Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
The impact of 15% dietary inclusion of Spirulina (Arthrospira platensis) in broiler
chickens was explored, focusing on blood cellular components, systemic
metabolites and hepatic lipid and mineral composition. From days 14 to
35 of age, 120 broiler chickens were divided and allocated into four dietary
treatments: a standard corn and soybean meal-based diet (control), a 15%
Spirulina diet, a 15% extruded Spirulina diet, and a 15% Spirulina diet super-dosed
with an enzyme blend (0.20% porcine pancreatin plus 0.01% lysozyme). The
haematological analysis revealed no significant deviations (p > 0.05) in blood
cell counts across treatments, suggesting that high Spirulina inclusion maintains
haematological balance. The systemic metabolic assessment indicated an
enhanced antioxidant capacity in birds on Spirulina diets (p < 0.001), pointing
toward a potential reduction in oxidative stress. However, the study noted a
detrimental impact on growth performance metrics, such as final body weight
and feed conversion ratio (both p < 0.001), in the Spirulina-fed treatments, with
the super-dosed enzyme blend supplementation failing to alleviate these effects
but with extrusion mitigating them. Regarding hepatic composition, birds on
extruded Spirulina and enzyme-supplemented diets showed a notable increase
in n-3 fatty acids (EPA, DPA, DHA) (p < 0.001), leading to an improved n-6/n-3
PUFA ratio (p < 0.001). Despite this positive shift, a reduction in total hepatic lipids
(p = 0.003) was observed without a significant change in cholesterol levels. Our
findings underscore the need for further exploration into the optimal inclusion
levels, processing methods and potential enzymatic enhancements of Spirulina
in broiler diets. Ultimately, this research aims to strike a balance between
promoting health benefits and maintaining optimal growth performance in
poultry nutrition.
Description
Keywords
feed enzymes hepatic compounds microalga extrusion plasma metabolites poultry nutrition
Pedagogical Context
Citation
Spínola MP, Alfaia CM, Costa MM, Pinto RMA, Lopes PA, Pestana JM, Tavares JC, Mendes AR, Mourato MP, Tavares B, Carvalho DFP, Martins CF, Ferreira JI, Lordelo MM and Prates JAM (2024) Impact of high Spirulina diet, extruded or supplemented with enzymes, on blood cells, systemic metabolites, and hepatic lipid and mineral profiles of broiler chickens. Front. Vet. Sci. 11:1342310. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1342310
Publisher
Frontiers