Setting your flock up for success is a key management focus—no matter where you are located. That means following proper facility and feeding hygiene, and enhancing health so that animals can more easily fight off infections from contact with harmful pathogens.

Nutritional solutions like Refined Functional Carbohydrates™ (RFC™) offer producers an exciting option to enhance animal health and productivity with a single feed ingredient.

What are RFCs?

RFCs feature technology that can help provide a healthy foundation for poultry while delivering the nutrition they need. RFCs are the components harvested from yeast cells (S. cerevisiae) using specific enzymes during the manufacturing process. This enzymatic hydrolysis yields:

• MOS (Mannan Oligosaccharides)
• Beta 1,3-1,6 glucans
• D-Mannose

These compounds are naturally present in all yeast cells, but are not readily bioavailable. The method of processing used to refine the yeast cells influences the size and structure of these liberated components, which, in turn, affects bioavailability and functionality. Research shows that each RFC has a specific mode of action and outcome when fed to poultry and livestock.

What do RFCs do?

RFCs can help maintain health and overall animal health—directly and indirectly.

Health and production challenges can occur at any time. Adding RFCs to an animal’s diet from an early age can help improve its immune function—indirectly by preparing it for challenges and directly by providing a defense mechanism against pathogenic bacteria.

How RFCs Work

The RFCs bind to the receptors of certain protozoa, for instance, Cryptosporidium and Eimeria and prevent them from attaching to the intestinal wall and causing disease. Likewise, RFCs help prevent bacteria from colonizing within the animal’s body, like Salmonella in the cecas of poultry, for instance.

In this study, of the cecas sampled from breeder hens fed the control diet, 71.4% were found to contain Salmonella, while none of the ceca from the hens fed the RFC diet tested positive for Salmonella. Further, when broiler progeny of these birds were fed a diet that included RFCs, their cecas also contained no evidence of Salmonella. However, 12.5% of broiler progeny cecas contained Salmonella when not fed a diet containing RFCs.

Likewise, RFCs help negate the detrimental effects of mycotoxins that sometimes occur in feed. Just as with pathogens, RFCs bind to these toxins—like aflatoxin—and prevent gut damage and help maintain feed intake, growth and feed efficiency_.

Growth Benefits

RFCs offer additional benefits, too.

Because of the multi-functional nature of RFCs (reducing the effects of harmful pathogens, as well as toxins in feed) less energy is needed for fighting infections and supporting the immune system and more energy is available for growth, synergistically helping poultry performance.

Recent research shows that laying hens fed a diet that included RFCs improved in egg production efficiency. In addition the RFC diet fed in the study is credited with improving some desirable egg parameters, like egg yolk color.

Ultimately, all of these benefits combine to enhance animal productivity. In turn, better productivity positively impacts your bottom line.

To learn more, visit AHanimalnutrition.com.

References for all research sited are available by request.

1 Jalukar S, Oppy J, Davis S. Effect of enzymatically hydrolyzed yeast supplementation on performance and in protecting broilers against a mild coccidiosis challenge. Joint ASAS/ADSA meeting, 2008.

2 Brake, J. T. Effect of CELMANAX supplementation in diets naturally contaminated with aflatoxin and DON on broiler performance. Report on file. 2012.

3 Brake, et. al., 2015 Abstract # 17, PSA, Poultry Science 94, E-Suppl.1.

4 Baines D, Erb S, Turkington K, Kuldau G, Juba J, Masson L, Mazza A, Roberts R. Mouldy feed, mycotoxins and Shiga toxin - producing Escherichia coli colonization associated with Jejunal Hemorrhage Syndrome in beef cattle. BMC Veterinary Research 2011;7:24.

5 Huff et al, 2013 Poultry Science 92 :655–662

6 Adaiel, S. A., El-Shafei, A. A., Jalukar S.(2011). Effect of Celmanax on performance, immune function, and health of broilers challenged with E. coli O78. Presented at IPSF in Atlanta, Ga,

7 Hashim A, Mulcahy G, Bourke B, Clyne M. Interaction of Cryptosporidium hominis and Cryptosporidium parvum with Primary Human and Bovine Intestinal Cells. Infection and Immunology 2006;74(1):99.

8 Castaneda G, Jalukar S, Mann H, The effect of AVIATOR supplementation compared to other feed additives on layer performance. Presented as abstract P327 at 2016 IPSF, Atlanta, Ga. AHAN Research. Available on request.