New initiative in India for safety of chicken stock and eggs

Risingdemandfor meat and eggs and a resultant turn towards intensive poultry production has in recent decades given rise to a number of health and environmental concerns that pose a challenge to the poultry industryBacterial disease causes huge economic losses while resulting in environmental waste and threat to human health The solution lies in innovation to promote safe and sustainable animal farmingIt is estimated thatCampylobacterandSalmonellainfections that are rampant in poultry together account for 9 in 10 reported cases of bacteriarelated food poisonings globally On the other hand excessive use of veterinary drugs feed additives and antimicrobial that are currently used to treat animals and prevent diseases can have major long term implications on human health and the environmentAsone of the largest producers of poultry and eggs India has also faced concerns over the safety of its chicken stock and eggs IndiaForHealthyChicken is a powerful initiative that promotes the need for cultivating healthy birds for the larger good of human beings and the environmentTo address the challenges emanating from current farming practices Proteon Pharmaceuticals a Polandbased innovative biotechnology company has pioneered a revolutionary new approach to support the healthy growth of chicken and other livestock The new approach provides a sustainable tool for bacterial disease prevention It also supports healthier poultry birds with improved performanceProfessor Jaroslaw Dastych the Founder CEO of Proteon Pharmaceuticals is a leading scientist an author of over 40 international publications and a coauthor of 4 biotechnologyrelated patents His research interests range from immunology toxicology and molecular biology to the development of novel diagnostic tools and bacteriophagebased or related treatment of disease Prof Dastych was in Mumbai today to discuss his revolutionary approach to breeding healthy poultry birds and the widespread benefits it will have on human and environmental healthThe revolutionary new approach to bacterial control uses naturally occurring microorganisms bacteriophages to eliminate pathogenic bacteria without causing any harm to the microbiome or gut flora of the birds By promoting healthy growth of birds this significantly reduces the need for use of antibioticsBacteriophages aka phages are microorganisms that are a natural element of our environment Phages are everywhere ie on human hands skin in the animal gut and in the soil They are the oldest and most numerous organisms on Earth ndash and have been protecting humans and animals from bacteria for the last 35 billion years Because lytic phages eliminate only their selected bacteria they are unable to interact with animal or human cells they are completely safe to birds or humans and they eliminate the bacteria without any damage to the microbiome whose diversity is crucial for efficient feed conversion and immunityexplained Professor Jaroslaw DastychProteons innovation has been possible thanks to the development of an advanced phagetechnology platform The platform uses precision biology genomics bioinformatics and molecular biology to identify test and select appropriate bacteriophages Using Artificial intelligence the technology then selects phagesthat can be developed for industrial production which are then delivered to the industrial farming environment in the form of feed additivesThe wordbacteriophage actually means bacteria eater These phages destroy their host cells through a natural process without interacting with human or animal cells Neither do they contaminate the soil or the waters nor do they leave residue in the meat This makes them environmentally sustainable and healthy as well Because they do not damage the microbiome they help support growing naturally more healthy animals which require fewer artificial andor damaging solutions to prevent bacterial contaminationadds Dr Bhushan BhavsarManaging Director Vetphage Pharmaceuticals Pvt LtdVetphage Pharmaceuticals is a subsidiary Company of Proteon Pharmaceuticals SA Vetphage handles all operations for the APAC region As its MDDr Bhavsaris leading the movementIndiaForHealthyChicken from the frontThe products containing a cocktail of bacteriophageare 100 natural and biodegradable They are used as feed additives for poultry and aquaculture while the company is developing further solutions for pig and cattle farming They help to reduce pathogenic bacteria without side effects without leaving any residue and without creating antibiotic resistant strains of bacteriaIndia is the thirdlargest egg producer in the world after China and the USA and the fourthlargest chicken producer in the world after China Brazil and the USA In India the per capita consumption of eggs has gone up from 30 eggs per annum to 68 eggs per annum and that of chicken from 400 gms per annum to 25 kg per annum between 2012 and 2017Catch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news 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