WO1995017103A1

WO1995017103A1 - The use of mannan-rich materials in feedstuffs

Info

Publication number: WO1995017103A1
Application number: PCT/GB1994/002802
Authority: WO
Inventors: Arpad Janos Pusztai; Frederick George Perry; Andrew John Morgan; Aart Jan Mul
Original assignee: Nutreco Nederland B.V.; Trouw Uk Limited
Priority date: 1993-12-23
Filing date: 1994-12-22
Publication date: 1995-06-29
Also published as: AU1908095A

Abstract

Mannan-rich materials such as palm kernel meal or derivatives thereof obtained by breaking down the polysaccharides therein into oligosaccharides are used to promote muscle weight gain, promote the effects of probiotics or to negate the anti-nutritional properties of lectins.

Description

The use of mannan-rich materials in feedstuffs

The present invention relates to the use of mannan-rich materials, and in certain aspects of the invention other oligosaccharide-rich products, in feed products for various purposes set out in more detail below.

The term "feed products" used herein embraces feeds or feed additives for non-human animals as well as foodstuffs or food additives for humans. The health of animals and of humans can be affected by their intestinal flora, ie. the micro-organisms which are present in their digestive systems. The health of human beings eating animal food may be affected by the intestinal flora of the animal eaten even when the animal itself has suffered no apparent harmful effects. The undesirable effects may result from a micro-organism which is always recognised as a pathogen eg. the cholera vibrio or from a specific strain or excessive amounts of micro-organism which is part of the normal intestinal flora eg. E. coli. In the case of poultry there is a considerable problem resulting from Salmonella infection, which can affect the health of poultry and of humans consuming poultry and eggs. In pigs there may be problems with E.coli infection, leading to early mortality among piglets. It has been proposed to supply bacteria to animals in order to promote the establishment of a non-pathogenic intestinal flora. The bacteria may be supplied to the animal in food or water or may be sprayed onto the animals. These bacterial materials are known as probiotics. WO 90/14675 refers to the concept of competitive exclusion to prevent Salmonella colonization of poultry. Harmless bacteria are introduced into the digestive tract of birds occupying sites in the digestive system which would otherwise be occupied by Salmonella. The specific technique which is the subject of WO 90/14675 involves injecting eggs with the bacteria. WO 90/09398 discloses the administration of metabolites derived from Lactobacillus bacteria to animals to inhibit the growth or survival of pathogenic bacteria in the digestive system. The metabolites may be produced in situ from Lactobacillus fed to the animal .

EP 0 279 619B discloses the use of probiotics for oral administration to animals to increase the capacity of a foodstuff to produce weight gain in animal. Known probiotics are said to be fermented cultures of live non-pathogenic bacteria. The animal feed supplement specifically disclosed in EP 2 279 618B is derived from killed bacteria. The product was mixed with a conventional poultry feed based on wheat, soya extract, full fat soya, and soya bean oil.

WO 91/00099 discloses the use of bacterial preparations derived from healthy adult birds to provide prophylaxis against Campylobacter infections .

WO 91/07181 discloses a method of selectively inhibiting the growth of Salmonella in poultry by feeding fructo- oligosaccharides (ie. oligosaccharides based on fructose units) to the poultry in order to promote the growth of non- pathogenic bacteria.

Palm kernel meal (PKM) is the residue left after the extraction of oil from palm kernels. It is available in considerable amounts in the tropics, where oil palms are cultivated.

There is a considerable amount of published academic research on the use of palm kernel meal in feeding animals, e.g. poultry. Much of this has been carried out in tropical countries such as Nigeria where palm kernel meal is produced as a by-product and where it is cheap and readily available. There is thus interest in using it as a cheap animal feed supplement. Onudikwe, Animal Feed Science & Technology 16(3) , 1986, ppl87-194 discloses that palm kernel meal can replace groundnut cake as a source of protein in poultry feed. There was no deleterious effect when relatively small amounts of palm kernel meal were added, but there was equally no suggestion that any marked advantages were obtained. The main benefit was a reduction in cost as the amount of groundnut cake replaced by palm kernel meal.

