Interview: Cemalettin Kanaş

In the face of global infection pressure and raw material crises, the solution for the poultry sector does not lie in a single discipline. Answering Feed Planet’s questions, Prof. Dr. Pınar Saçaklı, President of the Turkish Poultry Veterinary Association, explains dynamic feeding strategies that do not merely feed the animal, but actively support its resistance to disease and overall health.

Prof. Dr. Pınar Saçaklı

Following the 3rd WVPA Africa & Middle East Regional Congress, Prof. Dr. Pınar Saçaklı, President of the Turkish Poultry Veterinary Association, speaks to Feed Planet about navigating global infection pressures and raw material crises. Emphasizing that industry solutions cannot rely on a single discipline, she outlines dynamic feeding strategies that go beyond basic nutrition to actively support animal health and disease resistance.

As global infection pressures, raw material crises, and environmental challenges deepen in the poultry industry, the traditional concept of nutrition is undergoing a transformation. Today, feed is no longer expected merely to satisfy basic vital requirements; its role is to maintain the animal’s immunity and biological resilience at the highest level.

In this comprehensive interview with Prof. Dr. Pınar Saçaklı, President of the Poultry Veterinary Association, we sat down to address the critical importance of interdisciplinary cooperation and holistic management in poultry nutrition. Emphasizing that knowledge and a global vision must unite under a shared baseline in a world where diseases respect no borders, Prof. Dr. Saçaklı clearly summarizes the feeding concept of the future: “I view the poultry nutrition of the future not simply as feeding the animal, but as supporting its health.”

Offering groundbreaking insights across a broad spectrum from the precise use of feed additives and combating heat stress to enzyme technologies and digital integration Prof. Dr. Saçaklı also extends a visionary call to feed manufacturers and producers: “Future competitiveness will not be built solely on producing the cheapest feed, but on generating greater biological value from the same amount of resources.”

INTERDISCIPLINARY COLLABORATION AND KNOWLEDGE SHARING

Organized by the Poultry Veterinary Association, the 3rd WVPA Africa & Middle East Regional Congress took place in Istanbul on September 2–4, 2026, under the theme “Sustainable Poultry from East to West.” What were the most critical outcomes of this event for regional countries and the global poultry industry?

For me, one of the most valuable aspects of this congress was bringing together scientists, veterinarians, and industry representatives from diverse geographies under one roof. With participants arriving from Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and various other regions around the world, a truly powerful scientific atmosphere was established in Istanbul.

When selecting “Sustainable Poultry from East to West” as our theme, we deliberately avoided treating sustainability purely from an environmental angle. Sustainable production encompasses a vast spectrum ranging from animal health and welfare to food safety, antimicrobial resistance, the efficient utilization of feed resources, climate change, and the economically viable production of animal protein.

During the congress, it became remarkably clear that none of the issues facing the poultry sector remain simple enough to be solved by a single discipline alone. Veterinarians, animal nutritionists, microbiologists, epidemiologists, geneticists, and industry stakeholders must work side by side.

Türkiye’s position as a scientific and sectoral bridge connecting Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa made this gathering even more meaningful for us. Our greatest expectation moving forward is that the scientific relationships forged in Istanbul will extend beyond the congress itself, transforming into joint projects and lasting partnerships.

DISEASE PREVENTION: RESISTANCE OVER TREATMENT

The congress brought together researchers, veterinarians, and industry representatives from Africa, the Middle East, and Europe in Istanbul. What are the most concrete gains that a regional gathering of this scale provides to the poultry sector in Türkiye and neighboring countries particularly regarding biosecurity, technical knowledge exchange, and the fight against infectious diseases?

We know that poultry diseases recognize no borders. In a world characterized by such intense movement of animals, human traffic, raw feed materials, and poultry products, an infection emerging in one country can rapidly become a regional or even global issue. Therefore, if disease respects no boundaries, knowledge must not either.

One of the greatest benefits of international gatherings like this is observing the solutions developed by different countries facing similar challenges. A biosecurity program, vaccination strategy, surveillance approach, or early diagnosis protocol successfully implemented in one nation can serve as an invaluable blueprint for another.

However, there is a specific point I would like to stress: Disease management must not begin only after a disease breaks out.

Biosecurity, vaccination, flock management, nutrition, gut health, and routine monitoring must be evaluated as complementary pillars of a single framework. In the future, we must look beyond the question of “How do we treat the disease?” and instead answer: “How can we render the animal more resilient against disease pressure?”

VISION IN NUTRITION: BEYOND FEED, TOWARD HEALTH

Feed Planet readers consist largely of feed manufacturers, nutritionists, and raw material suppliers. Veterinary medicine and animal nutrition are sometimes perceived as separate tracks. Why is integrating feed and animal health so vital for sustainable, disease-resistant poultry production?

