Phytogenics, Fermented Ingredients, Bee Products, Insect Additives, and Byproducts as Promising Dietary Supplements for Poultry

Karim El-Sabrout; Sohail Ahmad; Giovanni Buonaiuto

doi:10.2478/aoas-2025-0049

Figures & Tables

The effect of some feed additives on chicken’s gastrointestinal tract

Edible insects as feed additives to poultry diets

Categories of phytobiotics and their specific roles in poultry nutrition

Category	Source	Dose (mg/kg diet)	Target strains	Main effect¹	References
1	2	3	4	5	6
Essential oils	Origanum vulgare	300 and 600	Broilers, Arbor Acres, 0–42 days	BW, ADFI	Peng et al. (2016)
		300	Broilers, Ross 308, 0–42 days	Secondary antibody titer and IgG titer, H/L ratio	Mohiti-Asli and Ghanaatparast-Rashti (2017)
		50, 100, 150 and 200	Semi-heavy laying hens, 59–71 weeks	FCR, egg production and egg mass	Migliorini et al. (2019)
		100	Duckling, Cherry Valley, 0–5 weeks	ADG, FCR	Ding et al. (2020)
	Macleaya cordata	Not reported	Broilers, Ross 308, 15–21 days	FCR	Abudabos et al. (2018)
	Lavandula angustifolia	300 and 600	Broilers, Arbor Acres, 0–42 days	BWG, FCR	Yarmohammadi Barbarestani et al. (2020)
	Thymus vulgaris	100	Laying hens, Lohmann LSL-Lite, 40–48 weeks	EP, EM, FCR, Haugh units	Akbari et al. (2016)
		150 and 300	Broilers, Indian River, 0–42 days	BW, BWG	El-Ashram and Abdelhafez (2020)
	Mentha piperita	100	Laying hens, Lohmann LSL-Lite, 40–48 weeks	EW, FI	Akbari et al. (2016)
	Citrullus lanatus	1000, 2000	Laying hens, White Leghorn, 18–26 weeks	WG, ADFI, ADG, EM, FCR, Haugh units	Marume et al. (2020)
	Allium sativum	300	Broilers, Hubbard, 0–42 days	Meat color	Kirkpinar et al. (2014)
Plant extracts	Olea europaea	750	Broilers, Ross 308, 21–42 days	ADG, FCR	Herrero-Encinas et al. (2020)
	Achyranthes japonica	250, 500 and 1000	Broilers, Ross 308, 1–35 days	BWG, ADFI, FCR, breast weight, abdominal fat	Park and Kim (2020)
	Pinus densiflora	2.5 and 5	Laying hens, Hy-line Brown, 40–46 weeks	FI, EP, EYC, ESBS	Kothari et al. (2021)
	Mentha piperita	74, 148, 222, and 296	Laying hens, Bovans Brown, 32–44 weeks	EW, EM, FI, FCR, Haugh units, ST,	Abdel-Wareth and Lohakare (2020)
	Vitis vinifera	100 and 200	Duckling, Pekin, 0–6 weeks	BWG, FCR	Ao and Kim (2020)
	Thymbra spicata	1000	Laying hens, Bovans White, 48–56 weeks	EW, FI	Cimrin (2019)
	Rosemarinus officinalis	1000	Laying hens, Bovans White, 48–56 weeks	FI, SW	Cimrin (2019)
	Curcuma longa	200	Laying hens, Hy-Line Brown, 84–90 weeks	EP, EM, FI, FCR	Da Rosa et al. (2020)
Spices and herbs	Pulicaria gnaphalodes	1000 and 2000	Broilers, Ross 308, 1–42 days	BWG, FCR	Shirani et al. (2019)
	Thymus vulgaris	2000, 5000 and 8000	Broilers, Cobb 500, 1–42 days	BW, BWG, FI	Hassan and Awad (2017)
	Nigella sativa	5000 and 10000	Broilers, Ross 308, 1–42 days	BWG, LW, breast weight, abdominal fat	Laudadio et al. (2022)
		5000	Laying hens, Lohmann Brown Lite, 32–40 weeks	EP, EM, FCR, EYC, Haugh units	Abou-Elkhair et al. (2018)
	Eucalyptus grandis	500, 800, 1200	Laying hens, Yueqinhuang, 48–56 weeks	EP, EM, MQ	Chen et al. (2018)
	Foeniculum vulgare	5000	Laying hens, Lohmann Brown Lite, 32–40 weeks	EP, EW, EM, FCR, EYC, Haugh units	Abou-Elkhair et al. (2018)
	Capsicum annuum	5000	Laying hens, Lohmann Brown Lite, 32–40 weeks	EP, EW, EM, FCR, EYC, Haugh units	Abou-Elkhair et al. (2018)
	Trigonella foenum-graecum	5000 and 10000	Broilers, Ross 308, 1–42 days	FCR	Laudadio et al. (2022)
	Echinacea purpurea	2500, 5000, 7500 and 10000	Laying hens, Hy-Line W-36 Leghorn, 44–54 weeks	EP, EM, FCR, EYC	Jahanian et al. (2017)
	Eucalyptus camaldulensis	100 and 200	Laying, Japanese quail, 180–240 weeks	Broken eggs, ES, ST, EYC	Fathi et al. (2020)
	Astragalus membranaceus	10000, 30000 and 50000	Japanese meat quail, 0–35 days	BW, FI, FCR, mortality	Guo et al. (2019)
	Mentha piperita	10000, 20000, 30000 and 40000	Meat quail, 7–35 days	FCR	Mehri et al. (2015)
	Allium sativum	5000, 10000 and 20000	Japanese meat quail	BW, BWG	Jalal et al. (2024)