Work in Thailand has been carried out on feeding pigs on rice bran or palm kernel meal supplemented by amino acids

(Warasan Songkhla Nakkhrin 11,1) . Again, there is nothing to suggest that the addition of small quantities of palm kernel meal to a pig feed of the type normally used in temperate areas will have any remarkable effect. Fetuga et al, Niger. J. Anim. Prod. 1(2), 132-42 state that pigs fed on PKM grew at a slower rate than pigs on other diets. Work has also been carried out in Malaysia and Nigeria on feeding palm kernel meal to cattle.

Dusterhoft et al, J.Sci. Food Agric disclose that palm kernel meal contains polysaccharides with the major polysaccharides being linear mannans.

A mannan-based oligosaccharide is marketed by the firm of Alltech Inc under the trade name BIO-MOS as a feed additive. It is produced by Saccharomvces cerevisiae when fermenting a complex mixture of sugars. It is described as causing pathogens to clump together so as to reduce their tendency to bind to the wall of the intestine. It also promotes the growth of lactic-acid producing bacteria.

Although chickens, for example, usually carry Salmonella without any harmful effects to the chickens but the presence of Salmonella can adversely affect the economic value of the animal. Various methods have been proposed for preventing or reducing Salmonella infection, the economic effects on animal husbandry and on the incidence of infection of human beings is still unacceptably high.

There is therefore a need for increasing the effectiveness of probiotic agents.

Accordingly, the present invention provides in a first aspect a method of treating an animal to increase its economic value comprising feeding to the animal a derivative of a mannan-rich product and a probiotic. Included within this aspect of the present invention there is provided the use of a mannan-rich product or a derivative of such a product and optionally a probiotic in the manufacture of a consumable product for increasing the effect of a probiotic in the inhibition of infection of animals by pathogenic micro-organisms.

The preferred mannan-rich products are products of vegetable origin, ie. derived from the higher (vascular) plants. Mannan is a polysaccharide based on mannose units. It is found in high proportions in some plant products. It is not readily digestible by mono-gastric animals. The term "mannan" in the present specification is intended to include galactomannan and other materials which can be hydrolysed to mannose together with other sugars.

A preferred mannan-rich vegetable product is palm kernel meal, either in the substantially fat free form resulting from extraction of palm oil or in a fat-containing product known as expeller residue. Palm kernel meal is generally available in the form of 1 to 3 mm particles. It is not a digestible product and it is difficult to persuade animals to consume large quantities of the palm kernel meal. Palm kernel meal, after the oil has been extracted, is a low energy feed.

It is a well known product and is the residue remaining when the oil has been extracted from palm kernels. Sometimes the material is referred to as palm kernel cake. Oil palms have been widely established in many tropical areas from their origin in West Africa through Malaysia and Indonesia. The palm tree of commerce is Elaeis σuineensis also named Corozo eleifera. The fruit of the tree which is like a small plum is usually boiled or sterilized during processing to inactivate lipase and separate the nuts. The fleshy fruit with all its nuts pass into a continuous screw press which discharges an oil stream for settling and a solids stream consisting of fibres and nuts. These nuts are separated and cracked in a centrifugal cracker and the shell separated from the kernels. These palm kernels are ground into particulate form and are then processed by either a hydraulic press or solvent extraction to produce palm kernel oil (as distinct from palm oil) and a high protein cake for use as livestock feed. The cake has been prepared by compressing the extracted particles together into the form of a lump. It is, however, dry and gritty and not readily accepted by livestock and the solvent extracted meal with a lower oil content is unplatable and is therefore usually mixed in small amounts with more acceptable and palatable feeds such as molasses.

