In vitro assessment of the effect of intact marine brown macro-algae Ascophyllum nodosum on the gut flora of piglets

Recently, there is some evidence that brown marine algae, or extracts thereof, may offer potential as alternatives to nutritional antibiotics, due to their wide range of bioactive compounds such as alginates, fucoidans, laminarines and phlorotannins with their suggested prebiotic, antimicrobial, immunomodulating and antioxidant activities. However, very little data are published on the effect of intact brown marine algae on the main flora compounds of the pig gut. Therefore, an in vitro experiment has been conducted to study the effect of Ascophyllum nodosum (A. nodosum) on the piglet gut flora (E. con. lactobacilli, streptococci, total anaerobic count) and their metabolism. In vitro investigations, simulating in vivo conditions, revealed a statistically significant (P<0.05) depressive effect of seaweed on piglet small intestinal and hindgut flora, especially on E. coli. Also the fermentative activity (lactic acid, volatile fatty acids) of the flora was lowered (P<0.05). Therefore, intact brown A. nodosum algae show potential in weaned piglet nutrition as a feed material for improving the gut flora, being an important index of the gastro-intestinal health status. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.