Marine Macroalgae in Rabbit Nutrition: <i>In Vitro</i> Digestibility, Caecal Fermentability, and Microbial Inhibitory Activity of Seven Macroalgae Species from Galicia (NW Spain)
Sabela Al-Soufi,
Nuria Nicodemus,
María Dolores Carro,
Marta López-Alonso,
Marta Miranda,
Antonio Muíños,
Eugenio Cegarra,
Beatriz Vázquez-Belda,
Herminia Domínguez,
María Dolores Torres,
Noelia Flórez-Fernández,
Javier García
Affiliations
Sabela Al-Soufi
Departamento de Patoloxía Animal, Facultade de Veterinaria, Campus Terra, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 27002 Lugo, Spain
Nuria Nicodemus
Departamento de Producción Agraria, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Agronómica, Alimentaria y de Biosistemas, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
María Dolores Carro
Departamento de Producción Agraria, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Agronómica, Alimentaria y de Biosistemas, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Marta López-Alonso
Departamento de Patoloxía Animal, Facultade de Veterinaria, Campus Terra, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 27002 Lugo, Spain
Marta Miranda
Departamento de Anatomía, Produción Animal e Ciencias Clínicas Veterinarias, Facultade de Veterinaria, Campus Terra, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 27002 Lugo, Spain
Antonio Muíños
Porto Muíños S.L., 15185 Cerceda, Spain
Eugenio Cegarra
De Heus Nutrición Animal, 15004 A Coruña, Spain
Beatriz Vázquez-Belda
Laboratorio de Hixiene, Inspección e Control de Alimentos, Departamento de Química Analítica, Nutrición e Bromatoloxía, Campus Terra, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 27002 Lugo, Spain
Herminia Domínguez
CINBIO, Departmento de Enxeñaría Química, Facultade de Ciencias, Campus Ouresnse, Universidade de Vigo, 32004 Ourense, Spain
María Dolores Torres
CINBIO, Departmento de Enxeñaría Química, Facultade de Ciencias, Campus Ouresnse, Universidade de Vigo, 32004 Ourense, Spain
Noelia Flórez-Fernández
CINBIO, Departmento de Enxeñaría Química, Facultade de Ciencias, Campus Ouresnse, Universidade de Vigo, 32004 Ourense, Spain
Javier García
Departamento de Producción Agraria, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Agronómica, Alimentaria y de Biosistemas, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
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.