Scientific experts states that by 2050, meat requirement will go up even more than 70% than now. Similarly, milk demand will go up to 50%. It clearly displays that high productivity is essential; the farmers and industry people are under pressure and responsibility to produce high production without quality compromises.
Farmers forcibly come to the situation to protect and keep the animals healthier by using different practices, but their prolonged usage of chemicals and antibiotics has created residual effects and makes pathogens get resistant to the treatments. To overcome antibiotic and chemical residual effects, the alternative resource and solution are industrially important phytochemicals that have fulfilled the needs. Phytochemicals also called to as phytobiotics or phytogenics. Phytochemicals are chemical substance that is naturally found in the plant, plant-based nutritional components are a more complex mixture of bioactive components, which are beneficial to the human as well as animals.
The plant phytochemicals have both nutritional and therapeutic effects of antioxidative, antimicrobial, antistress, and components of Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Betacarotene, Zeaxanthin, Lutine, Flavonoids, Polyphenols, Alkaloids, glycoside, ,and terpenoids. Phytochemicals are not only bioactive components also have multifunctional benefits properties to livestock, poultry, and aquaculture.
Plant-based phytochemical & their beneficial role to the animal's health
More than 60% of human diseases are zoonotic including COVID-19. The main reason for considering zoonotic disease is a serious health problem in the world wider as per World Health Organisation (WHO). Zoonotic pathogens like bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites cause various illnesses such as fever, toxicological disorders, digestive problems, haemorrhagic fever, Hepatitis, etc. Usage of phytochemicals and herbal medicine are useful and viable alternative to pharmaceuticals because of
Cost-effectiveness
Efficient in the control of pathogen
Non-resistance forming renewable
Non-residual effect
Eco-friendly
Phytochemical molecules have structural versatility which gives a broad-spectrum effect on pathogen microbes. To eradicate the disease and protect the animals from the pathogen is for both animal and humans welfare. Phytochemicals will majorly do the role of the therapeutic side. One of the zoonotic pathogens such as Staphylococcus is veterinary important as well as human health, zoonotic microbes cause a lot of economic losses e.g. Epidermitis in pig, mastitis in dairy production animals, and also a big issue with Staphylococcus is more antibiotic resistance (Methicillin-resistant while medicated by Penicillin).
Banned and awareness of antibiotics and the residual in the food and being passed to the human's pathogen, which makes the effects of antibiotic resistance. Scientists are looking for alternative natural resources of herbals from plants as plant extracts or natural plant components. Parasitism in the livestock due to poor nutrition, and cause subclinical infection of gastrointestinal nematodes of Trichostronglyus colibriformis, ostertagia circumcinta, etc. are lowering the feed intake, body weight, and milk production. Natural herbs of Neem, Pineapple, bitter gourd, Acacia, etc., and their phytochemical components reduce the parasite effects by reducing faecal worm egg counts.
Some of the plants and their seeds extracts like Moringa leaves and its seed protect animals from oxidation stress conditions and mineral imbalance from blood, liver and kidney. The medical properties of amla have been mentioned in the old Ayurvedic text and cure many health issues of which are hyperacidity, peptic ulcer, skin disease, inflammations, anaemia, jaundice, diarrhoea, haemorrhage, and cardiac disorder. Because of amla health and nutritional benefits, it has considered as valuable herbs feed additives to enhance the livestock and poultry production. Phytochemicals components are divided into mainly 3 groups of Phenolics, Terpenes, and alkaloids. Key properties of phytochemicals are immunostimulant, antibacterial, anti-inflammation, antioxidant, detoxification and antistress. Through research and technological evaluation, thousands of phytochemicals and their molecules get attention of industrial importance based on their physiological and biological benefits. For example phytochemicals of Tannins, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Polyphenol, and Flavonoids are wonderful health benefits.
Phytochemicals have the potential of interfering with cellular process to regularize the metabolic function of the animals. The mechanism of phytochemicals or herbs not completely understood, but a general understanding is to damage the pathogen microbes membrane by lipophilic compounds to reduce the pathogen microbes cell growth by DNA damage by stopping protein synthesis. Phytochemicals exhibit a wide spectrum of bacterial effects against Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens by the hydrophobicity property with damage the cellular and leakage the intracellular materials effects against gram-positive microorganism and Phytochemicals present in Green tea, Thyme, Carvacrol, Eugenol, Coriander, Grapes, Citrus, Garlic, Ginger, Rosemary, Turmeric, Basil, Lemon, Cinnamon, clove, onion, Star anise, etc., as an individual or blend proof that their beneficial effects. Such as Cinnamaldehyde with Thymol improve the body weight in poultry, Curcuma along with Capsicum improves the disease resistance against pathogen bacteria.
Phytochemicals play an important role in modulatory activities of the gut in the early stage of animals like poultry chick, calves, fish fry, and shrimp larva. It improves the gut nature by increasing the glutathione in the intestinal epithelial cell. Phytochemicals of flavonoids, polyphenols not only stimulate the immune system and also functions as a detoxifying cation and scavenger of the free radicals and protect and enhance the vital organs which are involved in the immune functions. Phytochemical helps pigs at the weaning stage which is a more essential role and challenging stage by improving gut health. In ruminants, phytochemicals help to optimize the rumen function of protein digestibility and volatile fatty acids secretion by optimizing the microbial bio-mass which induce the microbial-based protein synthesis and hydrolysis and minimize the methane emission.
Plant-based secondary metabolites or phytochemicals enhance animal productivity and reduce the disease outbreak and environmental pollutions. There is a need to avoid antibiotics due to residual effects as well as pathogen resistance against antibiotics, but at the same time, productivity cannot be compromised, because of increasing population and food demand. The phytochemicals have a potential mechanism on the animal system that will increase the FCR, food intake, optimize the gut function, reduce the gut stress due to the pathogen, improve the digestion, immune boost-up, antioxidant and antimicrobial. Always a mixture of different herbals and their secondary metabolites components of phytochemicals are more effective rather than single herbals. One big advantage of herbals or phytochemicals functions as antimicrobial is without the possibility of the development of resistance and also safe to animals and humans as well.
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