Study on Nutritional Physiological Function and Application of Allicin Additives
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Allicin, a natural green feed additive, offers broad-spectrum antibacterial properties without causing drug resistance. It has low residue levels, is cost-effective, and possesses strong attractant and flavoring characteristics. Allicin promotes animal growth, improves feed conversion efficiency, enhances survival rates, and reduces feeding costs.
1. Origin, Properties, and Nutrients of Allicin
Garlic, a member of the Liliaceae family, is a widely cultivated perennial herb with a long history of use in China. Traditional Chinese medicine recognizes garlic as spicy and warming, capable of relieving stagnation, warming the spleen and stomach, eliminating disease, and detoxifying.
Allicin, derived from garlic, is rich in organic nutrients, including crude protein, fat, crude fiber, sugars, minerals like calcium and phosphorus, and vitamins such as thiamine and riboflavin. It also contains 17 measurable amino acids and essential minerals like potassium, magnesium, zinc, and iron. The active component of allicin is garlic oil, which determines its physical and chemical properties.
Table 1: Main Physical and Chemical Properties of Garlic Oil
- Color: Light yellow to brownish red liquid
- Odor: Strong garlic smell
- Density: 1.050–1.095
- Refractive Index: 1.550–1.580
- Solubility: Soluble in non-volatile oils, partially soluble in ethanol, insoluble in water
- Stability: Sensitive to strong acids, oxidants, and UV light
Natural garlic oil can be extracted through steam distillation or solvent extraction, containing 16 sulfur compounds, with propyl propyl disulfide (about 60%) being the most abundant. Synthetic allicin mainly consists of dipropylene monosulfide, disulfide, trisulfide (garinin), and tetrasulfide. Disulfide and trisulfide are stable and have strong antibacterial properties, while tetrasulfide is unstable and releases sulfur over time.
2. Nutritional and Physiological Functions of Allicin
2.1 Disease Prevention and Immune Enhancement
Disulfide and trisulfide in allicin can penetrate bacterial cell membranes, oxidizing hydroxyl-containing enzymes into disulfide bonds, thus inhibiting cell division and disrupting normal metabolism. Allicin effectively suppresses pathogens like Shigella, Salmonella, and Vibrio cholerae, as well as fungi and protozoa. The active components enhance cellular metabolism, boost vitality, and strengthen immunity.
2.2 Enhancing Appetite and Feed Intake
Allicin’s strong aroma attracts animals like fish and poultry, stimulating their sense of smell and taste, thereby increasing feed consumption. However, excessive amounts may lead to overfeeding and digestive issues.
2.3 Improving Product Quality and Reducing Costs
Allicin enhances the flavor of meat in broilers and layer chickens. Adding garlic to feed is simple, cost-effective, and easy to implement. Garlic can be soaked, peeled, sliced, dried, and then ground for use.
2.4 Improving Animal Living Environment
Volatile sulfur compounds in allicin repel mosquitoes and flies around feed and feces. Once metabolized, allicin is excreted via urine, reducing fly breeding and improving hygiene.
2.5 Promoting Growth and Increasing Daily Weight Gain
Allicin stimulates gastric secretion and gastrointestinal motility, enhancing nutrient absorption and promoting weight gain, improving feed efficiency, and overall growth performance.
3. Application of Allicin in Animal Production
3.1 Pig Production
Allicin improves pig growth, disease resistance, and feed utilization. Studies show that adding 200g/t of 25% allicin to weanling pig diets increased daily weight gain by 16.5%.
3.2 Poultry Production
Adding allicin to chicken feed boosts appetite and production performance. Research indicates that 25% allicin improved daily gain and survival rate by more than 3%. Other studies showed up to 8.7% weight gain increase and 5% reduction in feed consumption.
3.3 Aquaculture
In aquaculture, allicin increases feed intake, weight gain, and survival rates while improving meat quality. For example, 100mg/kg of allicin in carp feed boosted weight gain by 13.3% and economic efficiency by 15–25%.
3.4 Herbivorous Animals
In ruminants, allicin increases weight gain and milk production. Adding 0.1% garlic powder to dairy cow feed raised milk yield by 11.22%, and it helps treat various diseases like rumen hernia and coccidiosis.
4. Future Prospects and Considerations
Allicin is a safe, natural antibiotic with no residues, no drug resistance, and no mutagenic or carcinogenic effects. However, it is unstable and may decompose under certain conditions, producing garlic-like odors. Iodized modified allicin shows better stability, but further research is needed. Overuse may cause digestive problems, so proper dosage and uniform mixing in feed are essential.