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VETERINARY QUARTERLY
Taylor and Francis
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Abstract: |
Natural antioxidants applied as feed additives can improve not only animals’ health and
overall performance but also increase their resistance to environmental stress such as heat
stress, bad housing conditions, diseases, etc. Marine organisms, for example seaweeds – red,
brown, and green macroalgae contain a plethora of biologically active substances, including
phenolic compounds, polysaccharides, pigments, vitamins, micro- and macroelements, and
proteins known for their antioxidant activity, which can help in the maintenance of appropriate
redox status in animals and show pleiotropic effects for enhancing good health, and
productivity. The dysregulated production of free radicals is a marked characteristic of several
clinical conditions, and antioxidant machinery plays a pivotal role in scavenging the
excessive free radicals, thereby preventing and treating infections in animals.
Supplementation of seaweeds to animal diet can boost antioxidant activity, immunity, and
the gut environment. Dietary supplementation of seaweeds can also enhance meat quality
due to the deposition of marine-derived antioxidant components in muscles. The use of natural
antioxidants in the meat industry is a practical approach to minimize or prevent lipid
oxidation. However, overconsumption of seaweeds, especially brown macroalgae, should be
avoided because of their high iodine content. An important point to consider when including
seaweeds in animal feed is their variable composition which depends on the species,
habitat, location, harvest time, growing conditions such as nutrient concentration in water,
light intensity, temperature, etc. This review highlights the beneficial applications of seaweeds
and their extracted compounds, which have antioxidant properties as feed additives
and impact animal health and production
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