Feed additives for swine: Fact sheets prebiotics and probiotics, and phytogenics

Abstract

Prebiotics and probiotics do not provide essential nutrients for normal growth. Potential advantages to using probiotics and prebiotics from a health and growth-promotion standpoint include partial replacement of antibiotic growth promoters. However, studies showing more consistent results are needed to justify prebiotic and probiotic use as additives to pig diets. For all the claimed beneficial effects and studies conducted, a consensus has yet to be reached by the scientific community that prebiotics and probiotics consistently provide benefits in commercial settings. Moreover, their addition in the diet entails additional cost and thus must be evaluated thoroughly.