Guar meal, sometimes known as germ meal, is a well known product and is the residue remaining when guar gum has been extracted from guar seeds. Guar or cluster bean (Cvamopsis psoraloides or Cvamopsis tetraσonolobus) is a legume grown principally for the gum in the seed coat. It grows in sub¬ tropical areas such as India, Pakistan, Central America and the southern states of the USA.

Most of the guar crop is used for the production of guar gum, mannogalactan, which is widely used as a gelling agent in human and pet food production as well as the chemical industry. The gum is extracted by a process in which the whole seeds are autoclaved in a continuous flow system. They are then wet milled and the husks with the gum layer floated off. The residue of seed kernels is then centrifuged and dried. The guar gum meal recovered by this process represents about 75% of the original seed,

As explained above mannan-rich vegetable materials in the form in which they are available in commerce are not generally acceptable as feeds for animals, particularly non-ruminant animals. It is therefore desirable to process them in a way which will enable the benefits of using the mannan-rich material at relatively low dose rates.

It is preferred to process the mannan-rich materials so as to convert them from the polysaccharides to manno- oligosaccharides. This conversion may be carried out by treating mannan-containing material with selected enzymes which break it down to oligosaccharides without causing substantial further breakdown to mono and di-saccharides. Such enzymes, and the conditions for using them are known.

The derivative of the mannan-rich vegetable product may be fed to animals mixed with the normal animal feed for that animal or may be administered separately.

The quantity of the derivative of the mannan-rich plant material administered to an animal will depend on the extent to which the material has been processed to make oligo- saccharides contained in it more accessible to the animal. In the case of materials consisting predominantly of manno- oligosaccharides the quantity may be between 0.25% and 4% by weight, preferably 0.5% to 2% by weight, of the total feed fed to the animal. Probiotics are known materials and there is no need to discuss them extensively here. The probiotic may be a culture of live nonpathogenic bacteria selected so as to be capable of multiplying in the digestive system of the animal being fed with the derivative of the mannan-rich vegetable product. It may be a mixture of bacteria obtained from the digestive tracts of healthy individuals of the animal to be treated. Alternatively, it may comprise killed nonpathogenic microorganisms or products derived from such organisms.

A preferred class of probiotics comprises freeze dried nonpathogenic bacteria on a carrier. The bacteria may be Lactobacillus, and will generally be a specific strain which has been isolated from the species of animal being treated, i.e. host specific probiotics.

The probiotic may be introduced into, the animal's digestive system in a convenient way. Thus is may be supplied to the animal mixed with feed or drinking water, or may be sprayed onto the animals.

The animal treated in accordance with the present invention is preferably a non-ruminant. It may be a non- ruminant because it has not developed a functioning rumen, eg. a calf, or may be inherently a mono-gastric animal eg. poultry, pigs, rabbits.

The feed fed to the animal, apart from any probiotic or derivative of a mannan-rich vegetable product which may be fed to it may be a conventional feed for the animal. Poultry feed will normally contain wheat or other grain, a source of protein such as soya, and additives that are well known in the art to provide vitamins, trace elements, and amino acids. Pig feed will normally contain similar components to those mentioned above except that it will be richer in trace elements such as copper and zinc and amino acids such as lysine.

A second aspect of the invention relates to the use of mannan-rich products such as are described above in promoting muscle weight in proportion to other bodyweight, e.g. promoting muscle weight gain.

In rearing animals intended for food it is important to obtain a good gain in weight in response to the feed provided. However weight gain resulting from the accumulation of fat is less valuable than weight gain resulting from the building up of muscle. A reduction in the rate of weight gain, or even a reduction in weight, may be acceptable if the weight of muscle on the animal is increased or maintained.

There is no suggestion in the published literature that palm kernel meal fed in small amounts has any special beneficial effect. In countries which do not cultivate palms and thus do not have large quantities of palm kernel meal to dispose of, there is no incentive to complicate the production of aminal feeds by introducing an ingredient in amounts which are too small to give a significant difference in the cost of the feed.

