Enhancing meat quality of weaned piglets with the dietary incorporation of Ulva lactuca and carbohydrases supplementation.

The impact of the dietary incorporation of 7% Ulva lactuca, a green seaweed, on the quality and nutritional value of piglet's meat was assessed. U. lactuca is rich in nutrients and bioactive compounds but its cell wall is composed of complex polysaccharides that reduce their bioavailability. Therefore, the effect of supplementing piglet diets with exogenous carbohydrases was also assessed here. A total of 40 male weaned piglets were divided into four dietary groups, each with 10 piglets: control (wheat, maize and soybean meal-based diet), UL (7% U. lactuca replacing the control diet), UL + R (UL and 0.005% Rovabio®), and UL + E (UL and 0.01% ulvan lyase). The piglets were fed the diets for 2 weeks. The results showed that incorporating U. lactuca in piglet diets did not influence most of the meat quality traits (P > 0.05). However, the incorporation of U. lactuca with the commercial carbohydrase (UL + R) increased the amount of the docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6n-3) in their meat (P = 0.011) compared with the control, by 54%. In addition, meat from piglets fed seaweed diets showed a nearly two-fold increase in iodine contents (P < 0.001). Meat tenderness, juiciness and overall acceptability of piglets fed the control diet and the UL diet were lower than those fed the diets containing seaweed and carbohydrases (P < 0.001). Overall, the findings indicate that 7% U. lactuca in the diets of weaned piglets had no major detrimental effects on meat quality and their carbohydrase supplementation has the potential to improve meat sensory traits.

Physicochemical properties of iodine and selenium biofortified Sparus aurata and Cyprinus carpio during frozen storage.

Fish biofortification with natural ingredients like iodine-rich macroalgae and selenized-yeast is an excellent strategy to enhance the nutritional quality of farmed fish. This study aimed to assess the effect of frozen storage during 12-months on physicochemical quality of biofortified seabream (Sparus aurata) and carp (Cyprinus carpio). Frozen storage reduced iodine content in biofortified seabream fillets (17%), as well as selenium content in biofortified carp fillets (24%). Yet, biofortified fillets still presented enhanced iodine and selenium contents at the end of the storage period. Increased lipid oxidation (3.45 mg MDA kg-1 for seabream and 2.41 mg MDA kg-1 for carp) and decreased water holding capacity (23-29% for seabream and 14-23% for carp) was observed during storage, whereas major changes in colour and texture occurred after 45 days (seabream) and 225 days (carp) of storage. In general, biofortified fish fillets maintained their nutritional value and quality after 360 days of frozen storage.

Effect on Broiler Production Performance and Meat Quality of Feeding Ulva lactuca Supplemented with Carbohydrases.

The aim of the study was to test if feeding 15% U. lactuca to broilers, alone or combined with carbohydrases, enhanced meat nutritional quality, without compromising growth performance. One hundred and twenty 22-day-old broilers were allocated to the following diets and replicated 10 times for 14 days: (1) maize and soy-based diet (control); (2) control with 15% U. lactuca (UL); (3) UL diet with 0.005% commercial carbohydrase mixture (ULC); and (4) UL diet with 0.01% ulvan lyase (ULE). Final body weight and average daily gain decreased (p < 0.050) with the ULE diet compared with the control, but no significant differences were found for the other diets. The intestinal viscosity increased (p < 0.001) with all alga diets but was lowered (p < 0.050) in the ileum with the ULE diet, relative to UL and ULC diets. Meat lightness and redness values, off-flavours, and total carotenoids increased (p < 0.001), while yellow values, tenderness, juiciness, overall acceptability, α- and γ-tocopherol, and total lipids decreased (p < 0.001) with alga diets. The n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) increased (p < 0.050), and the n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio decreased (p < 0.001) with the ULE diet. Total minerals in meat increased (p < 0.001) with alga diets, conversely to sodium and zinc (p < 0.001). Feeding 15% of U. lactuca to broilers did not impair growth but increased meat nutritional value through the accumulation of health-promoting antioxidant carotenoids, n-3 PUFA and total minerals, although reducing overall meat acceptability.

