The demand for food derived from agriculture and livestock continues to rise with the growing population, compounded by the government’s initiative to promote nutritious free meals and milk consumption. To meet this demand, the livestock industry requires antibiotic-free and healthy animal products, as well as environmentally friendly farming practices that adhere to animal welfare standards.
These challenges have prompted researchers from both academia and industry to investigate healthier animal products, including the development of phytobiotics.
Derived from secondary plant metabolites, phytobiotics offer a range of health benefits and can be utilized as medicines, insecticides, herbicides, and feed additives.
The ban on antibiotic use in livestock has further accelerated the adoption of phytobiotics as a viable substitute.
“Antibiotics contribute to drug resistance in livestock. Phytobiotics can serve as antibiotic growth promoters replacers,” said Dr. Chusnul Hanim, a lecturer at the Faculty of Animal Science, Universitas Gadjah Mada (Animal Science UGM), in her professorial inauguration speech held at the UGM Senate Hall on Tuesday, Jun. 10, 2025.
In her inaugural speech titled “Phytobiotics and Their Application in Future Livestock: Productivity, Product Quality, and Methane Emission”, Professor Hanim explained that phytobiotics can be added to animal feed, commonly in laying hens, where they enhance the yolk color intensity.
In broiler chickens, reducing the protein content of the feed by 2% and supplementing it with a functional herbal premix containing phytobiotics has been shown to deliver comparable performance to that of chickens fed standard commercial feed.
“The herbal premix containing phytobiotics acts as an antioxidant, even when the feed has a lower protein content,” she explained.
From an animal welfare perspective, this treatment reduces oxidative stress in poultry by increasing antioxidant enzyme activity.
Environmentally, the combination of low-protein feed and herbal premix reduces the pH and ammonia levels in litter, thereby lowering ammonia emissions inside the poultry house, emissions that can affect both poultry and human health.
The livestock industry is also confronted with environmental concerns, such as its contribution to the carbon footprint, a critical factor in global warming.
The carbon footprint refers to the total emissions of greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂O).
To address this issue, enhancing rumen fermentation through targeted feeding strategies and anti-methanogenic additives is crucial for reducing methane emissions from ruminants.
“This methane-reducing potential in ruminants is also found in phytobiotics,” Professor Hanim emphasized.
According to her, the development of phytobiotic feed additives provides multiple benefits for both ruminant and non-ruminant livestock farming.
Chair of the UGM Board of Professors, Professor Baiquni, noted that Professor Hanim is one of UGM’s professors in the field of Animal Nutrition Biochemistry.
She is among the 532 active professors at UGM and one of 26 active professors out of the 52 professors that Animal Science UGM has had throughout its history.
Author: Bolivia Rahmawati
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Lintang Andwyna
Photographer: Firsto Adi