A recent study in the journal Poultry Science, has shown that using extracts from brown seaweeds in the diet of chickens can improve immunity, antioxidant capacity and performance.
This is well known in other animals, and people too
Seaweed is an effective prebiotic
This study included polysaccharide extracts from various seaweed species, including Laminaria hyperborea, Macrocystis pyrifera, Lessonia nigrescens and Ascophyllum nodosum (all in the group of brown seaweeds).
Seaweed for health and nutrition is well known generally, with seaweeds’ prebiotic benefits being a part of this.
A prebiotic is a component that is colonised and fermented by beneficial bacteria of the gut microflora (the probiotics), enhancing the growth of these bacteria and consequently the health of the gut and the absorption of nutrients. Good prebiotics are those foods that pass through the stomach without being broken down by the gastric acidity and enzyme activity.
This includes certain seaweeds, which are rich in dietary fibres due to the high levels of polysaccharides present (often the alginates), and which are resistant to gastric acidity, enzyme hydrolysis and absorption in the gastrointestinal tract.
The seaweed species Ascophyllum nodosum in particular (with common names including Egg Wrack, Knotted Wrack, Rock Weed, ‘kelp’) has the highest polysaccharide content of between 42-70% dry weight of all the brown seaweeds.
Prebiotic studies on Ascophyllum seaweed are extremely promising, with examples including improved feed intake in post-weaning pigs, reduced diarrhoea, increased presence of good bacteria (Lactobacilli) and reduced presence of bad bacteria (E.Coli) when diets were supplemented with seaweed polysaccharides. Another example, in dairy cows, resulted in increased blood glucose for those supplemented with Ascophyllum, thought to be due to the improved digestion and utilisation of feed.
With a recent blog from Doctor Seaweed on seaweed for pigs grown in pig poo, the focus is currently on animals eating seaweed it seems! This is a fascinating area, and which is often where many of the human trials are started from. Prebiotic benefits of seaweed in people is also well known, and perhaps the basis of a future blog…
Contact us to discuss more about seaweed for health, nutrition, food and…animals.