This subject is especially close to my heart. As a veterinarian and an academic specializing in animal nutrition and nutritional diseases, I have spent many years working in poultry nutrition. Throughout my professional life, I have observed firsthand that nutrition and animal health can never be decoupled from one another.

Historically, the core function of feed was defined as fulfilling the animal’s basic energy, protein, amino acid, vitamin, and mineral requirements. Today, we have moved far beyond that premise.

Nutrition directly impacts gut microbiota, intestinal barrier integrity, the immune system, inflammatory responses, and oxidative status. Consequently, it has become a central factor determining not only how fast an animal grows, but also how effectively it copes with environmental and infectious stressors.

Modern poultry genotypes possess exceptional performance potential. However, to unlock this potential, we are obliged to protect gut health and metabolic balance.

This is why I view future poultry nutrition not simply as “feeding the animal,” but as “actively supporting its health.” I believe one of the defining concepts of the coming era will be precisely this: precision nutrition that supports health.

THE RIGHT QUESTION ON ADDITIVES: WHICH COMBINATION?

As reflected in the congress program, feed additives are stepping into the spotlight in managing pathogens such as Coccidiosis, Salmonella, Avian Metapneumovirus, or Fowl Adenovirus alongside restrictions on antibiotic use. How do you evaluate the roles of organic acids, probiotics, monoglycerides, and phytogenics in maintaining gut microbiota and supporting immunity?

First and foremost, I believe a clear distinction must be made here. It would be incorrect to view feed additives as direct substitutes for antibiotics or vaccines. In bacterial, viral, or parasitic infections, the primary role of feed additives is not to provide a direct therapeutic cure; rather, it is to preserve gut integrity and microbial balance, bolster immune response, and enhance the animal’s resilience against infection pressure. These products should therefore be regarded not as standalone disease-control tools, but as integral components of holistic health management executed alongside biosecurity, vaccination, flock management, and proper nutrition.

Today, we no longer view the gut merely as an organ tasked with digestion and absorption. There is an exceptionally dynamic cross-talk between the microbiota, intestinal epithelium, and the immune system. While organic acids can modulate the gastrointestinal environment and microbial balance, probiotics support beneficial microorganisms and contribute to competitive exclusion against pathogens. Monoglycerides draw attention through their antimicrobial properties against specific microorganisms, whereas phytogenics stand out for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory attributes alongside their antimicrobial effects.

However, the key question here is not “Which additive is best?” In my view, the right question to ask is: Which combination, at what dosage, under which conditions, and in which animal yields the most optimal result?

Because gut health is an extraordinarily complex system, expecting a single additive to solve every issue is unrealistic. I firmly believe the future belongs to rational combinations of strategies whose mechanisms of action are well-defined and mutually reinforcing.

ENZYME TECHNOLOGY: NOT MORE, BUT MORE EFFICIENT

Feed costs and raw material quality are top items on the global agenda. Featured in research presented at the congress, how do alternative enzyme combinations (xylanase, β-glucanase, mannanase) and super-dosing phytase applications reduce feed costs while influencing gut health and performance?

Enzymes represent a domain I have personally researched for many years and place great scientific emphasis upon. We have been conducting research for years on the effects of feed enzymes and various enzyme combinations on nutrient digestibility, performance, and feed conversion efficiency in poultry, with our findings published in international scientific journals. Consequently, I have had the opportunity to closely monitor the evolution of enzyme technology.

I do not view enzymes simply as a tool for formulating cheaper feed. What truly matters is converting nutrients naturally present within raw materials yet insufficiently utilized by the animal into bioavailable forms.

Carbohydrases such as xylanase, β-glucanase, and mannanase mitigate the cell-wall matrix constraints of plant-based raw materials and the impact of anti-nutritional polysaccharides, thereby enhancing overall nutrient utilization. Moreover, today we look beyond simple digestibility. The amount of substrate passing un-digested into the hindgut and its subsequent impact on the microbiota are equally critical.

Phytase serves as a prime example of this evolution. Initially, we viewed phytase primarily as an enzyme that liberates phytate-bound phosphorus and reduces inorganic phosphorus inclusion. Today, we possess a far deeper understanding of phytate’s anti-nutritional effects on the availability of proteins, amino acids, and minerals.

Hence, the goal of high-dose or “super-dosing” phytase applications is not merely to release additional phosphorus, but to breakdown phytate more extensively, neutralizing its anti-nutritional effects as far as possible.

However, as someone who has dedicated years to this field, there is one point I must explicitly highlight: More enzymes do not automatically translate to better results. The presence of substrate, the structural characteristics of raw materials, the nutrient density of the diet, enzyme-to-enzyme interactions, and the specific matrix values applied must always be rigorously accounted for.

