SPECIAL STORY 52 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE July 2023 “Marine macroalgae, more commonly known as seaweed, are an area of growing interest for animal nutritionists globally, due to their range of bioactive components such as minerals, vitamins, polysaccharides, proteins, lipids, pigments and polyphenols (Kumar et al., 2008). With the sustainability of livestock production coming under increasing scrutiny, the use of seaweeds in animal nutrition provides a unique opportunity to enhance the sustainability of both the feed itself, and the animal protein produced following consumption of the feed.” There is an extensive body of scientific research demonstrating the functional compounds present in macroalgae, or seaweed. A number of studies have identified the prebiotic effects of soluble and sulphated polysaccharides in seaweed, and their beneficial effects on gut health and animal performance. Ongoing research is investigating additional bioactivity of seaweed, particularly the antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and immunomodulatory effects. A SUSTAINABLE SOURCE OF BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS FOR ANIMAL FEEDS Marine macroalgae, more commonly known as seaweed, are an area of growing interest for animal nutritionists globally, due to their range of bioactive components such as minerals, vitamins, polysaccharides, proteins, lipids, pigments and polyphenols (Kumar et al., 2008). With the sustainability of livestock production coming under increasing scrutiny, the use of seaweeds in animal nutrition provides a unique opportunity to enhance the sustainability of both the feed itself, and the animal protein produced following consumption of the feed. The absence of a requirement for fresh water, land use or fertiliser in the production of seaweed compares very favourably to the production of terrestrial-based feed ingredients (Duarte et al., 2017). This is particularly the case in instances where wild seaweed is harvested from invasive blooms, effectively recycling nutrient run-off from agricultural operations on land. There are more than 10,000 known species of macroalgae, classified into 3 groups according to their pigmentation. The Phaeophyta (brown), Chlorophyta (green) and Rhodophyta (red) differ in their chemical and nutrient composition (Morais et al., 2020), providing a significant opportunity to combine species from the different groups to achieve a balanced blend of bioactives for animal feed. BIOACTIVITY OF SEAWEEDS A large body of evidence exists in scientific literature to indicate a central role of polysaccharides in the bioactivity of marine macroalgae (Lomartire SEAWEED SUPPORTS GUT HEALTH AND PERFORMANCE IN ANIMAL NUTRITION Dr Ian Hutchinson Technical Director Ocean Harvest Technology
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTUxNjkxNQ==