Stevia ( Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni ): un aditivo natural efectivo en avicultura?

In avian production, the international and national regulations have diminished the use of antibiotic growth promoters.  These added to the requirement from avian consumers which whose looking for natural products have directed the investigations for to natural additives. In this way, arise different added in feed, knew as Natural Growth Promoter (NGP).  NGW include prebiotics, probiotics, symbiotics, organic acids, enzymes, peptides, antimicrobials, and phytogenics.  Inside phytogenics, Stevia ( Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni ), is a sweetener in humans, but in productive animals enhance their productivity performance.  Also, if you use stems, leaves or extracts from leaves and apply different extraction methods, it can be obtained different bioactive compounds, with different modes of action each one. In general, these bioactive compounds have properties as antioxidant, antimicrobial, antitumoral and antifungal properties, and were noticed positive effects over the immunologic system. In avian, enhance productive variables in two first week in young broilers. In adult avian, these bioactive compounds do not leave residues in meat or eggs.  In this way, Stevia or their bioactive compounds could arise as good option to enhance the intestinal health in two first weeks of life in an avian.  This will reflex on increase in growth performance and in carcass quality in adults animals.