engleski

EVALUATION OF THE ANTIMICROBIAL POTENTIAL OF THE BUTTON MUSHROOM AGARICUS BISPORUS

Farming methods have changed dramatically in recent decades. Production has become increasingly industrialised, with larger numbers of animals stocked at higher densities, coupled with breeding and feeding strategies aimed at maximising production. These changes have a huge impact on the welfare of farmed animals we rear for food and can increase the risks to people and animals from some zoonotic diseases.The arising awareness of the relationship between diet and diseases has evolved the concept of “functional foods”. A food may be considered to be functional if it contains a food component (whether a nutrient or not) which affects one or more identified functions in the body in a positive manner, which are in different name forms, e.g. dietary supplements, nutraceuticals, medicinal foods and foods for specific health uses. Fears from possible risk for human health because of use and/or misuse of antibiotics growth promotors in food for animals for consumption, led to a ban of their use in the EU (Regulation EC No. 1831/2003). The scientific community, in searching for new therapeutic alternatives, has studied many kinds of mushrooms and has found variable therapeutic activities such as anticarcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, immuno-suppressor and antibiotic among others. In accordance with Article 17 of Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003 on additives for use in animal nutrition, the Commission has established a Community Register of feed additive, according to which the recommended natural animal feed supplement is Agaricus bisporus, and its extract CoE 543. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the antimicrobial potential of the button mushroom Agaricus bisporus. Experiment were conducted on 60 Yorkshire x Landras crossbred pigs, after weaning. The animals were divided in two dietary groups, one group feed by basal diet and the other group with diets containing 1% dry supplement of Agaricus bisporus, during the 5 weeks. Upon completion of the experiment, microbiological examinations of jejunal aspirates was done. At the beginning of the experiment colony-forming unit in jejunal aspirates of all animal was aproximately equal, 107 CFU/ml. Upon completion of the experiment CFU were significantly decreased (105 CFU/ml) in animals treated with Agaricus bisporus supplement compared to pair-fed controls (108 CFU/ml). Weaning is a traumatic event for piglets regardless of their age. The change in nutrition from a largely milk based diet to a pelleted ration affects gut local immune status and gut microflora. In addition, changing the accommodation and mixing piglets can all have consequences on the piglet physical, nutritional, immunological, and behavioral status. The data provided by this study illustrate the antimicrobial potential of button mushroom Agaricus bisporus as well as better production results in animals treated with Agaricus bisporus supplement. This study was supported by VIP project No.: 2012-11-17.

welfare ; Agaricus bisporus ; pig ; weaning

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