Biochemical proximates of pumpkin (Cucurbitaeae spp.) and their beneficial effects on the general well‐being of poultry species

Abstract

SummaryThere is a growing need to increase productivity in poultry. Growth hormones and antibiotics have the ability to improve health, weight gain and feed efficiency in meat-producing animals. The growth-promoting antibiotics are administered to poultry to improve the general performance of the chicken. However, the use of the xenobiotic drugs in food-producing animals has been a concern and a sensitive issue of debate for several decades in the EU and many other regional blocks of the world. Consequently, the use of hormones in animal production has been banned in Italy, Denmark and Germany for over 4-5 decades, while Belgium and Greece had never permitted its use for livestock fattening purposes. Bioactive phytochemicals exhibit antimicrobial, antioxidant, antiparasitic, antiprotozoal, antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties and consequently have several beneficial effects on appetite, growth and the immune status of the animal. In South Africa, different species of pumpkin are produced for food due to their high nutrient content. The flesh serves as a traditional food, while the seeds and peels are commonly discarded. Pumpkin seed extract is reported to be useful for immunomodulation, reproductive health, therapeutics over a wide range of disease conditions and stimulates metabolism of accumulated fats. Studies have also shown that pumpkin seeds are a valuable source of protein and fat. Their complexity and extent of bioactivity offers sustainable prospects for natural control of pathogenic/parasitic organisms, stimulate nutrition or enhance resistance to disease infections, and reduce abdominal fat and serum levels of harmful lipids, while increasing serum levels of beneficial lipids.

Phytochemical Benefits of Agroresidues as Alternative Nutritive Dietary Resource for Pig and Poultry Farming

“…Carotenoids, triterpenoids, ent-kaurane-type diterpene, and cucurbita glycosides are groups of phytochemical compounds found in pumpkins, which are classified as being important in carrying out ethnomedicinal properties in living organisms, including livestock and poultry. Besides carotenoid and c-tocopherol compounds in pumpkin positioning the fruit as one of the most nutritious foodstuffs, it is endowed with antifatigue properties based on activities observed during mice studies, reported by Achilonu et al [2]. Under favourable conditions, pumpkin seeds can produce a secondary metabolite, known as squalene.…”

“…e fats and oils are used as building blocks in biosynthesis of long-chain fatty acids and glycerol. Table 6 depicts the biochemical composition of selected pumpkin parts [2], while Table 7 indicates some important fatty acids derived from Cucurbita maxima seed oil [90]. In animal body cells, fats and oils play vital role of supplying large quantities of energy reserves required to maintain a stable body temperature [90].…”

“…Although the utilization of xenobiotic drugs in the livestock industry improves the general performance of the animals, their prolonged use has been reported to exhibit detrimental reproductive effects on animals, induce livestock antibiotic resistance, and lead to an accumulation of chemical residues in the bodies of the animals, which are potentially passed on to humans [2]. Consequent to the ban of xenobiotics in some countries in Europe and America, growing concerns of animal product consumers in developing countries explored alternative medicinal and nutritive plants as substitute for the resented synthetic drugs [2,3]. Nutritious plant-based feed supplements are widely claimed to obviate the problems of artificial medicaments.…”

“…e absence or lack of secondary metabolites in a living organism significantly reduces its life span [12]. e incorporation of bioactive phytochemicals derived from agricultural residues is not only vital in animal health and development; it is claimed to be a possible alternative to synthetic growth hormones and antibiotics utilized in the livestock and poultry industries [2]. Fruit waste and farm residues exhibit natural-occurring antimicrobial properties (vitamins and hormones), which can assist in the development of livestock and poultry products, without the use of chemically induced disease infection-control parameters [13].…”

“…Haile et al [14] noted the potentials of the use of farmresidues and agroindustrial by-products (FR-AIBP) in supplementing animal dietary requirements and their invalid qualities of high-fibre content, as well as lowmetabolized energy (ME), and crude protein, which consequently lowers degradability in ruminants. Studies have also revealed that adding certain agricultural residues in the livestock feed rations not only improve the animals' general well-being, but also reduce the cost of feeding, and consequently raise the profit margin of the farmers [2,7,15]. In spite of this, the phytochemical composition and benefits of the farm residues and agroindustrial by-products are hidden within other topical issues/articles or are sparsely published in some difficult-to-access journals.…”