Aloe vera: A Sustainable Green Alternative to Exclude Antibiotics in Modern Poultry Production

Abstract

Over the past 50 years, there has been a rapid increase in the need for poultry meat on a global scale to meet the rising demand from health, ecology, safety and equity. However, there has been a significant rise in recent years in both public demand and scientific interest for organic poultry farming, particularly when using medicinal herbs due to the rising concern of antibiotic resistance in end users. Ban on the use of antibiotics in the poultry industry has resulted in the demand of herbs as alternatives to antibiotics. Various research efforts have illustrated the nutritional value of Aloe vera in improving growth performance and immune status and acting as an antibacterial and anticoccidial agent in poultry. Aloe vera has been used as a supplement in the form of gel, alcoholic extract, powder, polysaccharide and aqueous extract. Aloe vera contains more than 200 nutrients, bioactive compounds, polysaccharides and saponins. In the current review, we have detailed the effect of Aloe vera as an alternative to antibiotics on growth performance, antimicrobial and antiparasitic activities and blood biochemical alternations in poultry.

Green Synthesized Polymeric Iodophors with Thyme as Antimicrobial Agents

“…Plant-based bio-antimicrobials can be an alternative to failed classes of synthetic antimicrobials [16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][34][35][36][70][71][72][73]. Wound and surgical-site infections can be potentially prevented through synergistic combinations of plant bio-compounds [16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][34][35][36][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][69][70][71][72][73]. Adding iodine protected within the polymeric matrix PVP, a sustained-release reservoir, enhances inhibitory action towards opportunistic pathogens [34][35][36][125][126][127][128]…”

Novel acaricidal and growth-regulating activity of Aloe vera and Rheum rhabarbarum extracts and their oil/water nanoemulsions against the camel tick, Hyalomma dromedarii

“…R. rhabarbarum is a medicinal edible plant consumed worldwide 59 . A. vera has anticoccidial, antibacterial, and immunomodulatory effects; therefore, it enhances the intestinal health and performance of birds when used as a safe feed additive 108 . The aqueous and hydroethanolic extracts of Tabernaemontana elegans; Calpurnia aurea, Schkuhria pinnata, and Aloe rupestri s (leaves, stems, whole plant, and leaves, respectively) not only effectively controlled R. turanicus , but also were safe or very safe on human Vero kidney and liver HepG2 cells 89 .…”

Use of red grape pomace and Aloe vera gel as nutraceuticals to ameliorate stocking density-induced stress in commercial male broilers

“…At slaughter, glycogen is converted into lactic acid, and ultimately, the accumulation of lactate leads to a drop in meat pH (Alnahhas et al, 2014 ). Therefore, the antimicrobial activities in AVG might have destroyed other microbes and enhanced the proliferation of lactate bacteria (Khan et al, 2022 ). However, the rate of pH decline and the ultimate pH can vary based on species, pre-slaughter handling, stress levels, temperature, and muscle conditions.…”