Inclusion rates, effects, and economic considerations of insect meal in poultry diets

Insect species	Optimal inclusion rate (%)	Growth performance effects	Health and immunity effects	Challenges and limitations	Cost considerations
Black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens)	10–15%	Improved FCR, weight gain	Enhances gut microbiota, boosts immunity	High production cost, regulatory restrictions	$1.50–$2.00/kg (high)
Mealworm (Tenebrio molitor)	5–10%	Moderate weight gain improvement	Prebiotic effects due to chitin, enhanced resistance to pathogens	Chitin content may reduce digestibility at high levels	$2.50–$3.00/kg (very high)
Housefly larvae (Musca domestica)	10–12%	Positive growth effects	Antimicrobial peptides improve gut health	Risk of pathogen contamination if not properly processed	$1.20–$1.80/kg (moderate)
Locusts (Schistocerca gregaria)	10–20%	High palatability, increased feed intake	Rich in essential amino acids, support the immune response	Seasonal availability, processing difficulties	Varies (wild-caught vs. farmed)
Silkworm pupae (Bombyx mori)	10–15%	Improved feed conversion	High omega-3 content, better meat quality	Require oil extraction to reduce fat content	$1.00–$1.50/kg (moderate)

Inclusion rates, effects, and economic considerations of agro-industrial byproducts in poultry diets

Byproduct type	Optimal inclusion rate (%)	Growth performance effects	Health and immunity effects	Challenges and limitations	Cost considerations
Apple pomace	6–25%	Improved weight gain, feed efficiency	Rich in polyphenols, antioxidant properties	High moisture content, spoilage risk	Low-cost, seasonal availability
Citrus pulp	3–10%	Enhanced nutrient digestibility	Prebiotic effects, improved gut microbiota	High fiber may limit intake	Cost-effective, widely available
Sunflower meal	10–15%	Positive effect on growth, egg production	Enhances protein intake, gut health	Antinutritional factors require enzyme supplementation	Moderate cost
Distillers’ grains (DDGS)	10–24%	Maintain broiler and layer performance	Rich in protein, energy, and minerals	Variability in nutrient content, potential mycotoxins	Affordable but quality-dependent
Grape pomace	6–10%	Improved meat quality, antioxidant benefits	Enhances immune response due to polyphenols	Limited protein content, tannins may interfere with digestion	Low-cost but availability varies
Olive cake/pulp	10–20%	Maintains growth performance	Fatty acids improve meat quality	High fiber limits the inclusion rate	Low-cost alternative to cereal grains
Pomegranate pulp	2%	Enhances antioxidant activity	Reduces oxidative stress, boosts immunity	Seasonal availability	Low-cost if locally sourced
Sugar beet pulp	5%	No adverse effects on broilers	Improves gut health due to fiber content	Requires proper processing	Inexpensive feed ingredient

Phytogenics, Fermented Ingredients, Bee Products, Insect Additives, and Byproducts as Promising Dietary Supplements for Poultry

Figures & Tables

Figure 1.

Figure 2.

Categories of phytobiotics and their specific roles in poultry nutrition

Inclusion rates, effects, and economic considerations of insect meal in poultry diets

Inclusion rates, effects, and economic considerations of agro-industrial byproducts in poultry diets

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