Accordingly, in a second aspect, the present invention comprises the use of a mannan-rich product or a derivative thereof for promoting increase of muscle weight or in the manufacture of a consumable product for promoting increase of muscle weight. The product according to this aspect of the invention may be a feed supplement which comprises a mannan- rich product or a derivative thereof for promoting growth in muscle weight, e.g. of a non-human animal.

The animal may be a ruminant, but is preferably a non- 5 ruminant. The animal may be a non-ruminant because it is a member of a species which is inherently non-ruminant (mono- gastric) , or because it has not yet developed a functioning ruminant digestive system e.g. a calf. The animal may be a bird, for example a galliform such as a chicken, or it may be 10 a mammal, e.g. a mono-gastric mammal such as a rabbit, or pig.

The present invention is particularly applicable to feeding animals outside the tropics, i.e. north of the Tropic of Cancer and south of the Tropic of Capricorn. In other word it is particularly applicable to feeding animals in parts of

15. the world in which oil palms are not cultivated.

The feed with which the feed supplement is used may be any feed which is conventional for the animal being fed.

It is sometimes the practice to feed animals with special diets at certain stages in their development. These diets may

20 be relatively low in energy and may normally lead to loss of muscle weight. Thus, it is sometimes the practice to feed poultry what is known as a withdrawal diet for a period before slaughter. This withdrawal diet is intended to ensure that the animal is free from residues of medicinal or other animal 5 health promoting materials present in the normal feed. The present invention is particularly suitable for use with animals on a withdrawal feed.

The mannan-rich products and derivatives used according to this second aspect of the invention may be as described 0 above in relation to the first aspect.

According to a third aspect of the invention use is made of mannan-rich products or other oligosaccharide or a derivative thereof to reduce the anti-nutritional effects of lectins. 5 Within this aspect of the invention is included an animal feed containing first and second feed components, the first feed component containing at least one lectin having an anti- nutritional effect in the absence of the second component. The second component containing an oligosaccharide or a derivative thereof which corresponds to a sugar which binds with the lectin to reduce harmful effects resulting from the first component.

There is further included the use of an oligosaccharide- rich product or a derivative thereof in an animal feed to increase the proportion of feed components containing lectins which bind to sugars corresponding to the oligosaccharides and which otherwise have a deleterious effect on the growth of the animal.

This aspect of the invention also includes a method of feeding an animal which comprises feeding it with a oligosaccharide material or a derivative thereof and a feed component containing lectins in an amount sufficient to have an antinutritional effect in the absence of the oligosaccharide-rich material or derivative thereof.

The animal may be a ruminant, but is preferably a non- ruminant. The animal may be a non-ruminant because it is a member of a species which is inherently non-ruminant (mono- gastric) , or because it has not yet developed a functioning ruminant digestive system e.g. a calf. Alternatively, the animal may be a bird, for example a galliform such as a chicken, or it may be a mammal, e.g. a monogastric mammal such as a rabbit, or pig.

The feed with which the first and second feed components are used may be any feed which is conventional for the animal being fed. The anti-nutritional effects of certain feed components are believed to be due to the presence of materials known as lectins. Lectins are commercially available from specialist suppliers as reagents for binding with various sugars. The strength of the binding between a lectin and a sugar will depend on the nature of the lectin and the sugar. The first feed component may for example be a legume or a mixture of legumes, e.g. peas or beans. Lentils may be used as the first feed component. Alternatively, the first feed may be the peanut, the castor bean or soya bean, for example soya bean meal.

The maximum quantity of the first feed component which would be used if an appropriate oligosaccharide were not present may for example be 10 to 15%.

The present invention is particularly applicable to feeds containing from 20 to 45% by weight (dry) , preferably 30 to 40, of peas or beans.

