RT Journal Article
T1 Marine Macroalgae in Rabbit Nutrition: In Vitro Digestibility, Caecal Fermentability, and Microbial Inhibitory Activity of Seven Macroalgae Species from Galicia (NW Spain)
A1 Al-Soufi, Sabela
A1 Nicodemus, Nuria
A1 Carro, María Dolores
A1 López Alonso, María Marta
A1 Miranda Castañón, Marta Inés
A1 Muiños, Antonio
A1 Cegarra, Eugenio
A1 Vázquez Belda, Beatriz Isabel
A1 Domínguez, Herminia
A1 Torres, María Dolores
A1 Flórez-Fernández, Noelia
A1 García, Javier
K1 In vitro digestibility and gas production
K1 Marine macroalgae
K1 Microbial inhibitory activity
K1 Rabbit
K1 Nutrition
AB The limitation on the prophylactic use of antibiotics in animal feed in Europe has critically challenged the rabbit meat industry, which urgently needs to find solutions. A feasible alternative could be using macroalgae in the diet to improve the gut health. This research studied seven species of marine macroalgae in four formats (dehydrated, enzymatically hydrolyzed, aqueous extract, and aqueous extract of hydrolyzed macroalgae) in order to select the most promising ones for their use in rabbit feed. Chemical composition, in vitro digestibility, in vitro caecal gas, total volatile fatty acid (VFA) production, and minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) against common pathogens were studied. All S. latissima products showed high caecal fermentability and VFA production, especially in both types of extracts. The H. elongata aqueous extract was remarkable due to its high in vitro butyrate production, which can be of great interest for improving gut health. The MIC results did not indicate any clear inhibition of the pathogens tested. The macroalgae tested appear to have a potentially prebiotic effect, rather than a direct antimicrobial activity. However, these results must be confirmed in vivo, in order to observe the real benefits of feeding macroalgae during the rabbit weaning period.
PB MDPI
SN 2077-0472
YR 2023
FD 2023
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10347/38023
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10347/38023
LA eng
NO Al-Soufi, S.; Nicodemus, N.; Carro, M.D.; López-Alonso, M.; Miranda, M.; Muíños, A.; Cegarra, E.; Vázquez-Belda, B.; Domínguez, H.; Torres, M.D.; et al. Marine Macroalgae in Rabbit Nutrition: In Vitro Digestibility, Caecal Fermentability and Microbial Inhibitory Activity of Seven Macroalgae Species from Galicia (NW Spain). Agriculture 2023, 13, 1995. https://doi.org/10.3390/ agriculture13101995
NO This research was carried out within the innovation project TIRAC, co-financed by 80% by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) of the European Union and by 20% by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, within the framework of the National Rural Development Program 2014–2020. The General Directorate for Rural Development, Innovation and Agrifood Training (DGDRIFA) is the authority in charge of applying this aid. Budget: EUR 492,580.38. Total grant: EUR 485,043.58. Funding number: 2020-PN216 (O00000226e2000044671).
DS Minerva
RD 28 abr 2026