Supplementation of agro-industrial by-products in animal feed towards well-fare and sustainability: case study of sugarcane bagasse lignin

Animal feed is a crucial factor in the health and well-being of livestock animals. Nutritional strengthening through diet is essential for animal performance and welfare, especially with the limitation of antibiotic use in livestock animals’ diets. Searching for valuable feed additives among by-products is a way to promote a circular economy while maintaining functional diets. Many agro-industrial by-products are sources of bioactive compounds that can be extracted and used in feed fortification, modulating the gut microbiota to promote the host´s health. Sugarcane bagasse (SCB) is an undervalued residue, containing several interesting bioactive compounds, such as lignin, that can be extracted and used on animal feed.
A case study was performed to evaluate if SCB lignin could be used as a functional ingredient in chicken feed, assessing possible effects on the animal´s cecum microbiota, and performance. A total of 108 chicks were separated into 2 groups, fed either a basal diet (BD) or a basal diet supplemented with 1% SCB lignin (BD + SCB lignin), both in mash form. Bird performances, bacterial cecum microbiota, and cecum volatile fatty acids were evaluated.
In this study, SCB lignin increased cecum acetate and butyrate and reduced cecum Enterobacteriaceae, results that can be seen as positive health-indicating markers. There was no impact on animal performance.
These results show that lignin has a beneficial impact when supplemented to mash feed diets while coping with sustainable practices, proving the potential for by-products to present themselves as eco-friendly alternatives to feed additive supplementation.