The nature of the second component will depend on the first component, and more particularly on the. nature of the lectin present in the first feed component. Where the first fed component is a legume such as the common pea then the lectins are preferentially bound by alpha- mannose and the second feed component is preferably a product which is rich in the corresponding oligosaccharide (mannan) i.e. a mannan-rich product. Suitable mannan-rich products and derivatives for use in this aspect of the invention are as described above in connection with the first and second aspects.

The invention will now be described with reference to the following experiments in which comparative tests are identified by letter, and examples of the invention are identified by number.

Exemplification of the first aspect of the invention General The experiments detailed in Comparative Tests A - I and Example 1 were carried out starting with day old chicks from two hatching flocks. Chicks were obtained from each flock on two occasions. For each of the four flocks there were 10 groups of six birds. On the day of arrival from the hatchery the birds in one of each of a pair of groups were sprayed with the commercial probiotic "Aviguard" marketed by Life Care Products Limited. This is the spray dried caecal contents of selected hens. One sachet of the product was mixed with 2.5 litres of water as recommended by the manufacturers, and each bird was sprayed with 0.5 ml. Twenty-four hours later all birds were dosed orally with ^'104 Salmonella serotype Enteriditis PT4 organisms. The birds were all fed with the same basic feed to which various materials were added, except for two groups used as controls.

The birds were killed humanely seven days later and the caecal contents cultured for Salmonella using brilliant green agar supplemented with nalixidic acid as the plating medium. The growth was scored on a scale of 0-4 after overnight incubation at 37'C.

The scoring system was as follows 0 means < 25 Salmonella per gram

1 means 100 to 1000 Salmonella per gram

2 means 10000 to 100000 Salmonella per gram

3 means 1000000 to 10000000 Salmonella per gram

4 means 100000000 or more Salmonella per gram. The experiments detailed in Comparative Tests J - L and Example 2 were carried out on newly born black and white male calves, averaging 46.5 kg in weight.

The calves were fed the same feed composition as detailed in Table 2. In addition to this feed, the calves were given a composition as detailed in the Examples below.

The body weight gain and growth rate of the calves were monitored at regular intervals.

The results given are expressed as means. The statistical analyses were performed using the General Linear Model (GLM) procedure of the Statistical Analyses Systems Institutes.

The experiments carried out on Comparative Tests M, N and

P and Example 3 were carried out on a group of rats fed on a control diet based on lactalalbumin (LA) as described by Grant et al, The Journal of Food Science and Agriculture 3_7, 1001-

1010 1986. The diet contained 10% of dietary protein and was fed at the rate of 6 g/day for 6 days . After this time the rats were killed by ether anaesthesia and the colilforms (E. coli) in their small intestine counted.

Comparative Tests A and B

These are experiments without additives to the standard feed, without (A) and with (B) "Aviguard" treatment.

Comparative Tests G and D These tests were carried out using feed supplemented with fructo-oligosaccharide (FOS) (0.75% w/w) without (G) and with (D) "Aviguard" treatment. The FOS feed was obtained from R Begin Meiji.

Comparative Tests E and F

The tests were carried out using feeds supplemented with galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) (1.5% without (£) and with (F) "Aviguard" treatment.

Comparative Tests G and. H

The tests were carried out using feeds supplemented with an enzyme preparation (0.1%) without (H) and with (I) "Aviguard" treatment. The enzyme was one which is capable of breaking down polysaccharides to give oligosaccharides.

Comparative Test I and Example 1

The experiments were carried out using manno- oligosaccharide (MOS) without (Test I) and with (Example 1) "Aviguard" treatment. The MOS was prepared by as follows. Guar gum galactomannan was incubated with beta-mannanase and alpha- galactosidase (Novo Nordisk) . The reaction was followed by high performance gel permeation chromatography. The hydrolysate produced consisted largely (about 91%) of oligosaccharides and low molecular weight polymers up to about 30 degrees of polymersiation with a content of about 9% monosaccharide.

The results are shown in Table 1.

Table 1 shows that manno-oligosaccharide did not give a markedly low Salmonella growth score when fed alone, the best (ie. lowest) results were obtained using the combination of probiotic and mann-oligosaccharides.