This, in my opinion, is where the true future value of enzyme technology resides: extracting the maximum achievable biological value from every unit of feed raw material. This is paramount from both an economic and environmental sustainability perspective.

STANDARDIZATION AND BIOAVAILABILITY IN ADDITIVE SELECTION

Your research on natural xanthophyll formulations used for yolk pigmentation in laying hens has attracted significant attention. What lies ahead in the near future regarding consumer trends and the feed industry’s transition from synthetic additives to natural alternatives?

Today’s consumer no longer evaluates a product solely by its price tag or nutritional value; they want to know how that product was produced and where its constituents originate. Concepts such as “natural,” “sustainable,” and “traceable” are steadily gaining traction.

Egg yolk color represents one of the most visually immediate examples of this consumer sensitivity. As a result, natural xanthophyll sources and plant-derived pigments are drawing growing interest from the feed industry. However, as a scientist, I would like to raise a word of caution: “Natural” does not automatically mean superior.

A product being natural is not sufficient in itself. Its bioavailability, stability, standardization, interactions with other feed ingredients, cost-effectiveness, and targeted efficacy must be evaluated collectively.

In the coming years, rather than a complete elimination of synthetic additives, I anticipate a marked increase in the adoption of standardized, scientifically validated natural products derived from sustainable sources.

In this context, one of the central challenges facing the feed industry will be achieving strict standardization within natural products.

HOLISTIC MANAGEMENT IN COMBATING HEAT STRESS

Global warming, water scarcity, and heat stress impact poultry production in Türkiye just as acutely as in the Middle East and Africa. What holistic approaches in dietary adjustments and feed technologies are coming to the forefront to mitigate the negative effects of heat stress on poultry health and feed intake?

Viewing heat stress simply as “the animal eating less feed” is, in my view, a fundamental misconception.

Heat stress elevates oxidative stress, compromises intestinal barrier function and immune responses, induces shifts in the microbiota, and impairs nutrient utilization. Consequently, performance, feed efficiency, egg yield and quality, and animal welfare are all adversely affected.

From a nutritional standpoint, the priority under reduced feed intake conditions is formulating a diet capable of meeting the animal’s nutrient requirements. Adjusting energy density and energy sources, fine-tuning amino acid balances, maintaining electrolyte equilibrium, and optimizing vitamin-mineral supplementation are vital.

Furthermore, nutritional strategies designed to bolster antioxidant capacity and intestinal health are gaining significant momentum. Yet even here, we cannot expect miracles from feed alone.

Ventilation, air velocity, cooling systems, water quality and volume, feeding schedules, stocking density, and dietary formulations must be managed in unison. The best feed formulation cannot compensate for poor environmental control on its own, nor can excellent environmental management fully rectify nutritional errors. Therefore, I believe the key concept in combating heat stress remains holistic management.

FEED ARCHITECTURE OF THE FUTURE: DIGITAL AND DYNAMIC NUTRITION

In the face of escalating feed raw material supply crises and pressure to reduce carbon footprints, how do you project the next 5–10 years for the poultry feed industry? What is your message to feed manufacturers and producers?

As an academic who has worked in poultry nutrition for many years, I believe the defining shift over the next 5 to 10 years will be transitioning from an ethos of “using more” to one of “using more efficiently.”

Feed ingredients are becoming increasingly strategic assets. Climate change, geopolitical developments, energy costs, and supply chain vulnerabilities are forcing us to rethink production models reliant on a handful of traditional raw materials.

Alternative protein and energy sources, local ingredients, more effective valorization of agricultural and food industry by-products, advanced enzyme technologies, low-crude-protein diets with precisely balanced amino acid profiles, and precision feeding practices will assume far greater prominence.

One area that particularly excites me is the deepening convergence of animal nutrition and digital technologies. In the future, rather than formulating diets based on the static average requirements of a given genotype, I anticipate we will construct dynamic feeding programs tailored to age, micro-environmental conditions, health status, and real-time flock performance data.

Furthermore, sustainability must not be evaluated through the lens of carbon footprint alone. The volume of feed, water, energy, and land consumed to produce a single kilogram of poultry meat or eggs alongside nitrogen and phosphorus losses, and the degree to which animal health and welfare are preserved throughout must be evaluated as an interconnected whole.

NOT CHEAP FEED, BUT HIGH BIOLOGICAL VALUE

My message to feed manufacturers and producers is straightforward: Future competitiveness will not be built on producing the cheapest feed, but on generating greater biological value from the same quantity of resources. For this reason, I firmly believe that investing in science, research and development, and university-industry collaboration will become increasingly critical.

The future of sustainable poultry production will not be determined by a single new additive or a single technology, but by integrated systems where genetics, nutrition, health, environment, and management are optimized together.