Safety and efficacy of benzoic acid as a technological feed additive for weaned piglets and pigs for fattening

Discrimination of different feed additives and poly-herbal formulations based on their untargeted phytochemical profiles

INTRODUCTION

Feed additives represents a valid tool in animal nutrition to improve animal performance and livestock productivity under a sustainable perspective; however, there is a paucity of information about their comprehensive metabolomic and bioactive profiles.

OBJECTIVE

In this study, we tested the ability of an untargeted metabolomics approach to discriminate nine commercial feed additives and unique blends of botanical extracts used in both ruminant and non-ruminant nutrition, according to their phytochemical profiles and different in vitro bioactive properties.

METHODS

An ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with Orbitrap mass spectrometry and multivariate statistics were combined to search for potential markers, in order to better discriminate the different commercial samples.

RESULTS

Several phytochemicals were identified, namely alkaloids, phenolics, organosulfurs, and terpenoids. The polyherbal formulation Zigbir was the best source of phytochemicals, accounting for a cumulative total content of phytochemicals equal to 3.03 mg Eq./g, being particularly abundant in terpenoids, stilbenes, phenolic acids, and small-molecular-weight phenolics. Multivariate statistics allowed to group the different products in 2 bioactive subclusters. The diterpenoid andrographolide recorded the highest abundance in Zigbir and Sangrovit. The most predictive biomarkers were: piperine, isoquercitrin, 6-methylthiohexyldesulfoglucosinolate, 6-methylumbelliferone, benzoic acid, (+)-(1R,2R)-1,2-diphenylethane-1,2-diol, and piperitenone. Flavonoids were highly correlated with both in vitro antioxidant and enzyme inhibition assays.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings provide new insights into the comprehensive phytochemical composition of commercial feed additives and blend of botanical extracts used for both ruminant and non-ruminant nutrition. A great importance of polyphenols in relation to the biological activities was detected.

Assessment of the feed additive consisting of sodium benzoate (Protural®) for weaned piglets for the renewal of its authorisation and the extension of use to other growing Suidae (Taminco Finland Oy)

Following a request from the European Commission, the Panel on Additives and Products or Substances used in Animal Feed (FEEDAP) was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on the safety and efficacy of Protural® (sodium benzoate) when used as a zootechnical additive in feed for weaned piglets and other growing Suidae at 4,000 mg/kg feedingstuff. Protural® consists of sodium benzoate without any carrier materials and is currently authorised for use in weaned piglets. This opinion concerns the renewal of the authorisation of Protural® for weaned piglets and the evaluation of the new use in other growing Suidae. The applicant provided evidence that the additive currently in the market complies with the existing conditions of authorisation. The FEEDAP Panel concluded that Protural® is safe under the current conditions of authorisation for the target species, consumers of products from animals fed the additive and the environment. Protural® was not considered as irritant to skin and eyes but a skin sensitiser. Based on dusting potential data, the FEEDAP Panel considered that the powder formulation of the additive represented a risk by inhalation. There was no need for assessing the efficacy of Protural® in the context of the renewal of the authorisation for weaned piglets. The efficacy data previously evaluated allowed the FEEDAP Panel to conclude that the additive has the potential to be efficacious at the level of 4,000 mg/kg feedingstuff in other growing Suidae. A conclusion cannot be reached for the efficacy in pigs for fattening.

The Addition of Nature Identical Flavorings Accelerated the Virucidal Effect of Pure Benzoic Acid against African Swine Fever Viral Contamination of Complete Feed

Simple Summary

The African swine fever (ASF) virus is one of the deadliest viruses plaguing the global swine industry. There are no effective treatments for pigs becoming infected with the ASF virus. Eliminating infected pigs is the only effective method to tackle an outbreak. Whole farm biosecurity is therefore critical to prevent the virus from entering in the first place. In recent years, feed and feed ingredients have been identified as potential vectors of viral diseases including ASF. The objective of this research was to simulate contamination of feed by ASF virus in a laboratory setting and use this simulation to test the efficacy of some select feed additives for reducing the amount and viability of this virus in feed. The main result shows that the inoculated virus in feed disappeared in a shorter time when the feed had been treated with the compounds. We conclude that these feed additives could be adopted as part of a comprehensive biosecurity system for pig holdings. Pigs might be protected from feed possibly contaminated by this virus, and the pork supply will thus be less likely to be impacted by this viral disease.

Abstract

African swine fever virus is one of the most highly contagious and lethal viruses for the global swine industry. Strengthening biosecurity is the only effective measure for preventing the spread of this viral disease. The virus can be transmitted through contaminated feedstuffs and, therefore, research has been conducted to explore corresponding mitigating measures. The purpose of the current study was to test a combination of pure benzoic acid and a blend of nature identical flavorings for their ability to reduce African swine fever viral survival in feed. This virus was inoculated to feed with or without the supplementation of the test compounds, and the viral presence and load were measured by a hemadsorption test and quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction. The main finding was that the combination of pure benzoic acid and nature identical flavorings could expedite the reduction in both viral load and survival in a swine feed. Therefore, this solution could be adopted as a preventive measure for mitigating the risk of contaminated feed by African swine fever virus.