Availability and Nutritive Value of Spirulina (<i>Arthrospira fusiformis</i>) from Arenguade and Chitu Lakes of Rift Valley of Ethiopia and Farmers’ Perception about Its Utilization

Abstract

Farmers perception about availability and utilization of Spirulina (Arthrospira fusiformis) were assessed and its nutritive value compared against reference proteins (soybean and nuge cake). Samples of Spirulina were collected from Arenguade and Chitu lakes of rift valley of Ethiopia. A survey was conducted on purposively selected 100 households (HH) living around the Lakes which are located in Gerbicha and Labu subuqa districts of Debre Zeit town and west Arsi zone, respectively. Chemical composition and in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) and total gas volume (TGV) of feed samples were determined. Respondents of both districts are not aware of Spirulina as animal feed. Spirulina was available during dry season in Arenguade and whole year in Chitu. The highest (p < 0.05) ash (26%), ether extract (EE, 13%), crude protein (CP, 33%) and IVDMD (96%) was recorded for Spirulina from Lake Arenguade. There was no significant difference (p > 0.05) in crude fiber (CF), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), acid detergent lignin (ADL) and metabolizable energy (ME) contents between Spirulina from both lakes. Spirulina from Chitu produced the highest TGV (31.2 ml) and fermented faster than Spirulina from Arenguade. Lowest (p < 0.05) ash, EE, CP and IVDMD and higher (p < 0.05) CF, NDF, ADF, ADL and TGV were recorded for reference proteins than Spirulina. ME content of Spirulina (3200 kcal/kg) was higher (p < 0.05) than that of nuge cake (3011 kcal/kg) but lower (p < 0.05) than that of soybean (3474 kcal/kg). Therefore, the chemical composition and IVDMD showed the potential of Spirulina to be used as a substitute of the reference feeds.

Effect of Cumulative Spirulina Intake on Broiler Meat Quality, Nutritional and Health-Related Attributes

“…1 Female broilers. 2 Male broilers. 3 For the duration of the trial, the last day, corresponding to slaughtering, was not considered.…”

“…1 For the duration of the trial, the last day, corresponding to slaughtering, was not considered. 2 Calculated as the total feed ingested per animal during the experimental period multiplied by the proportion of microalgae in the diet. For some of the studies, no information about the cumulative feed intake (CFI) was available, and therefore, it was estimated as follows: CFI (g/bird) (Altmann et al [11]; Altmann et al [24]) = (CFI (Abdel-Moneim et al [25]) + CFI (Ibrahim et al [10]) + CFI (Neumann et al [26]) + CFI (Park et al [8]) + CFI (Sugiharto et al [27]))/5; the studies had the same duration of trial and animal initial age; CFI (g/bird) (Bonos et al [3]) = (CFI (Abbas et al [32]) + CFI (Abou-Zeid et al [33]) + CFI (Feshanghchi et al [34])/3; the studies had the same duration of trial and animal initial age; CFI (g/bird) (Costa et al [22]; Pestana et al [9]; Spínola et al [21]) = (CFI (g/d/pen) × number of days)/number of birds.…”

“…The quest for sustainable and health-promoting livestock feeds has intensified in recent years, emphasising natural additives and feedstocks that enhance the nutritional value and quality of animal products. Arthrospira platensis , known as Spirulina, belongs to the Arthrospira genus, which has other species ( Arthrospira maxima [ 1 ] and Arthrospira fusiformis [ 2 ]). It is a microalga rich in proteins, vitamins and antioxidants and has emerged as a promising feed supplement and ingredient in poultry diets.…”