STTR Phase I: Use of Hydroxycinnamic Acids and Their Oligomers as Substitutes for Synthetic Growth Promoting Supplements in Livestock Feeds

这个小企业技术转让（STTR）项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是在不添加合成抗生素和抗氧化剂化合物的情况下提高牲畜的健康。所提出的技术是从玉米生产乙醇的玉米仁纤维副产品。对此类化合物的需求已经增长，因为牲畜现在更经常地在集中的动物饲养操作中饲养，这些动物饲养操作限制动物并导致异常氧化应激。该计划的基础是从农业残留物中提取这些天然存在的化合物。 这些提取物可用于替代目前牲畜饲料中的抗生素和合成补充剂。 提出的工艺将使生产成本与合成补充剂竞争。该STTR项目建议评估羟基肉桂酸及其低聚物（HCA）作为牲畜饲料中有益补充剂的生物活性。它们与已知存在于种子作物麸皮中的半纤维素酯连接。在玉米麸皮纤维的预处理过程中水解键合以使其准备转化为乙醇，并且HCA溶解在预处理溶液中。作为游离酸，它们恢复了它们的特性，包括抗菌，抗炎和抗氧化特性。该项目将提供公斤数量的HCA用于幼猪的饲养试验，其中将与欧洲目前使用的天然来源的饲料补充剂以及未补充的饲料进行比较。将鉴定浸提液的成分，并进行全面的生化分析，包括胃肠道生理学和肠道通透性的研究。还将研究肠道微生物组，以及替代HCAs作为主要饲料补充剂如何影响所涉及的过程。这些研究的成功完成将为更全面地研究HCAs作为其他牲畜饮食补充剂的使用提供基础。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) project is to enhance the health of livestock without addition of synthetic antibiotic and antioxidant compounds. The proposed technologies are corn kernel fiber byproducts of ethanol production from corn. The need for such compounds has grown as livestock is now more often raised in concentrated animal feeding operations that confine animals and result in abnormal oxidative stress. The program is based on extracting these naturally occurring compounds from agricultural residues. These extracts can be used in place of antibiotics and synthetic supplements currently in livestock feeds. The process proposed will enable production at a cost competitive with synthetic supplements.This STTR project proposes to assess the biological activity of hydroxy cinnamic acids and their oligomers (HCAs) as beneficial supplements in livestock feed. They are ester-linked to a hemicellulose known to occur in seed crop brans. The linkage is hydrolyzed during pretreatment of corn bran fiber to prepare it for conversion to ethanol and the HCAs dissolve in the pretreatment solution. As free acids they recover their character, which includes antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. The project will provide kilogram quantities of HCAs for use in feeding trials with young swine, wherein they will be compared with naturally sourced feed supplements currently in use in Europe, as well as un-supplemented feed. Components of the extract will be identified and comprehensive biochemical analyses performed, including study of the gastrointestinal physiology and intestinal permeability. Studies will also be performed of gut microbiomes and how the processes involved are influenced by substitution of HCAs as the primary feed supplement. Successful completion of these studies will provide a basis for more comprehensive studies of the use of HCAs as supplements in the diet of other livestock.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.