Growth promoters are drugs that are injected into farm animals or included in their feed to increase their growth. Growth boosters are used by cattle farmers to accelerate growth rates, boost productivity, and enhance product quality. The feed additives, anabolic implants, bovine somatotropin, and probiotics are the growth promoters that are used the most frequently.
Growth promoters are any non-nutrient feed additions, including exogenous enzymes and antibiotics, that increase animal growth. Various beneficial impacts on cow production and the improvement of animal output have been produced by hormonal growth boosters. Pathogenic organisms may arise if the probiotic production guidelines are not followed.
The choice of antibiotic resistance determinants that may transmit to a human pathogen or directly through residues of an antibiotic in meat that may produce side effects can both have an impact on human health. The World Health Organization has designated a number of antibiotics used to promote growth in pigs, poultry, and cattle as being critically important antibiotics for use in human medicine.
Growth promoter dangers and advantages are still complex and debatable topics. While the benefits of antimicrobial drugs, such as the prevention and treatment of animal diseases, protection of public health, enhancement of animal production, and improvement of the environment were frequently ignored, the risks of antimicrobial drugs to public health associated with antimicrobial resistance have recently raised great concern.
In order to boost growth performance and feed efficiency, growth promoters are frequently added as supplements to diets in the beef cattle business of several nations. Several advantageous benefits have been produced by anabolic implants.
However, the effects of anabolic implants on marbling or quality grade were either negligible or adverse. Depending on the type of implants, the quantity and length of exposure, the age of the animals, and the mix of implants, there have been differences in the degree of the reaction to these anabolic implants in the performance of beef cattle. Monensin and lasalocid supplements decreased the molar fraction of propionate. The apparent absorption and retention of several minerals in cattle were both boosted by monensin. The results in beef quality from the use of the growth promoters appeared to fluctuate or be in conflict across a variety of environmental conditions, even with the increased cattle performance in growth.
