Feed acidifiers can impact Global GDP

Increasing global Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) is a major threat to human and animal health. It has now endangered modern human and veterinary medicine and undermined the safety of our food and environment. Overuse of antibiotics in humans and animals has caused the pace of anti-microbial resistance to quicken. A 2015 study from the Washington DC-based Center for Disease Dynamics found that global antibiotic use had risen by 30 per cent between 2000 and 2010. This has contributed to a situation where the emergence of bacterial resistance has outpaced antibiotic discovery. This is reflected in the high AMR related death toll. Each day an estimated 1,900 people around the world die from infections that are resistant to antibiotics: that is 700,000 people every year. As a result annual global GDP could be reduced by between 2 per cent and 3.5 per cent by 2050 if nothing is done, equal to $60tn-$100tn of cumulative economic output being lost (with Africa leading the pack- 20% projected reduction in GDP) (KPMG). By the middle of the century, according to the UK’s 2016 Review on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) — more people will die due to antibiotic resistance than the number of people who will die of cancer this year.

Europe responded to the rising AMR by imposing a blanket ban of antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) in 2006. However in countries like Zimbabwe and Malawi, and many developing countries, the risk appears particularly higher due to weak or inadequate legislation, regulatory surveillance and monitoring systems on the use of antimicrobials, and the prevention and control of Antimicrobial Resistance. However, it is expected that more countries will eventually follow the European route on AGPs.

The feed industry in the developed world responded to the ban on AGPs by looking for safer alternatives such as organic acids. 

Organic acids can be categorized as feed and gut acidifiers, ranging from lactate, propionate to formate. These are a group of weak acids, both in powder form (salt) and liquid which have antimicrobial properties, mould inhibitory, toxin binding and grain and food preservatory properties. They boost the immune system of poultry and pigs by suppressing harmful pathogens in the digestive system, which cause disease, high mortality, poor growth, digestion and also compete for nutrients with the animal.

These acidifiers have a positive immunomodulation effect on the animal; whilst they improve the growth of intestinal villi thus increase surface area for nutrient absorption through the small intestine. In the crop the pH is normally above 6 and at that pH most of the harmful bacteria like Salmonella species thrive and multiply, negatively affecting the animal. After ingestion of feed it takes about 6 hours for the pH of the crop to come down. With addition of organic acids in feed the pH of the crop drops to 4 within 30 minutes, making enzyme pepsinogen activated to pepsin faster, improving rate and extend of digestion. At that pH most harmful gram –ve and gram +ve bacteria are unable to grow. When added as salt the organic acids will be in partially dissociated form. The undissociated form has ability to enter into bacteria and dissociate in-side the bacteria, making the pH of the bacteria unfavourable. The bacterium spends a lot of energy trying to eliminate/export the organic acid’s hydrogen cations, thus slowing down its rate of multiplication.

The overall results will be better health, reduced mortality, better feed conversion efficiency and growth rate and better carcass quality all without any residues in the meat which affect consumer health, like what happens with antibiotics.

Overall the benefits of using organic acids in feed to the farmers, meat consumer and broader society can be summarized as below:

1) Ability to produce safer food for local consumers (reduce death rate of people dying from antimicrobial resistance, without impacting animal performance. This is the main societal comparative advantage. With increasing recognition of the contribution of antibiotic growth promoters to death related antibiotic resistance and consumer demand for antibiotic free food, organic acid suppliers have an advantage over competitors who sell antibiotic growth promoters.