9 minute read
Bhavana Gupta
Organic Farming VS Factory Farming
Bhavana Gupta Editor, Pixie Consulting Solutions Ltd.
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The Center for Science and Environment (CSE) conducted a study in 2017 in India. It was found that significant amount of antibiotic residues were present in poultry and there was a high degree of resistance to all critically important antibiotics. Persistence of antibiotic residue and then their transmission into the human chain is a bigpotentialthreattohumanhealth. Industrialfarmingtechniquesareanecessity to meet the growing demand of food and proteinofanimalorigin.Theuseofchemical fertilizers, developed seed varieties, and heavily mechanized methods, use of hormones and antibiotics and increasingly questionablepracticesforanimalfarmingat scaleareamajorcauseforconcern. Antibiotics kill or inhibit the growth of microbes and speed up growth and contain diseases but, irresponsible use of antibiotics and the sacrificing of animal well-being in order to cut the costs of large scale productioniswhatweoftenseetoday. The organic farming standards are interpreted very broadly as well. Terms like – organic, pasture-raised, grass-fed, cagefree, free-range make the discrepancies between industrial and organic even grayer. The general perception is that cagefree organic eggs come from animals that get to move freely outdoors, in the sunshine, breathe plenty of fresh air, and experience a reasonable quality of life. They are fed a vegetarian diet of non- genetically modified feed grains, grown without pesticides and it does not include any form of animal protein. No medically important antibiotics for disease prevention or growth promoting antibiotics are used. The conditions at certified organic farms are notmuchdifferentfromafactoryfarm.What we read on the package is not always what we get. The terms cage-free and free-range are often misleading. Poultry that lives in a barn and never goes outside is called cagefree. Free-range eggs don't always come from happy, content birds, because freerange regulations only require the birds to have access to outdoors. It makes a negligibledifference. Therearenon-organicfarms,evenindustrial large scale producers, who practice a hybrid mix of techniques, using fewer chemical inputs and providing healthy living environments for their animals and smaller farms that follow biodynamic, sustainable, organic practices, but aren't certified becausegettingacertificationisexpensive. Free-range, organic eggs are considered to be more nutritious. Studies have found higheramountsofvitaminD(whenthebirds are exposed to sunlight), omega-3 fatty acids,vitaminA,andbeta-carotene. Crack open a commercially farmed egg and an organic, free-range egg from a trusted producerandseethedifferenceinthericher, bright yellow-orange yolk, though color doesn't always mean more health benefits. Some producers go to the extent of including additives like dried algae, marigold petal meal and alfalfa meal in the feed to achieve that bright orange color. Peopleevenclaimthattheflavouroforganic poultry is better but there is no concrete evidencetobackthisclaim.Attheendofthe day it all comes down to personal taste and preferences. Discontinuation of use of antibiotics can cause multiple problems. The growth performance is decreased and there is an increased incidence of intestinal diseases, compromise on health front leads to an increase in mortality and the subsequent increased need for antibiotics. The ultimate goal is of improving the performance of the bird.
AlternativestoAntibiotics:
Several alternatives have been proposed to replace AGPs in the poultry industry including exogenous enzymes, competitive exclusion products, prebiotics, probiotics, acidiccompoundsandbacteriophages. Organicacidswereinitiallyaddedtofeedfor sanitization purposes such as to reduce fungal contamination in feed and as a preventative against salmonellosis in poultryOrganicacidsutilizedinfeedarenot only capable of decontaminating feed but havethepotentialtoreduceentericbacteria internally in poultry. Organic acids are used to improve growth performance by reducing the pH in the gastrointestinal tract by changing the composition of the micro biome, it also increases the activity of digestive enzymes there is also improvement in ileal digestibility in chickens. Most organic acids consist of carboxylic acids (-COOH). There are two major types of organic acids. The first group (lactic, fumaric, citric) are capable of generally lowering the pH of the stomach, thus reducing the acid sensitive bacteria present indirectly. The second group(butyric,formic,acetic,propionic,and sorbic) lower the pH in the GIT by directly acting upon the cell wall of Gram-negative bacteria Organic Acids produced by introduction of Probiotics and Prebiotics to theGIT. Research has demonstrated that both probiotic and prebiotics stimulate the production of SCFAs in the GIT of poultry eitherthroughthedirectproductionofSCFA by lactic acid producing bacteria (LAB), a type of probiotic, or through the administration of prebiotic substances whichincreasethepresenceofLABandtheir production of SCFA. Thus, probiotic and prebiotic supplementation can enhance SCFAproductionand,inturn,theirimpacton theavianmicrobiome. Bacteriophages are naturally occurring organisms that target very specific microbacteria and neutralize them. The tendency to develop resistance is ten times slowercomparedtoantibioticsandtheyalso evolveparalleltobacteria. In 2017, the National Action Plan (2017–2021) was implemented by Indian health authorities, a plan that highlighted several challenges that had to be overcome to address the problem of AMR(antimicrobial resistance). The amendment laid down the maximum permissible limits of 21 antibiotics and other 77 more drugs used in veterinary for animal food production. However, it is sad to know that none of the action plans were implemented strictly due to lack of awareness and proper knowledge ofthis“farm-to-fork”transmissionprocess.
