Supporting Digestive Health and Poultry Performance with Cost-Effective Solutions through Jefo Products

Poultry farming faces significant challenges with the rising prices of feed raw materials, especially protein sources, which are not only expensive but also vary in quality. This variability increases the risk of using formulations with excessive protein levels, resulting in both economic and biological consequences. Excessive protein can lead to harmful fermentation metabolites in the hindgut, contributing to various digestive system diseases.

PROTEASE is an enzyme used to break down proteins, enhancing their bioavailability. This type of enzyme is commonly classified as mono-component or multi-component. Multi-component proteases, such as Jefo Protease, work on various types of raw materials, allowing flexibility in formulations. Its use can be added independently or in conjunction with the use of a dynamic nutrition matrix accessible through the Jefo Peak App1. This allows the formulation of diets tailored to specific needs, supporting improved digestibility and performance while optimizing cost savings.

ORGANIC ACIDS (OA) AND ESSENTIAL OILS (EO)
Known as supporters of digestive health, recent research indicates a synergistic antimicrobial effect between Organic Acids (OA) and Essential Oils (EO). The hydrophobic nature of EO enhances microbial membrane permeability, allowing OA to infiltrate bacterial cytoplasm, altering their metabolism. This synergy enhances efficacy compared to supplementing products individually. However, it’s crucial to note that organic acids may dissociate prematurely depending on the specific pH in the digestive tract, reducing their effectiveness. Additionally, essential oils tend to evaporate easily before reaching target pathogenic microbes.

To overcome these limitations, Jefo has developed a special matrix technology to protect the combination of organic acids and essential oils, known as Jefo P(OA+EO). This product contains a carefully selected mixture of organic acids and essential oils packed in Jefo Matrix Technology, a unique microencapsulation technology that uses fat. This technology ensures sufficient protection of bioactive substances, allows species-specific targeting, gradual release in the digestive system, and offers resistance to adverse conditions during storage and feed manufacturing. These factors consistently prove Jefo P(OA+EO)’s effectiveness in improving poultry intestinal health.

Considering the cost savings from Jefo Protease and the superior intestinal health improvement from Jefo P(OA+EO), it is recommended to simultaneously use both products for optimizing modern poultry production. Based on raw material prices in July 2023, feed cost savings can be achieved by using Jefo Protease in starter feed (Rp 146,730/ton), grower feed (Rp 127,580/ton), and finisher feed (Rp 88,290/ton)2. Furthermore, cost savings from reduced medication use, improved feed conversion, and overall return on investment (ROI) enhancement will strengthen the sustainable poultry industry. A study on broiler chickens fed a low digestibility diet supplemented with a combination of Jefo Protease and Jefo P(OA+EO) showed the same feed conversion ratio (FCR) as the standard diet, demonstrating potential cost savings without sacrificing performance (Figure 1).

Additionally, the concentration of fermentation metabolites Putrescine and Cadaverine decreased with the use of both products compared to the low-digestible feed group (Figure 2). This reduction is likely due to the increased protein digestibility by Jefo Protease, causing microbial starvation conditions and inhibiting microbial life caused by the use of Jefo P(OA+EO). Based on these findings, it is recommended to leverage the synergistic effect of these two solutions to enhance intestinal health and yield benefits in terms of FCR.

CONCLUSION
The strategic combination of Jefo Protease and protected Jefo Organic Acids + Essential Oil offers a novel approach to address poultry production challenges. This synergistic approach results in healthier intestinal conditions and sustainable cost savings.