Antibiotic growth promoters (AGP) have been used as a feed additive in poultry industry to
enhance gut health and to control sub-clinical diseases. With increasing public concerns
about bacterial resistance to antibiotics, the use of antibiotics in therapeutic or sub-
therapeutic doses in poultry feed has been severely limited or eliminated in many countries.
European Union has preventively banned the use of antibiotics as growth promoters since 1st
January 2006 (Catala-Gregori et al., 2008). Therefore, alternatives to AGP need to be
proposed to livestock producers in order to maintain animal health, productivity and carcass
quality.