Researchers make incredible discovery about chickens that could help keep grocery prices down: 'We need to differentiate'

Researchers at Cornell University found that feeding chickens grape waste made them less susceptible to diseases. 

According to Phys.org,  the gut health of chickens can open them up to disease. The poultry industry relies on the mass production of chickens, but when chickens get sick and there are fewer chickens, the prices increase in stores. 

Corresponding author and department of food science in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, associate professor Elad Tako, said, "Inflammation weakens the immune system and opens the birds to other pathogens such as avian flu."

Grape pomace is believed to have anti-inflammatory properties, so the researchers set out to see just how true that was. Their findings were published in the Journal of Functional Foods. 

They injected the grape pomace into "amniotic fluid in chicken eggs to induce inflammation, and then a second one of a grape pomace extract to intervene," per Phys.org. 

Co-author and doctoral food science student, Melissa Huang, said the grape pomace did improve gut inflammation symptoms and intestinal health. 

In the U.S., the grape industry produces one million pounds of grape pomace waste yearly. 

What's left over from wine and juice production is stalks, seeds, and grape skins. While some of this is put into animal feeds or made into a fertilizer, much of it ends up in a landfill. 

According to Phys.org, "nearly three-quarters of production costs are bound up in what the birds eat." So, finding a way to utilize leftover grape pomace is not only a low-cost way for the birds' health, but also stops it from going into a landfill. 

When birds get sick, it doesn't just cause prices to go up on eggs. WGCU said it's also a threat to biodiversity. 

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It said bird flu has been growing fast recently and "has infected more than 500 species, including 485 avian and at least 70 mammalian."

Some animals that have contracted it are dolphins, seals, foxes, and skunks. Many end up dead or have neurological symptoms.

While this is a significant win for keeping animals healthy, Huang said further investigation is needed to optimize the anti-inflammatory effects of grape pomace. 

She said, "Studies show that fiber and polyphenols, on their own, can affect inflammation. We need to differentiate which specific compounds in grape pomace are making this difference."

Reducing reliance on poultry is another way to reduce the risk of the threat to biodiversity. You can do that by exploring plant-based food options.

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