Prof. Osfar Sjofjan Inaugurated as Professor of Non Ruminant Animal Nutrition

Universitas Brawijaya Academic Senate (SAU) confirmed Prof. Dr. Ir. Osfar Sjofjan, M.Sc., IPU., ASEAN Eng as professor of nutrition for non-ruminant livestock, Saturday (5/8/2023). The activity which took place at the Samantha Krida Building was based on the Decree of the Minister of Education, Culture, Research and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia number 26693/MPK.A/KP.05.01/2022, April 1 2022. This inauguration led him to become a professor to 28 at the Faculty of Animal Science Universitas Brawijaya (Fapet UB).

Osfar delivered a scientific oration entitled Biotechnology of Flour Probiotics as a Feed Additive in Increasing Production of Laying Hens. According to him, currently the use of antibiotics as additional feed has been banned throughout the world. Due to fears of side effects if consumed by humans through eggs or chicken meat.

“One solution is to replace antibiotics with probiotics, namely live microbes that have a positive effect on their host livestock. So that it can improve feed quality and support microbial balance in the digestive tract.” explained the lecturer who now serves as head of the research and service unit of Fapet UB

Besides that, other benefits of probiotics are increasing egg production, intestinal microflora and microvilli, immune response, even yolk color, reducing feed conversion, cholesterol, and ammonia gas in the cage.

Probiotics as additional feed for laying hens are widely circulating in the market in liquid form. However, it has the disadvantage of being easily damaged, easily contaminated, difficult to mix in feed so that it can cause mold growth.

So it is necessary to develop probiotic biotechnology products in the form of flour. The manufacturing process is carried out by special biotechnological engineering combining microbes with carriers of protective materials and flouring technology.

“The result is that probiotics in the form of flour are more efficient and effective as well as nutritionally efficient in laying hens’ feed. Because it can boost productivity, modulate intestinal microflora and inhibit pathogenic microbes, immunomodulatory and improve egg quality in laying hens.” he concluded (dta)