UNAIR NEWS – In poultry medical field, antibiotics can basically be given with four purposes. They can be for therapeutic, metaphylaxis (control), prophylaxis (prevention), and Antibiotic Growth Promoter or AGP (feed supplement antibiotics, ed). AGP is given to poultry with sub-therapeutic doses or below the normal dose for therapy. Because the AGP target bacteria on the surface of the digestive tract, so that sub-therapeutic doses are expected to avoid distribution far into the organ and leave no residue on meat and eggs after being harvested.
This phenomenon inspired Faculty of Vocational Studies students in Veterinary Paramedics D3 Program Universitas Airlangga to conduct a study about it. They are Nabila Hanina Hibatul Haqq (class 2018), Fatihah Istafaro Maulidiya (class 2018), and Galuh Hesti Dwi Indrawati (class 2017). Their collaborations created natural probiotics using lactobacillus casei and plantarum with a mix of purple sweet potato, dates, tempeh, and powder plantarum to repair the digestive system of poultry animals.
Regarding the result of the study, Nabila as the team leader explained that their ideas were outlined in the proposal of Exacta Student Creativity Program (PKM-PE) entitled “Probiotic Innovation of Lactobacillus Casei and Plantarum as Broiler Chicken Growth Promoting Antibiotics”. Under the supervision of Dr. Herinda Pertiwi, drh., M.Si., the proposal qualified for DIKTI selection, so it was entitled to research grants from Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education in 2018-2019.
“Probiotics are certain microorganisms in the body of animal that guarantee an effective formation of beneficial organisms in the host’s body (animals), especially the digestive system because they are able to improve the balance of the intestinal microflora,” she explained.
Furthermore, Nabila also said that probiotics contain beneficial bacteria that are put into digestion to dominate the bacteria that lower the pathogens. Probiotics may contain one or several types of microorganisms that are similar (strain), in shapes of powder, tablets, solid round shape (granules), and like a mixture of some soft ingredients (pasta).
“In our study, the aim of giving probiotics in broiler chickens is to improve the condition of the digestive tract by suppressing the formation of toxins and material metabolites that can cause cancer (carcinogenic), stimulate the reaction of enzymes that can neutralize toxic compounds that are ingested or produced by the digestive tract, stimulate enzyme products needed to digest food and produce vitamins and substances that are not fulfilled in feed,” she said.
In the end, Nabila said that the trial was given to broiler chickens for each treatment and showed significant results in the administration of probiotics in tempeh media because tempeh is a food made from fermented molds of Rhizopus oligosporus or Rhizopus oryzae on soybean seeds that have been boiled.
“The results of this study have proven that Lactobacillus Plantarum and Lactobacillus Casei in tempeh and sweet potato can improve broiler chicken productivity so that it has the potential to replace the role of AGP, in order to chicken meat that is safe, healthy, whole and halal (ASUH), without risk of antibiotic resistance to consumers, ” she concluded.
Author: Nabila Hanina Hibatul Haqqi
Editor: Nuri Hermawan
