Applications of Nanotechnology in Animal nutrition: A Review

Abstract

Nanoparticles are commonly used in human medicine but their applications in agriculture, animal nutrition and veterinary medicine are  quite new. To meet the increasing demands on the livestock industry, synthetic antibiotics are the major substances that are used as  growth promoters. However, the use of antibiotics as feed additives is risky due to cross-resistance among bacterial strains and residues  in tissues of the animals which could be deposited in man after consumption of animal tissues. Thus, the use of most synthetic antibiotics  has been banned in many countries in the world, leading to a reduction in usage and the search for alternative growth  promoters with minimal or no residual effect has been intense in recent times. Many reports have suggested that nanoparticles may be  good substances for animal growth promotion and antimicrobials because some nanomaterials can remove toxins and pathogens. They  can also be better absorbed by animals thereby improving their performance and the quality of products obtained. Nanotechnology has  the potential to transform the livestock sector because of better bioavailability, small dose rate, and stable interaction of the  nanomaterials with other components. Therefore, the use of nanoparticles is a good alternate approach that is safe and cost-effective for  the control of pathogenic microbes and production improvement in livestock. In view of recent developments, this review was  undertaken to discuss issues relating to the use of nanomaterials in animal feeds.