Essential Oil Everything the plants have that you want grow with science

Antibiotics fed at sub-therapeutic levels have been widely utilized in the swine and poultry industries to improve growth rate and efficiency of feed utilization, as well as reduce morbidity and mortality. However, many countries have restricted or even banned (i.e. the European Union) the use of antibiotics as feed additives due to increased concerns regarding the transmission and the proliferation of resistant bacteria via the food chain. The restriction on the use of antibiotics as feed additives has driven nutritionists and feed manufacturers to develop alternatives such as organic acids, feed enzymes, and pro- or pre-biotics. These substances are well established in animal nutrition. In contrast, plant extracts, especially EOs, are a new class of feed additives and knowledge regarding their modes of action and aspects of application are still rather rudimentary .

In recent years, EOs have attracted increased attention from the swine and poultry industries. However, they are not simple compounds, rather a mixture of various compounds (mainly terpenes and terpene derivatives), which are concentrated hydrophobic liquids containing volatile aromatic compounds obtained from plants. In terms of biological activity and effects, each individual chemical constituent has its own characteristic properties. This means that EOs are of a complex character with rather diverse effects. Furthermore, factors such as species, ecological factors and climatic conditions, harvest time, part of plant used and method of isolation all affect the chemical composition of EOs. This variability complicates the assessment and application of EOs. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the published data on the general applications of EOs in swine and poultry and discuss possible modes of action based on an in vivo model.

Essential oils

Essential oils are concentrated hydrophobic liquids from plants, which contain some volatile chemical compounds (easily evaporated at normal temperatures). These liquids are also known with some other names such as volatile oils, aetherolea, ethereal oils, or simply called the oil of the plant they are extracted from (e.g., rosemary oil, lavender oil) (Hyldgaard, Mygind, & Meyer, 2012). The term “essential” should not be confused with “indispensable” or “nutritionally required,” but it means that the oil contains the “essence of” the specific plant’s fragrance. Essential oils are usually extracted by common processes such as distillation, solvent extraction, cold pressing, expression, absolute oil extraction, resin wax embedding, and tapping, and in the food industry, they are used for flavoring food and drinks. The majority of the common essential oils have been considered as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (Preedy, 2015).essential oils used in soap, perfumery, and cosmetic industry;•essential oils used in the food and beverages industry (e.g., as flavorings, preservatives, and additives); and•essential oils used in agroindustrial proposes (e.g., antifungal and insecticidal)• essential oils used in the medical industry . Main effects and modes of  action Abstract Antimicrobial compounds produced by micro organisms have been used for decades in poultry diets to increase performance and decrease morbidity particularly in broiler chickens. However, consumer pressure related to the potential development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has resulted in the development of non-antibiotic feed additives that may also improve broiler performance. In recent years, aromatic plants and their extracts have received attention as growth and health promoters. It is known that most of their properties are due to the essential oils (EOs) and other secondary plant metabolites. EOs enhance production of digestive secretions, stimulate blood circulation, exert antioxidant properties, reduce levels of pathogenic bacteria and may enhance immune status. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the published data on the potential of EOs and their components in poultry nutrition, and to describe their possible modes of action. The current knowledge on potential antagonistic and synergistic effects is presented and areas for future research are proposed.EOs favourably affect gut functions by stimulating digestive secretions, e.g., bile, mucus etc. and increase enzyme activity (Brenes and Roura, 2010). EOs enhance secretion of trypsin, amylase and jejunal chyme (Jang et al., 2007) and reduce adherence of pathogens to the intestinal wall and also improve morphology of intestines (Windisch et al., 2008;Brenes and Roura, 2010). Lee et al., 2003 also demonstrated that ileal digestibility coefficients for starch and protein in broiler chicken fed diets containing EOs were higher owing to the greater activity of amylase. …the use of phytogenics and their derivatives like essential oils (EOs) in livestock nutrition has recently received increased attention owing to their important biological activities including antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory (Windisch et al., 2008;Brenes and Roura, 2010). …Phenols present in essential oils also affect the cell wall of pathogenic microorganisms. These compounds induce water loss by altering cell membrane permeability, disrupt nucleic acid and ATPase synthesis, and thereby exhibit bacteriostatic and bactericidal effects against pathogenic microorganisms (Brenes & Roura, 2010).

Conclusions

The search for alternatives to antibiotics has generated considerable interest in recent years. The new generation of feed additives includes Phytochemicals and essential oils, and their beneficial effects for animal production have been well documented.