3, Lorenzo Alejandro Rosales Cavaglieri^2,4, María Valeria Coniglio¹, María Eugenia Ortiz¹, Lilia René Cavaglieri^4,5, Julián Parada^3,5 , and Alejandra Paola Magnoli^1,5

1. Department of Animal Production, National University of Río Cuarto, Córdoba, Argentina.
2. Fellow of National Council for Scientific and Technological Research, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
3. Department of Animal Pathology, National University of Río Cuarto, Córdoba, Argentina.
4. Department of Microbiology and Immunology, National University of Río Cuarto, Córdoba, Argentina.
5. Member of National Council for Scientific and Technological Research, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Background and Aim: The increasing prevalence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens necessitates the exploration of alternatives to growth-promoting antibiotics (GPAs) in poultry production. This study evaluated a commercial additive containing plant extracts (carvacrol and cinnamaldehyde) as a potential replacement for GPAs in broiler chickens, focusing on productive parameters, cecal microbiota composition, cecal volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentration, and small intestinal histomorphology.

Materials and Methods: The study involved 100 one-day-old Cobb 500 broiler chickens, divided into two treatment groups: Group 1 (control) received a basal diet (BD) with avilamycin (100 g/T), and Group 2 received a BD with a phytogenic feed additive (PFA) containing 10% carvacrol and 10% cinnamaldehyde (100 g/Tn). Over 42 days, the study measured total weight gain (TWG), feed intake, feed conversion ratio (FCR), carcass yield, digestive tract length, intestinal histomorphometry, VFA concentration, and cecal microbiota composition.

Results: The PFA-treated group showed a 1.67% improvement in TWG and a 5.7% improvement in FCR compared to the control. The digestive tract length increased by 20 cm with PFA supplementation. While no significant differences were observed in cecal microbiota counts and VFA concentrations, a trend toward increased lactic acid bacteria and VFA levels was noted. Histomorphological analysis indicated enhanced villus height and a higher villus height-to-crypt depth ratio in the PFA group.

Conclusion: The findings suggest that carvacrol and cinnamaldehyde-based PFAs may serve as viable alternatives to GPAs, promoting growth performance and gut health in broiler chickens. Further research is needed to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of action and confirm these preliminary results in larger-scale studies.

Keywords: antibiotic alternatives, broiler chickens, carvacrol, cinnamaldehyde, gut health, phytogenic feed additives.

How to cite this article: Luna MJ, Isgro MC, Cavaglieri LAR, Coniglio MV, Ortiz ME, Cavaglieri LR, Parada J, and Magnoli AP (2025) Experimental evaluation of the effects of commercial additive (plant extracts) as an alternative to growth-promoting antibiotics in broiler chickens, Veterinary World, 18(3): 636-645.

Received: 2024-10-15 Accepted: 2025-02-10 Published online: 2025-03-18

Corresponding author: Alejandra Paola Magnoli E-mail: amagnoli@ayv.unrc.edu.ar

DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2025.636-645

Copyright: Luna, et al. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/ publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.