Alternatives to antibiotics in preventing zoonoses and other pathogens in poultry: prebiotics and related compounds

Abstract

Despite efforts to develop control measures to reduce the contamination of poultry products, food-borne illness remains a major concern to processors and consumers. Various interventions have been applied in both postharvest settings and preharvest live bird production. Prebiotics are compounds that, when consumed by birds, favour microorganisms in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract that are considered beneficial to the host and also limit food-borne pathogen colonization. This chapter reviews the groups of prebiotic and related compounds currently in use, as well as potential candidates for future application. In addition to traditional prebiotic compounds such as fructooligosaccharides, other less conventional sources such as guar gum will be discussed together with combinations of prebiotics and probiotics (synbiotics). Finally, opportunities exist to structurally refine prebiotic compounds to enhance their activities and improve their delivery to target sites in the GI tract.