Browsing by Author "Rego, Andreia M."
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- Effect of Dietary Laminaria digitata with Carbohydrases on Broiler Production Performance and Meat Quality, Lipid Profile, and Mineral CompositionPublication . Costa, Mónica M.; Pestana, José M.; Osório, Diogo; Alfaia, Cristina M.; Martins, Cátia F.; Mourato, Miguel; Gueifão, Sandra; Rego, Andreia M.; Coelho, Inês; Coelho, Diogo; Lemos, José P.C.; Fontes, Carlos M.G.A.; Lordelo, Madalena M.; Prates, José A. M.Simple Summary: Seaweeds represent promising alternatives to unsustainable conventional feed sources, such as cereals, incorporated in poultry diets. Brown macroalgae (e.g., Laminaria digitata) correspond to the largest cultured algal biomass worldwide and are rich in bioactive polysaccharides, minerals, and antioxidant pigments. However, their utilization as feed ingredients is limited due to the presence of an intricate gel-forming cell wall composed of indigestible carbohydrates, mainly alginate and fucose-containing sulfated polysaccharides. Therefore, supplementation with carbohydrate-active enzymes is required to disrupt the cell wall and allow seaweed nutrients to be digested and absorbed in poultry gut. The present study aimed to evaluate if the dietary inclusion of 15% L. digitata, supplemented or not with carbohydrases, could improve the nutritional value of poultry meat without impairing growth performance of broiler chickens. The results show that L. digitata increases antioxidant pigments and n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in meat, thus improving meat nutritional and health values. On the other hand, feeding algae at a high incorporation level impaired growth performance. Feed enzymatic supplementation had only residual effects, although alginate lyase decreased intestinal viscosity caused by dietary L. digitata with potential benefits for broiler digestibility.