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Butyric acid has received great attention as a feed additive to maintain or increase the gut integrity and health of broiler chickens. Particularly, the protection of butyrate is under research to allow slow intestinal release of butyric acid and to promote its beneficial effects throughout the intestine. This study evaluated in vivo the intestinal release of butyric acid from sodium butyrate protected by salts of medium-chain fatty acid in broilers. Brilliant blue was used as an inert marker, so it was included in the feed additive that broilers ingested for two days. The gastrointestinal tract was then colored in blue from jejunum and backward. Considering the digesta color of the broilers non-supplemented as blank, it allowed quantification of the amount of brilliant blue, and consequently, butyric acid delivered in the intestine from the protected feed additive. Few traces of butyric acid were released in the duodenum and proximal jejunum, whereas the major amount (45.9%) was delivered in the distal ileum (p < 0.001). These results suggest that this in vivo approach allows for evaluation of the intestinal delivery of butyric acid supplemented as protected sodium butyrate by medium-chain fatty acids, showing a gradual intestinal release of butyric acid in broiler chickens.

Nutritional strategies to improve gut health of broilers are under research. This study investigated the effect of dietary supplementation with sodium butyrate protected by sodium salts of medium-chain fatty acids as a feed additive on broiler gut health. The first experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of supplementing at 0.5, 1, and 2 kg/t in broilers housed under optimal conditions. Supplementation at 0.5 and 1 kg/t maintained goblet cell counts at 10 days of age (p ≤ 0.05), and supplementation at 1 kg/t decreased intraepithelial lymphocyte counts compared to 2 kg/t at 39 days (p ≤ 0.10). Abdominal fat pad levels of lauric and myristic acids were gradually increased by supplement dose (p ≤ 0.05). In the second experiment, the feed additive at 1 kg/t was evaluated in coccidiosis-challenged broilers. Experimental treatments were as follows: non-challenged, control-challenged, and supplemented-challenged treatments. Coccidiosis negatively impact performance and modify histomorphometry and microbiota (p ≤ 0.05). The feed additive increased crypt depth at 7 days post-inoculation and goblet cell count at 14 days post-inoculation (p ≤ 0.05). Further, supplementation interacted with the microbiota modification led by the coccidiosis (p ≤ 0.05). These results suggest that this feed additive could be a useful strategy to reinforce the gut barrier, especially for birds under coccidiosis-challenge treatments.