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

这一小型企业技术转让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。拟议的技术是从玉米生产乙醇的副产品玉米粒纤维。随着牲畜现在更多地在集中饲养动物的操作中饲养，对这种化合物的需求已经增长，这种操作限制了动物，并导致异常的氧化应激。该计划的基础是从农业残渣中提取这些天然存在的化合物。这些提取物可以用来代替目前牲畜饲料中的抗生素和合成补充剂。本项目旨在评估羟基肉桂酸及其齐聚物(HCAs)在牲畜饲料中作为有益添加剂的生物活性。它们与一种已知存在于种子作物麸皮中的半纤维素有关。在玉米皮纤维的前处理过程中，该键被水解，以准备将其转化为乙醇，并且HCAs溶解在预处理液中。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。该项目将提供千克量的六氯甲烷，用于幼猪饲养试验，在试验中，它们将与欧洲目前使用的天然来源饲料补充剂以及未添加饲料进行比较。将对提取物的成分进行鉴定并进行全面的生化分析，包括胃肠生理和肠道通透性的研究。还将研究肠道微生物群，以及取代六氯联苯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在其他牲畜的饮食中使用六氯环己烷作为补充剂提供基础。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势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.