<i>Aloe vera</i>: A Sustainable Green Alternative to Exclude Antibiotics in Modern Poultry Production
Rifat Ullah Khan,
Shabana Naz,
Davide De Marzo,
Michela M. Dimuccio,
Giancarlo Bozzo,
Vincenzo Tufarelli,
Caterina Losacco,
Marco Ragni
Affiliations
Rifat Ullah Khan
Faculty of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sciences, College of Veterinary Sciences, The University of Agriculture, Peshawar 25000, Pakistan
Shabana Naz
Department of Zoology, Government College University, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan
Davide De Marzo
Department of Precision and Regenerative Medicine and Jonian Area, Section of Veterinary Science and Animal Production, University of Bari Aldo Moro, 70010 Bari, Italy
Michela M. Dimuccio
Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari Aldo Moro, 70010 Bari, Italy
Giancarlo Bozzo
Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari Aldo Moro, 70010 Bari, Italy
Vincenzo Tufarelli
Department of Precision and Regenerative Medicine and Jonian Area, Section of Veterinary Science and Animal Production, University of Bari Aldo Moro, 70010 Bari, Italy
Caterina Losacco
Department of Precision and Regenerative Medicine and Jonian Area, Section of Veterinary Science and Animal Production, University of Bari Aldo Moro, 70010 Bari, Italy
Marco Ragni
Department of Soil, Plant and Food Science, University of Bari Aldo Moro, 70126 Bari, Italy
Over the past 50 years, there has been a rapid increase in the need for poultry meat on a global scale to meet the rising demand from health, ecology, safety and equity. However, there has been a significant rise in recent years in both public demand and scientific interest for organic poultry farming, particularly when using medicinal herbs due to the rising concern of antibiotic resistance in end users. Ban on the use of antibiotics in the poultry industry has resulted in the demand of herbs as alternatives to antibiotics. Various research efforts have illustrated the nutritional value of Aloe vera in improving growth performance and immune status and acting as an antibacterial and anticoccidial agent in poultry. Aloe vera has been used as a supplement in the form of gel, alcoholic extract, powder, polysaccharide and aqueous extract. Aloe vera contains more than 200 nutrients, bioactive compounds, polysaccharides and saponins. In the current review, we have detailed the effect of Aloe vera as an alternative to antibiotics on growth performance, antimicrobial and antiparasitic activities and blood biochemical alternations in poultry.
