Plant Feed Additives as Natural Alternatives to the Use of Synthetic Antioxidant Vitamins in Livestock Animal Products Yield, Quality, and Oxidative Status: A Review
Eleni Tsiplakou,
Rosario Pitino,
Carmen L. Manuelian,
Marica Simoni,
Christina Mitsiopoulou,
Massimo De Marchi,
Federico Righi
Affiliations
Eleni Tsiplakou
Laboratory of Nutritional Physiology and Feeding, Department of Animal Science, School of Animal Biosciences, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, GR-11855 Athens, Greece
Rosario Pitino
Department of Veterinary Science, University of Parma, via del Taglio 10, 43126 Parma, Italy
Carmen L. Manuelian
Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova, Viale dell’ Università 16, 35020 Legnaro, Italy
Marica Simoni
Department of Veterinary Science, University of Parma, via del Taglio 10, 43126 Parma, Italy
Christina Mitsiopoulou
Laboratory of Nutritional Physiology and Feeding, Department of Animal Science, School of Animal Biosciences, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, GR-11855 Athens, Greece
Massimo De Marchi
Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova, Viale dell’ Università 16, 35020 Legnaro, Italy
Federico Righi
Department of Veterinary Science, University of Parma, via del Taglio 10, 43126 Parma, Italy
The interest for safe and natural foods of animal origin is currently increasing the use of plant feed additives (PFA) as antioxidants in animal nutrition. However, studies with livestock animals dealing with PFA as antioxidants are scarce. The aim of the present review was to evaluate the antioxidant impact of PFA compared with synthetic vitamins on animal food product yield and quality. For this purpose, peer-reviewed studies published between 2000 and 2020 were collected. Most papers were carried out on ruminants (n = 13), but PFA were also tested in swine (n = 6) and rabbits (n = 2). The inclusion of PFA in the diets of pigs, rabbits, and ruminants improved the products’ quality (including organoleptic characteristics and fatty acids profile), oxidative stability, and shelf life, with some impacts also on their yields. The effects of PFA are diverse but often comparable to those of the synthetic antioxidant vitamin E, suggesting their potential as an alternative to this vitamin within the diet.
