Feri Eko Hermanto, Yuli Frita Nuningtyas, Nazri Nayan, Rizky Nurdiansyah, Filoza Marwi, Muhammad Halim Natsir
Rising restrictions on antibiotic growth promoters require alternatives. Phytobiotics such as Andrographis paniculata and Moringa oleifera have shown potential, though their efficacy is often constrained by the instability of bioactive compounds during digestion and a limited understanding of their impact on the gut microbiota. To address this issue, this study evaluated a 1:1 (w/w) A. paniculata–M. oleifera phytobiotic formulated as nano-liquid in broilers. Three hundred one-day-old Lohmann–Japfa Platinum MB202 chicks (43.49 ± 3.20 g/bird) were fed for 35 d with a basal diet (control), 0.8% Sulfamix (sulfadimethylpyrimidine), or 0.8% phytobiotic delivered as liquid, nano-liquid, mash or encapsulated forms. Growth performance, income-over-feed cost (IOFC) and the ileal microbiota (full-length 16S rRNA sequencing) were assessed. Feed intake, final body weight, FCR, IOFC and performance index did not differ statistically among the treatments (p = 0.385, 0.526, 0.357, 0.266 and 0.428, respectively), yet nano-liquid birds showed the best numerical outcomes (final BW 2154.99 g; FCR 1.58; IOFC 0.387 USD/bird). Microbiota remained Firmicutes/Bacillota-dominant (~98%), with more Lactobacillus spp. in the nano-liquid group, whereas Sulfamix increased Campylobacterota (~51%), indicating that the nano-liquid phytobiotic can maintain performance comparable to that of an antibiotic reference while supporting a favourable ileal microbiota. We conclude that nano-emulsified phytobiotics may enhance growth via beneficial gut microbiota modulation. © 2026 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
Department of Intelligent Livestock Industry, Faculty of Animal Science, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia; Brawijaya Innovation Center for Genomics (BRAVOGEN), Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia; Department of Animal Nutrition and Feed, Faculty of Animal Science, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia; Laboratory of Sustainable Animal Production and Biodiversity, Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Food Security, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia; Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia; Centre for Microbiome Research, School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Translational Research Institute, Woolloongabba, QLD, Australia; Department of Animal Production, Faculty of Animal Science, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia
