Use of a citrus by-product in broilers diets

The European Union is about to ban antibiotics as growth promoters in animal feeds. Organic products have been recently revalued and the animal science research showed a great interest in the study of alternative natural nutraceutical products in animal feeding. Flavonoids are plant pigments able to inhibit or kill many bacterial strains, to destroy some pathogenic protozoa and to scavenge free radicals. Yet, their toxicity to animal cells is low. Citrus by-products are rich in Esperidin, Eriocitrin and Narirutin, flavanones with immune modulating properties. A great problem in poultry feeding is the control of animal infections as coccidiosis, which could be faced by natural products other than drugs. Aim of this preliminary study was to test one of the most important classes of natural compounds as flavonoids, pigments with auxinic and antiparasitic properties contained in fruits and vegetables