Profile

The research area focuses on elucidating microbial turnover in feed and the gastrointestinal tract with special emphasis on obtaining further knowledge on specific microbial processes and microorganisms involved to be able to optimize the influence of the commencal indigenous microbiota on nutrition, growth performance and health status of mainly monogastric farm animals like pigs and poultry.

The research comprises the use of molecular methods for identification and quantification of specific microorganisms and/or specific microbial genes and their expression as well as characterizing composition and activity of microbial populations.

The main activities comprises in a broad sense research with alternatives to the banned antibiotic growth promoters as well as therapeutic antibiotics in the animal production. The area of work thus aims at identifying potential new additives such as plant components and extracts as well as elucidating the working mechanisms behind already known feed types and additives like fermented liquid feed, organic acids as well as zinc and copper. The two latter are not to be considered as alternatives to the above mentioned antibiotics due to the environmentally problematic aspects of their use. But the working mechanisms of these compounds can provide important information on the properties to search for among new additives.