Exploring strategies to enhance microalgae nutritional quality for functional poultry-sourced food products

Abstract

Microalgae have emerged as a promising feedstock for the poultry feed industry due to their high nutritional potential, containing essential polyunsaturated fatty acids, essential amino acids, vitamins, and other high-value products compared to conventional poultry feed supplements. Microalgae-based feed can enhance broilers' body weight, feed intake, and, more interestingly, improve the nutritional quality of poultry-sourced food products with omega-3 fatty acids and carotenoids. This study aims to review all available metabolic quality-enhancement strategies, including conventional approaches dealing with physicochemical parameters of the cultivation condition and unconventional approaches dealing with advanced molecular biology techniques. These strategies are considered promising for enriching microalgae biomass with valuable metabolites for high-quality feed production, consequently enhancing the nutritional value of poultry meat and specialty eggs. Finally, techno-economic challenges were discussed, and recommendations were delivered.