Development of Novel Microparticles for Effective Delivery of an Antimicrobial Essential Oil to Pig Intestinal Tract

Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Production by student on July 26, 2018

Authors: Faith Adeyinka Omonijo and Chengbo Yang, Department of Animal Science, Univesity of Manitoba

Reference: Canadian Hog Journal Summer 2018

Summary: Piglets susceptibility to different stressors such as bacterial pathogens and oxidative stress inflammation can lead to reduced growth performance, high mortality and morbidity rates and compromised animal welfare. In nursery diets, it has been a common practice to utilize antibiotic growth promoters, however with increased concern for the utilization of antibiotics in agriculture there has been a push for research developing alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters. Thymol is a highly volatile essential oil that has been recognized for its usage a an alternative to antimicrobial growth promoters. It is necessary that a method be developed to protect the essential oil until it reaches the lower gut.

The objective of this study was to develop a microencapsulation technique that would be affordable and easy to deliver thymol to the target site. Through this study it was determined that low melting point fat particles with an inclusion of 2 percent polysaccharide solution presented a slow released rate of thymol and lauric acid. As a result of this study, they had recommended that the formula and method that was utilized during the course of study (low melting point fat and 2 percent polysaccharide) would pose as an effective an affordable was to potentially deliver essential oils to the intestinal tract of the pig.

Development of Novel Microparticles for Effective Delivery of an Antimicrobial

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