Digestibility of Meat Mineral and Proteins from Broilers Fed with Graded Levels of <i>Chlorella vulgaris</i>

The incorporation of sustainable protein sources in animal feeding is a growing trend. So far, no study has investigated in vitro digestion of meat, from broilers fed microalgae, in a human model. This research aimed to evaluate the effect of incorporating <i>Chlorella vulgaris</i> in th...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Marija Boskovic Cabrol, Joana C. Martins, Leonardo P. Malhão, Cristina M. Alfaia, José A. M. Prates, André M. Almeida, Madalena Lordelo, Anabela Raymundo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-05-01
Series:Foods
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/11/9/1345
Description
Summary:The incorporation of sustainable protein sources in animal feeding is a growing trend. So far, no study has investigated in vitro digestion of meat, from broilers fed microalgae, in a human model. This research aimed to evaluate the effect of incorporating <i>Chlorella vulgaris</i> in the broilers diet on human protein digestibility, and mineral bioaccessibility. The study used 240 male Ross 308 broilers randomly allocated to groups fed a control diet or a diet where soybean meal was replaced with 10% (CV10%), 15% (CV15%), or 20% (CV15%) of <i>C. vulgaris</i> for 40 days. The microalga supplementation increased the protein and lowered the fat content in the muscle. Results on the percentages of amino acids highlighted that arginine and threonine proportions increased and lysine and cysteine proportions decreased with microalga inclusion. CV15% and CV20% meat had higher amount of K, Ca, Mg, P, and Fe in raw breasts, improving the nutrient composition of the meat. Cooking caused a decrease in Na and K and an increase in other minerals. CV20% had higher bioaccessibility of K, Ca, Mg, P, and Mg, compared to the control. Replacing soybean meal in broiler feed with higher concentrations of <i>C. vugaris</i> could improve the digestibility of meat protein and minerals.
ISSN:2304-8158