The UGM student team investigated the nanoemulsion of tapak liman leaf extract (Elephantopus scaber L.) as a safe alternative to Antibiotic Growth Promoters (AGP) in broiler production.
The government has banned the use of AGP because it has negative impacts, such as antibiotic resistance.
“Because of this prohibition, many breeders have experienced a decline in livestock productivity from 90% to 40%. Based on this urgency, we are looking for alternative feed additives from natural ingredients that have almost the same mechanism of active substances,” said Nuril Qolbi Safitri, a student of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine.
The research, which is part of the Student Creativity Program, was carried out by five students. They were Nuril, Joe Fathi Raftami, Annisa Amallia Zahra from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Sanubari Indah Puteri Rahmani from the Faculty of Pharmacy, and Nisrina Firdha Nabila from the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, under the supervision of lecturer Anggi Muhtar Pratama.
Nuril explained AGP is a feed additive often given to broiler chickens to eliminate bacteria that harm the digestive tract. However, the use of AGP can cause many losses because it triggers the emergence of microbial resistance to various types of antibiotics.
Antibiotic resistance is a condition where bacteria in the body cannot be killed using antibiotics. Therefore, it can threaten the ability of the body to fight infectious diseases.
Research on AGP replacement used tapak liman leaves because they contain flavonoid and saponin, active ingredients that have anti-bacterial properties.
Nanoemulsions were manufactured by extracting the tapak liman leaves, and then the extract was mixed with other ingredients to make emulsion preparations. This emulsion preparation is processed until it becomes homogeneous and produces nano-sized particles. The already formed nanoemulsion is then mixed in drinking broiler chicken.
Sanubari added that the team also tested the particle size and stability of the nanoemulsion. The measurement results showed good stability of the nanoemulsion. After being tested with a Particle Size Analyzer, the average nanoparticle size was 95.8 nm which met the requirements for nanoemulsion dosage sizes in 20-200 nm.
“The small size of the nanoemulsion is used to increase the absorption of the active substance in the target cell, namely chicken intestine, so hopefully the active substance will be more easily absorbed,” he explained.
From the measurement of FCR, mortality, and Performance Index, the group found that giving the tapak liman nanoemulsion had good results because it showed a relatively small FCR value. The smaller FCR value proves that the nanoemulsion can optimize feed efficiency.
The mortality percentage itself shows the number 0%, and based on the Performance Index measurement, the best results are obtained when compared to other groups.
