Seaweeds, Intact and Processed, as a Valuable Component of Poultry Feeds

Abstract

Poultry production is an important area of the agricultural economy. Nowadays, there is an interest in novel sources of feed additives that will improve production performance and poultry health. As an easily available and renewable biomass rich in biologically active compounds, seaweeds can meet this demand. Different forms of seaweeds–seaweed powder from naturally occurring biomass, cultivated or waste biomass, extracted compounds, post-extraction residues or liquid extracts–may be used in poultry feeding. Inclusion of this unconventional material in the poultry nutrition can positively influence the poultry performance along with its health and enrich poultry products with active compounds, such as micro- and macroelements, polyunsaturated fatty acids and pigments. Seaweeds also reduce lipids and cholesterol in eggs. Moreover, due to their unique properties, they can serve as an alternative to antibiotic growth promoters. This review presents the latest developments in the use of seaweeds in poultry nutrition, as well as its limitations.

Zinc and/or Selenium Enriched Spirulina as Antioxidants in Growing Rabbit Diets to Alleviate the Deleterious Impacts of Heat Stress during Summer Season

“…Such enhancement of supplementation may be due to the synergetic effects of organic Zn and Se and they have a potential nutritive value as feed additives for growing rabbits under summer heat stress conditions. Furthermore, confirmation is associated with the use of Spirulina which can improve the growth performance because it has some natural constituents such as phycocyanin, beta-carotene, tocopherols, linolenic acid, minerals, vitamins and phenolic compounds that had been shown to have strong antioxidant properties with promote growth and maintain health (Michalak and Mahrose [ 15 ] and Farag et al [ 16 ]. It has very high content of macro and micronutrients, essential amino acids, proteins, lipids, vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants Soni et al [ 39 ].…”

“…Glutathione peroxidase helps in protecting cellular membranes from oxidative damage which resulted in enhancing the growth performance of rabbits under hot conditions [ 51 ]. Recent literature have shown that Spirulina has an antioxidant, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and antimicrobial activity in various experimental animals [ 15 , 40 , 52 ]. In this respect, Park et al [ 52 ] suggested that dietary Spirulina supplementation at levels of 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, or 1.0% in broiler diets caused an increase in the serum SOD, and GSH-Px activities.…”

“…Spirulina platensis have been exhausted for several years as nourishment for people and animals owing to the outstanding nutritious profile and great carotenoid substance. Spirulina is comparatively confined extreme protein (55–65%) and comprised all important amino acids [ 14 , 15 ], has wellbeing assistances [ 16 ], immuno-stimulatory influences and antiviral activity [ 15 , 17 ] and ensured the capability to diminish heat stress impacts [ 18 ].…”

Chemistry of Tropical Eucheumatoids: Potential for Food and Feed Applications

“…This ban forced industry professionals to search for alternative natural solutions [25]. Thanks to the prebiotic effects of algae oligosaccharides, algae can be part of the solution [24].…”

Spirulina platensis Consumption Prevents Obesity and Improves the Deleterious Effects on Intestinal Reactivity in Rats Fed a Hypercaloric Diet

“…Among the algae, Spirulina platensis (Arthrospira platensis) stands out, a blue-green, unicellular alga with nutraceutical, probiotic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, hypolipidemic, hypoglycemic, antihypertensive, and immunomodulatory properties [16][17][18]. Spirulina has been shown to be an efficient dietary supplement for weight control in animals and humans, due to its excellent nutritional profile and the large amount of protein elements, phycocyanin, carotenoids, and all important amino acids for the body's balance [19][20][21][22].…”