Comparative Test J This test was carried out using only the feed as detailed in Table 2. No additive or probiotic was added to the feed.

Comparative Test K

This test was carried out using the feed as detailed in Table 2 supplemented with fructo-oligosaccharide (FOS) (1.5% w/w) .

Comparative Test L

This test was carried out using the feed as detailed in Table 2 supplemented with the probiotic Chen Lactobacillus (bovine HSP) (0.01% W/W).

Example 2

This test was carried out using the feed as detailed in Table 2 supplemented with fructo-oligosaccharide (FOS) (0.75% w/w) and the probiotic Chen Lactobacillus (bovine HSP) (0.01% w/w) .

The results are shown in Tables 3 and 4. These results show that the combination of additive and probiotic give better results.

Comparative Test M

This test was carried out on two rats fed on a feed based on Lactalbumin (LA) as detailed above. The E.coli level was 10³ E.coli/g wet weight. Comparative Test N

This test was carried out as in Comparative Test M with 600 mg per day of palm kernel meal (probiotic) added to the diet. The E.coli level was 10³ E.coli/g wet weight.

Comparative Test P

This test was carried out on seven rats fed on a feed based on lactalbumin (LA) as detailed above, for a period of 3 days. The feed was supplemented with kidney bean lectin (30 mg/rat/day) which is known to stimulate E.coli in the small intestine, The E.coli level was 2.9 x 10⁷ E.coli/g wet weight.

Example 3

This test was carried out as in Comparative Test P with 600 mg/rat/day of palm kernel meal. The E.coli level was 5.7 x 10⁵ E.coli/g net weight.

These results show that the addition of palm kernel meal can significantly reduce the E.coli in the small intestine.

TABLE 1

Experiment Average Growth Score (max 4)

A (no additive - no probiotic) 3.29

B (no additive - probiotic) 2.63

C (FOS - no probiotic) 2.58

D (FOS - probiotic) 2.88

E (GOS - no probiotic) 3.12

F (GOS - probiotic) 2.79

G (enzyme - no probiotic) 3.75

H (enzyme - probiotic) 2.92

I (MOS - no probiotic) 3.33

1 (MOS - probiotic) 1.92 TABLE 2

FEED COMPOSITION^"

Parts by Weiσht

Skimmed Milk Powder 500

Whey Sweet 283

Nutralys G06B 35

Premix 13

Tallow 36.9 Lard 20

Fish/Coconut 98

Emulbesto SO 9

Berol 696 5

BHT 0.1 TOTAL 1000

TABLE 3

Experiment Feed Live Weight (kg)

Week 10 14 18 22 Live Wght.

71.7 103.7 144.0 182.7 225.1 252.8

70.8 102.5 143.5 182.9 224.7 254.6

74.2 107.7 146.5 182.2 220.5 251.2

73.4 107.3 147.0 184.8 227.5 258.9

TABLE 4

Experiment Feed Growth Rate (kg) over period 1-3 3-6 1-6 6-10

J No additive - no probiotic 5.8 19.4 25.1 32

K FOS - no probiotic 5.8 18.5 23.5 31.7

L Probiotic 6.8 20.9 27.7 33.5

2 FOS ' probiotic 6.1 21.4 27.6 33.9

The following examples illustrate the second aspect of the invention.

Comparative Test A-2

A group of four rats were fed a control diet based on lactalalbumin (LA as described by Grant et al, 1986, The Journal of Food Science and Agriculture 1_, 1001-1010) The diet contained 10% of dietary protein and was fed at the rate of 6g/day for six days. After this time the rats were killed by ether anaesthesia and the weights of the hind lege gastrocnemius muscle determined. The mean value of the wet weight of the gastrocnemius muscle (mg) per lOOg wet body weight was 780.49.

Comparative Test B-2

An experiment was carried out as in Comparative Test A-2 but with 600mg per day of cellulose added to the diet.

