Artificial gut and the applications in poultry: A review

Nishchal K Sharma; Shu-Biao Wu; Natalie K Morgan; Tamsyn M Crowley

doi:10.1016/j.aninu.2021.12.010

Artificial gut and the applications in poultry: A review

Anim Nutr. 2022 Mar 26:10:156-166. doi: 10.1016/j.aninu.2021.12.010. eCollection 2022 Sep.

Authors

Nishchal K Sharma¹, Shu-Biao Wu¹, Natalie K Morgan¹, Tamsyn M Crowley^{2

3}

Affiliations

¹ School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, 2351, Australia.
² Poultry Hub Australia, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, 2351, Australia.
³ IMPACT, School of Medicine, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, 3217, Australia.

Abstract

Artificial gut models including both the gastric and intestinal phases have been used in poultry research for decades to predict the digestibility of nutrients, the efficacy of feed enzymes and additives, and caecal fermentation. However, the models used in the past are static and cannot be used to predict interactions between the feed, gut environment and microbiome. It is imperative that a standard artificial gut model for poultry is established, to enable these interactions to be examined without continual reliance on animals. To ensure the validity of an artificial model, it should be validated with in vivo studies. This review describes current practices in the use of artificial guts in research, their importance in poultry nutrition studies and highlights an opportunity to develop a dynamic gut model for poultry to reduce the number of in vivo experiments.

Keywords: Artificial gut; Gastrointestinal tract; In vitro experiment; Poultry; Simulated gut.

Publication types

Review