Short-chain or volatile fatty acids function as a major energy source for cells in the lower gut of animals, including poultry. For colonic epithelial cells (colonocytes), butyric acid in the form of butyrate is the most important energy source.

Butyrate in the poultry gut also:

• aids gut homeostasis - the healthy interaction between the gut, the resident bacteria and the immune system, and
• may enhance resistance to pathogenic Salmonella and Clostridium bacteria.

However, to deliver butyrate directly to the poultry gut requires a technical product that is coated or protected in some way. Another approach is to feed a product that supports butyrate production in the gut itself.

One of the more surprising IAMM results was that the Original XPC™-induced changes in bacterial populations not only reduced pathogen growth but resulted in a significant increase in the production of butyrate.

For more on this article in Diamond V's article in PoultryAdvisor article, including references, click here.

For details on Diamond V’s research on Original XPC in poultry, click here.

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