Influence of Feeding Weaned Piglets with Laminaria digitata on the Quality and Nutritional Value of Meat.

Laminaria digitata is a novel feedstuff that can be used in pig diets to replace conventional feedstuffs. However, its resilient cell wall can prevent the monogastric digestive system from accessing intracellular nutrients. Carbohydrate-active enzyme (CAZyme) supplementation is a putative solution for this problem, degrading the cell wall during digestion. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of 10% L. digitata feed inclusion and CAZyme supplementation on the meat quality and nutritional value of weaned piglets. Forty weaned piglets were randomly allocated to four experimental groups (n = 10): control, LA (10% L. digitata, replacing the control diet), LAR (LA + CAZyme (0.005% Rovabio® Excel AP)) and LAL (LA + CAZyme (0.01% alginate lyase)) and the trial lasted for two weeks. The diets had no effect on any zootechnical parameters measured (p > 0.05) and meat quality traits, except for the pH measured 24 h post-mortem, which was higher in LAL compared to LA (p = 0.016). Piglets fed with seaweed had a significantly lower n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio compared to control, to which the higher accumulation of C20:5n-3 (p = 0.001) and C18:4n-3 (p < 0.0001) contributed. In addition, meat of seaweed-fed piglets was enriched with bromine (Br, p < 0.001) and iodine (I, p < 0.001) and depicted a higher oxidative stability. This study demonstrates that the nutritional value of piglets' meat could be improved by the dietary incorporation of L. digitata, regardless of CAZyme supplementation, without negatively affecting growth performance in the post-weaning stage.

Effects of steaming on health-valuable nutrients from fortified farmed fish: Gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) and common carp (Cyprinus carpio) as case studies.

Fish fortification with iodine-rich macroalgae (Laminaria digitata) and Selenium-rich yeast is expected to promote nutritional added value of this crucial food item, contributing to a healthy and balanced diet for consumers. However, it is not known if steaming can affect these nutrient levels in fortified fish. The present study evaluates the effect of steaming on nutrients contents in fortified farmed gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) and common carp (Cyprinus carpio). Fortified seabream presented enhanced I, Se and Fe contents, whereas fortified carp presented enhanced I, Se and Zn contents. Steaming resulted in increased I and Se contents in fortified seabream, and increased Fe and Zn levels in fortified carp, with higher elements true retention values (TRVs >90%). The consumption of 150 g of steamed fortified seabream contributes to a significant daily intake (DI) of I (up to 12%) and Se (up to >100%). On the other hand, steamed fortified carp contributes to 19-23% of I DI and 30%-71% of Se DI. These results demonstrate that steaming is a healthy cooking method, maintaining the enhanced nutritional quality of fortified fish. Moreover, the present fortification strategy is a promising solution to develop high-quality farmed fish products to overcome nutritional deficiencies.

Enriched feeds with iodine and selenium from natural and sustainable sources to modulate farmed gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) and common carp (Cyprinus carpio) fillets elemental nutritional value.

Developing tailor-made fortified farmed fish is a promising solution to overcome nutritional deficiencies and increase consumer confidence in these products. This study evaluated the supplementation of three fortified diets with I-rich seaweed and selenised-yeast on essential and toxic elements levels in gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) and common carp (Cyprinus carpio). Fortified diets resulted in increased I, Se and Fe in fish muscle. Biofortified seabream and carp revealed lower Cu and Br. The reduction of fishmeal and fish oil in fortified diets resulted in lower Hg and Cd in seabream muscle. Contrarily, fortified diets increased As and Hg in carp fillets. The consumption of 150 g of fortified seabream enabled a significantly higher contribution to the daily recommended intake (DRI) of I (10%) and Se (76%) than non-fortified fish, whereas fortified carp fulfilled 23% of I DRI and 91% of Se DRI. Moreover, the exposure to Pb decreased with the consumption of biofortified seabream (23-82% BMDL01) and carp (26-92% BMDL01). These results support the strategy of developing eco-innovative biofortified farmed fish using sustainable, natural, safe and high-quality ingredients in feeds, to enable consumers to overcome nutritional deficiencies without significantly increased feed costs.