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'To be or not to be' a standardized botanical powder
The demand for organic and natural foods has grown over the past decade. The desire for better overall health amongconsumersandtheawarenessof the harmful effects of synthetic ingredients has fuelled an organic revolution. This is evident from the global market estimations;“the organic food market generated $162,036.7 millionin2019andispredictedtomake revenue of $416,049.7 million by 2027. ” To be a front player in the future of the organic revolution, consistency in quality and biological results shall be essential. Keeping this in mind, we have designed a series of articles describing theimportanceofthestandardizationof botanical powders. Standardization here refers to neutralizing the natural variability to deliver consistency and uniformity in the quality assessment parameters. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), standardization is a process that manufacturers use to ensure batch-to-batch consistency of their products. Standardization involves identifying specific phytochemicals (also known as markers) that can be used to manufacture a consistent product. In our earlier article, we discussed what and how standardization is done in standardizedbotanicalpowders(SBPs). In the current article, we shall discuss how an SBP comes into being. What are the process and aggressive scrutinization that occurs at each step of its formulation from when it is an idea to its launch into the market? Shakespeare's hamlet phrase “to be or not be” fits in aptly here. The wellknown stage-gate process for innovative products can be used as a basis with slight modifications (Figure1). At each stage a committee would review the process and approve or disapprove the SBP from entering thenextstage.
Figure 1: The steps in the stage-gate process Ideation stage: In the ideation stage, an idea of a product is proposed to address a pain point or an issue, in the poultry industry. Either to bring in a new supplement or to find a natural, and safe alternative to an existing synthetic supplement in the market. Concept stage: A clear customer value proposition for the idea is made through a business case. What would the impact of this SBP be in the market? A library of plants is created based on availability, biodiversity, patentability, and cost. If the SBP passes this stage, it goes to the feasibility stage. Feasibility stage: The potential plants that would address the issue are screened. Medicinal plants are screened with bioassays in vitroor in vivo. Traditional and
modern scientific literature is curated for botanical constituents that can be used to address and solve the issue. The phytochemistry laboratory develops commercially viable processes for the optimum extraction of medicinal plants, where active constituents, otherwise known as markers, are already known. The phytochemistry lab is where the creation of a SBP starts, with the preparation of different formulations. The SBPs are prepared through scientific evaluation of the phytochemicals required for the formulation and the right selection of the raw materials. The phytochemistry lab also establishes the essential reference marker or the phytochemical that would be necessary to be standardized in each batch of SBPs (Figure 2).
Figure 2: Reference phytochemicals are selected to be standardized in SBPs. Developmental stage: Leads generated in the feasibility stage are examined and combined to form formulation prototypes. This is performed with computational models such as orthogonal array composite design (OACD) (Figure 3), which helps look for interactions between the different components of the tentative formulations. These results simulate the interaction between the components and give a scientific insight regarding theinteractionbetweentheconstituents. Theycouldeitherbesynergistic,additive or antagonistic. Additivity means that the activity of the ingredients is adding up, synergy means the activity of the components when combined is enhanced, and antagonism means that the ingredients would nullify the effects of each other. Only those combinations that show synergistic predictions in a formulation are prioritized and selected tobetakenfurther. A series of biological studies are conducted to find the best herb(s) for the desired biological activity. The SBP formulation is then tested in a small group of the target species in a controlled environment. It is assessed for safety in the animals. Only if these studies show promising results they move to the scale-up stage.
Figure 3: Taguchi Orthogonal Array Method Scale-up stage: The challenges during manufacturing are addressed in this stage, where the product is scaled in quantity from kilograms to tons. Then, the beta-testing phase begins, where a larger number of target species is tested. Farm trials in field conditions are conducted in different parts of the country and the world. If the results are encouraging at the scale-up stage, the product is launched to a segment of the market. Launch stage: In the launch stage the SBP is evaluated for its safety, effectiveness and checked if it meets all the end attributes that were desired in the conceptual stage. Later on, it is taken to full-scale marketing. Post-marketing surveillance:Test to examine how the SBP fairs. Is the SBP efficient in showing the desired biological effects? Its mechanisms of action at the phenotypic, molecular, and genome level are evaluated. OnlywhenanSBPcanpassthrougheach stage with satisfactory performance, the
processisfurtheredtothenextstage,ifnot thejourneyoftheSBPishalted;toiterateits formulationsandthejourneybeginsfrom thestartwithnewconstituents.Inournext article, we shall elaborate on when the standardization process begins
About
Natural Remedies is the number 1 veterinary herbal healthcare company in India with presence in more than 30 countries across the globe. Through its world-class Research and Development centre, Natural Remedies offers a category of sciencebased Phytogenic feed additives, called Standardised Botanical Powders (SBPs). In this series of articles, Dr. Raina Raj, Head of Marketing at Natural Remedies, provides in-depth knowledge of what SBPs are, and their benefits in the poultry diet.
