Synthetic Oligosaccharide Feed Composition for Lower-Gut Metabolite Modulation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing feed additives struggle to deliver beneficial metabolites, such as short-chain fatty acids and essential oils, to the lower digestive system of animals effectively due to volatility, absorption issues, and reduced palatability, while detrimental metabolites, like indole and p-cresol sulfate, strain animal organs, necessitating a need for tailored nutritional compositions that modulate the gut metabolome.
Innovation Solution
Administering a nutritional composition comprising a base composition and a synthetic oligosaccharide preparation with distinct degrees of polymerization to animals, which includes specific fractions of oligosaccharides, to selectively increase or decrease targeted metabolites in the gastrointestinal tract.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) such as butyric acid are used as feed additives, then beneficial effects on the lower digestive track are achieved, but volatility and displeasing odor make them difficult to formulate into feed and reduce palatability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses volatile carrier substances as intermediaries to deliver SCFAs to the lower digestive system. These carriers act as vectors that transport the beneficial metabolites past the upper digestive system where they would otherwise be absorbed or degraded, while the carriers themselves provide palatability and ease of formulation. The SCFAs are associated with the volatile carriers in the feed formulation, allowing them to reach the target region intact.
2Stability of the object's composition
If butyrate preparations in salt forms or encapsulation are used, then stability is improved, but palatability is reduced and consumption by animals decreases
Solution Approach 1:
Volatile carrier substances serve as intermediaries that simultaneously provide stability and palatability. The carriers are volatile enough to be appealing to animals and easy to incorporate into feed, while they also serve as delivery vehicles for the SCFAs. This resolves the contradiction by having the carrier fulfill multiple functions: delivering the stable SCFA form, maintaining palatability, and ensuring animal consumption.
3Reliability
If essential oils are used as feed additives, then antimicrobial and anti-pathogen effects are achieved, but degradation when exposed to feed manufacture conditions and absorption before reaching the lower digestive system occur
Solution Approach 1:
The volatile carrier substances act as protective intermediaries that shield the essential oils and SCFAs from degradation during feed manufacture and storage. The carriers create a volatile phase that protects the sensitive metabolites from environmental factors and prevents premature absorption in the upper digestive system, allowing them to reach the lower digestive system intact where they exert their antimicrobial and anti-pathogen effects.
4Object-generated harmful factors
If indole and p-cresol are processed into their sulfate forms, then strain on liver and kidneys is reduced, but additional strain is placed on these organs and cardiovascular health is decreased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful effect of these metabolites by using volatile carrier substances to deliver them to the lower digestive system where they are excreted in feces rather than being absorbed into the bloodstream. This transforms a harmful absorption pathway into a beneficial excretion pathway, eliminating the strain on liver and kidneys while also preventing the cardiovascular health issues associated with systemic accumulation of these metabolites.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The method enhances the production of beneficial metabolites, reduces detrimental ones, and improves animal health by increasing body weight, feed efficiency, and improving organ function and meat quality.
Implementation Method 1
The microorganisms of the gut microflora, e.g., bacteria, viruses, fungi, mold, protozoa, etc., are responsible for converting undigested and unabsorbed components of an animal's diet into thousands of biologically active metabolites
Implementation Method 2
Microbial conversion of carnitine to trimethyl amine and of amino acids to ammonia not only increases strain on the liver and kidneys
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to methods of feeding animals by providing feed additives that modulate the gut microbiome to improve the health, nutrition, and growth performance. The present disclosure further relates to methods of modulating metabolites present in the gastrointestinal tract of an animal. Such modulation includes, for example, modulating the level said metabolites.