The mean value of the wet weight of the gastrocnemius muscle (mg) per lOOg wet body weight was 755.70.

Example 1 An experiment was carried out as in Test A-2 but with 600mg per day of material derived from palm kernel meal added to the diet. The material added was obtained by grinding commercially available palm kernel meal.

The mean value of the wet weight of the gastrocnemius muscle (m) per lOOg wet body weight was 848.92. A comparison of the results for Test A-2 and B-2 shows that incorporating additional material cellulose into the feed does not necessarily increase muscle weight. However, a comparison of the results for Example 1-2 with those for Test A-2 show the significant increase in muscle weight obtained by the use of the invention.

Comparative Tests C-2, D-2 and Example 2-2

The body weights (fresh and empty) of the rats treated as detailed in Comparative Tests A-2 and B-2 and Example 1- 2 for a period of 6 and 10 days, were measured. The results are shown in Table 1-2.

It can be seen that the PKM treatment significantly increased the weight gain of the rats .

Example 3-2

This test was carried out on a sample of 4 rats as detailed in Comparative Test A-2. Various concentrations of finely ground palm kernel meal were added to the feed. The weights of the hind leg gastrocnemius muscle were determined. The results are given in Table 1-2.

In can be seen that the improvement in muscle weight is dose dependent, The inclusion of typically 10% of PKM in a diet will provide significant growth promotion. TABLE 1-2

FBW - Final Fresh Body Weight

EBW - Empty Body Weight (FBW-gut contents)

TABLE 2-2

* Pooled Standard Deviation

+ Castrocnemius wet weight/lOOg empty body weight

++ Castrocnemius dry weight/lOOg dry body weight The following Examples illustrate the third aspect of the invention.

Comparative Test A-3 5 A group of seven rats were fed a control diet based on lactalbumin (LA) as described by Grant et al, 1986, The

Journal of Food Science and Agriculture 3_7, 1001-1010. The diet contained 10% of dietary protein and was fed at the rate of 6g/day for three days. 10 The kidney bean lectin PHA was then introduced into the rats by intragastric intubation at the rate of 35mg

PHA/rat/day, divided into two doses (morning and evening) for three days .

After this time the rats were killed by ether 15 anaesthesia and the weights of the hind leg gastrocnemius muscle determined.

The weight (mg) per lOOg wet body weight were: mean

473.00 and median 550.0.

20 Comparative Test B-3

An experiment was carried out as in Comparative Test A-3 but with the addition of PHA replaced by introduction of normal saline.

The wet weights (ing) per lOOmg wet body weight were 25 mean 631.0 median 671.0.

A comparison between Test A-3 and B-3 shows the reduction in muscle weight which takes place when lectins are introduced into the rats' digestive system.

30 Comparative Test C-3

A group of 24 piglets were fed control diet as detailed in Table 1-3 for 33 days. All animals were fed ad libitum during the period on the diet. The feed consumption and piglet weights were recorded weekly. ^'35 Results are given in Tables 1-2 and 1-3 respectively. Comparative Test D-3

The procedure of Comparative Test C-3 was repeated using a feed containing 7% palm kernels and barley plus tapioca, as detailed in Table 4-3. Results taken over a 33 day period are given in Tables 5-3 and 6-3 respectively.

Example 1-3

An experiment was carried out as in Test A-3 but with

600mg of material derived from palm kernel meal added to the diet. The material added was obtained by grinding commercially available palm kernel meal.

The weights mg per 10Og wet body weight were mean

549.0 median 607.0-A comparison between the results for

Example 1-3 and Comparative Tests A-3 and B-3 shows the effect of the additive of the invention in reducing the harmful effect of kidney bean lectin on the muscle weight of animals.

Example 2-3 The procedure of Comparative Example C-3 was repeated using a feed containing 8% palm kernels instead of rapeseed, as detailed in Table 1-3. Results obtained over 33 days are given in Tables 2-3 and 3-3 respectively.

