Chitosan as an Innovative Feed Additive – Enhancing Performance in Livestock, Demonstrated in a Rabbit Model

Chitosan in Animal Nutrition – A Growing Research Field

Chitosan, a bioactive polysaccharide derived from crustacean shells, is gaining increasing attention in animal nutrition research. Its natural properties – antimicrobial, immunomodulatory, and digestive-enhancing – make it a promising candidate for use as a feed additive in livestock production. Studies suggest that it can improve both performance parameters and feed utilization efficiency. A recent study explored the effects of chitosan in a rabbit fattening model, with promising results that may also be applicable to other animal species.

The Study – Chitosan in Rabbit Fattening

In a 56-day feeding trial, 80 male New Zealand White rabbits were supplemented with chitosan in their diet. The animals were assigned to one of three groups: 0 g/kg (control), 0.2 g/kg, or 0.4 g/kg chitosan.

Key findings:

• Significantly higher daily weight gain in both chitosan-treated groups
• Improved feed conversion ratio (FCR), especially in the 0.4 g/kg group
• Increased digestibility of protein, fat, and energy
• Higher net economic return per animal, despite the cost of supplementation

These results highlight chitosan’s ability to enhance feed utilization and growth performance in animals with high production potential.

Transferability to Other Livestock Species

Although this study was conducted in rabbits, additional publications underscore chitosan's relevance for other livestock species:

• Poultry: Improved immune response and reduced mortality in broilers (Zhou et al., 2009)
• Pigs: Enhanced nutrient absorption and reduced incidence of diarrhea in weaned piglets (Xia et al., 2020)
• Fish: Improved gut health and growth in aquaculture species (Hossain et al., 2021)

The positive effects of chitosan appear to be consistent across species but depend on factors such as the feeding system, animal age, feed composition, and particularly the type and quality of chitosan used.

Key Considerations: Chitosan Properties

The effectiveness of chitosan supplementation is closely tied to its specific characteristics:

In the featured study, a chitosan with 89% degree of deacetylation and medium molecular weight was used

Conclusion
Chitosan offers exciting potential as a functional feed additive to improve animal performance and production efficiency. The rabbit study serves as a strong model demonstrating these effects – and provides a basis for further application in other species, especially under comparable physiological and digestive conditions.

Sources
Mohamed, R. A., Elmahdy, M. E., & Abdelrahman, M. M. (2023). Effect of dietary chitosan supplementation on growth performance and economic efficiency in rabbits. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 226, 632–640.
Zhou, T. X., Chen, Y. J., Yoo, J. S., Huang, Y., Lee, J. H., Jang, H. D., ... & Kim, I. H. (2009). Effects of chitooligosaccharide supplementation on the growth performance, nutrient digestibility, intestinal microbiota, and immune response of broiler chickens. Poultry Science, 88(3), 593–600.
Xia, W., Wang, Q., Xu, Y., & Chen, Y. (2020). Chitosan and its derivatives as feed additives in pigs: A review. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 144, 1–9.
Hossain, M. S., Hossain, M. S., & Koshio, S. (2021). Dietary chitosan improves growth, immunity and gut morphology in aquaculture species: A review. Aquaculture Nutrition, 27(1), 40–53.