Phytochemical Supplementation in Poultry Nutrition
Summary
Phytochemical supplementation in poultry nutrition encompasses the incorporation of plant‐derived bioactive compounds—such as polyphenols, flavonoids, alkaloids and other secondary metabolites—into feed formulations to enhance bird health, productivity and product quality. These compounds exert multifaceted effects, including free‐radical scavenging, modulation of inflammatory pathways, optimisation of gut microbial communities and regulation of lipid metabolism. Practical applications span broiler and layer sectors, with documented improvements in growth performance, egg and meat oxidative stability, fatty acid profiles and immune resilience. Such strategies address global challenges in sustainable poultry production by reducing reliance on synthetic additives and antibiotics, while responding to consumer demand for naturally enriched products.
Research from Nature Portfolio
Recent studies have explored the tailoring of natural polyphenols to match the peroxidability of dietary fats in broiler diets. One investigation evaluated the addition of quercetin to rapeseed and flaxseed oil‐based feeds, optimising its concentration to mitigate oxidative stress without compromising growth performance. The work demonstrated that a customised quercetin dose could moderate liver lipid peroxidation, maintain antioxidant enzyme activities and tend to improve final body weight gain. This approach exemplifies precision supplementation, whereby the selection and dosage of specific phytochemicals align with the oxidant burden of fat sources, offering a model for economical and sustainable antioxidant use in commercial poultry systems.
Phytochemical Supplementation in Poultry Nutrition publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in phytochemical supplementation in poultry nutrition across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Phytochemicals: Bioactive plant‐derived compounds that exert physiological effects in animals beyond basic nutrition.
Flavonoids: A major class of polyphenolic phytochemicals known for antioxidant, anti‐inflammatory and lipid-modulating activities.
Antioxidant capacity: The ability of a system to neutralise reactive oxygen species and prevent oxidative damage to cells and tissues.
Nrf2/HO-1 pathway: A cellular defence mechanism wherein the transcription factor Nrf2 induces heme oxygenase-1 and other antioxidant enzymes.
Gut microbiota: The community of microorganisms residing in the gastrointestinal tract, influencing nutrient absorption, immune function and metabolic health.
References
- Dietary pyrroloquinoline quinone improvement of the antioxidant capacity of laying hens and eggs are linked to the alteration of Nrf2/HO-1 pathway and gut microbiota. Food Chemistry X (2023).
- Performance and antioxidant traits of broiler chickens fed with diets containing rapeseed or flaxseed oil and optimized quercetin. Scientific Reports (2023).
- Dietary Flavonoids as Modulators of Lipid Metabolism in Poultry. Frontiers in Physiology (2022).
- Effects of different levels of rutin on growth performance, immunity, intestinal barrier and antioxidant capacity of broilers. Italian Journal of Animal Science (2022).
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