Example 3-3

The procedure of Comparative Example D-3 was repeated using a feed containing 7% palm kernels and 35% peas as detailed in Table 4. Results obtained over 33 days are given in Tables 5-3 and 6-3 respectively. TABLE 1-7

FEED COMPOSITION

TABLE 2 - 3

AVERAGE BODYWEIGHT

Time Average Bodyweight (kg±s)

Comparative Test C-3 Example 2-3

0 6.8 ± 0.6 6.8 ± 0.6 7 7.7 ± 0.7 7.8 ± 0.7 14 10.5 ± 1.1 11.1 ± 1.0 21 13.7 ± 1.6 15.1 ± 1.7 28 17.0 ± 2.0 19.5 ± 2.1 33 20.8 ± 2.3 23.3 ± 2.3

TABLE 3-3

LIVE WEIGHT GAIN

TABLE 4 - 3

FEED COMPOSITION

Component Composition (%)

Comparative Test D Example 3

Wheat - 12.5

Barley 21.41 Tapioca 3

Soyabean material 48% 31 25

Peas - 35

Wheat middlings 16 0.78 Fishmeal 2.5 2.1

While Palm

Kernels 7 7

Limestone 0.2 0.3

Monocalcium phosphate 1.0 1.1

Calcium chloride 1.0 1.0

Sodium bicarbonate 0.6 0.6 Synth lysine 0.42 0.16

Synth methionine 0.24 0.28

Synth threonine 0.5

Premix min

+ vit 0.58 0.58 Palm kernel oil 15 13.6 TABLE 5 - 3

AVERAGE BODYWEIGHT

Time (days! Weight gain (g/day)

Comparative Test D-3 Example 3-3

0 6.2 ± 0.7 6.4 ± 0.7 7 7.6 ± 1.1 7.6 ± 1.1 14 10.6 ± 1.8 10.1 ± 1.8 21 14.3 ± 2.5 13.8 ± 2.5 28 18.8 ± 3.0 18.5 ± 3.0 35 24.7 ± 3.7 24.6 ± 3.7

TABLE 6-7

LIVE WEIGHT GAIN

Claims

1. The use of a mannan-rich product or derivative thereof or of manno-oligosaccharide in the manufacture of a consumable product for promoting muscle weight, or counteracting the anti-nutritional effects of lectins contained in one or more other feed components, or increasing the effect of a probiotic in inhibiting infection by pathogenic micro-organisms.

2. A use as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mannan-rich product or derivative thereof or manno-oligosaccharide is used in the manufacture of a feed product for increasing the effect of a probiotic in inhibiting infection by pathogenic micro- organisms and said feed product comprises freeze dried non¬ pathogenic bacteria on a carrier.

3. A use as claimed in claim 2, wherein said bacteria comprise Lactobacillus .

4. The use of a mannan-rich product or a derivative thereof or manno-oligosaccharide in promoting the effectiveness of a probiotic.

5. A use as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mannan-rich product or derivative thereof or manno-oligosaccharide is used in the manufacture of a feed product for counteracting anti- nutritional effects of lectins, and wherein the feed product further comprises at least one lectin-containing constituent.

6. A use as claimed in claim 5, wherein the lectin containing constitutent comprises one or more legumes, ground nut (peanut) , castor bean or soya bean.

7. A use as claimed in claim 5, wherein the feed product comprises from 20 to 45% dry weight of peas or beans.

8. The use of a mannan-rich product or a derivative thereof or manno-oligosaccharide in promoting muscle weight.

9. A use as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the I mannan-rich product is palm kernel ^'meal or guar meal.

10. A use as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the mannan-rich product is ground to a particle size of not more than 1000 μm.

11. A use as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein a derivative of a mannan-rich material is used which is produced by the enzymatic breakdown of polysaccharides in said material to produce oligosaccharides.

12. The use of an oligosaccharide in counteracting anti- nutritional effects of lectins.