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Review
. 2025 Feb 14:21:179-192.
doi: 10.1016/j.aninu.2024.11.025. eCollection 2025 Jun.

Prebiotics in animal nutrition: Harnessing agro-industrial waste for improved gut health and performance

M Cristina Ravanal  1   2   3 , Carolina A Contador  4   5 , Wing-Tak Wong  4   5 , Qile Zhang  4   5 , Analese Roman-Benn  1   6   7 , Kong Shun Ah-Hen  1 , Pilar E Ulloa  8 , Hon-Ming Lam  4   5
Affiliations
Review

Prebiotics in animal nutrition: Harnessing agro-industrial waste for improved gut health and performance

M Cristina Ravanal et al. Anim Nutr. .

Abstract

This review provides an overview of the current research on prebiotics and their applications in animal nutrition and health. Various types of prebiotics are introduced and classified, with an analysis of agro-industrial residues as sources. The potential of prebiotics as substrates for the growth and/or activity of probiotic microorganisms, as well as their applications in animal feeds, were examined. This analysis also considered the health-promoting advantages linked to different production techniques and bioactive compounds. The mechanisms by which prebiotics alter gastrointestinal tract microbiota are discussed, specifically in terms of combating pathogenic bacteria and modulating immune cells in the gut. Investigations of the impact of prebiotics in both polygastric and monogastric animals are reported, highlighting their effects on the gut ecosystem and animal performance. This review concludes that agro-industrial residues are valuable sources of prebiotics that possess numerous beneficial health-promoting properties suitable for animal nutrition. These prebiotics can serve as a relevant substitute in the ongoing search for alternative strategies to prevent and control the presence of pathogenic bacteria in animals, particularly considering the restriction on antimicrobial growth promoters. However, further research is necessary to explore the interaction between prebiotics and probiotics in animal care and well-being, to establish systematic management of production and practical applications of these functional feed additives.

Keywords: Agro-industrial residue; Animal nutrition; Feed additives; Gastrointestinal microbiota; Prebiotics.

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Conflict of interest statement

We declare that we have no financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that can inappropriately influence our work, and there is no professional or other personal interest of any nature or kind in any product, service and/or company that could be construed as influencing the content of this paper.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Chemical and bonding structures of prebiotics. Different types of prebiotics, including both well-established and emerging prebiotics. The well-established prebiotics include inulin, fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS), galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS), and lactulose. The emerging prebiotics consist of xylo-oligosaccharides (XOS), isomalto-oligosaccharides (IMO), polydextrose, pectic oligosaccharide, and gluco-oligosaccharide.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Health benefits and mechanisms of prebiotics in polygastric and monogastric animals. SCFAs = short-chain fatty acids; PYY = peptide YY; GLP-1 = glucagon-like peptide-1.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
The pathways of prebiotic production.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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