Cited by 45Animal Nutrition and PhysiologyAquaculture Nutrition and GrowthAlgal biology and biofuel production

Enhancing Digestibility of Chlorella vulgaris Biomass in Monogastric Diets: Strategies and Insights

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Spínola, Maria P., Costa, Mónica M., Prates, José A. M.·2023·Animals

Abstract

Microalgae, such as Chlorella vulgaris (CV), have been identified as promising animal feed sources due to their high content of essential nutrients, including proteins, total lipids, n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, and pigments. This study aimed to review the digestibility, bioaccessibility, and bioavailability of nutrients from CV biomass, and to analyse strategies to enhance their digestibility in monogastric animal diets. The study conducted a systematic review of the literature from databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Web of Science, up until the end of January 2023. The results of adding CV to poultry and swine diets were diverse and depended on a number of variables. However, pre-treatments applied to CV biomass improved nutrient digestibility and accessibility. CV biomass, produced in a cost-effective manner, has the potential to serve as a supplement or substitute for expensive feed ingredients and improve animal health, physiology, and immune status. Variations in results may be due to differences in microalgal strain, cultivation conditions, and dietary inclusion levels, among other factors. This study provides new insights and perspectives into the utilization of CV biomass in animal diets, highlighting its potential as a valuable ingredient to improve nutrient utilization.

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Crossref · 10.3390/ani13061017

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  • Cell disruption techniques such as high-pressure homogenisation, ultrasonication, bead milling, and enzymatic hydrolysis are effective in breaking down microalgal cell walls and facilitating release of intracellular nutrients.

    “Cell disruption techniques, such as high-pressure homogenisation, ultrasonication, bead milling, and enzymatic hydrolysis, have proven effective in breaking down the resilient cell walls of microalgae, thus facilitating the release of intracellular nutrients like lipids, carotenoids, and proteins [27,93].”

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Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. [13]Valente L.M. Cabrita A. Maia M.R. Valente I. Engrola S. Fonseca A.J. Ribeiro D.M. Lordelo M. Martins C.F. Falcão e Cunha L. Microalgae as feed ingredients for livestock production and aquaculture Microalgae: Cultivation, Recovery of Compounds and Applications Galanakis C.M. Academic Press Amsterdam, The Netherlands 2021 239 312
  2. [30]Liu J. Hu Q. Chlorella: Industrial production of cell mass and chemicals Handbook of Microalgal Culture Richmond A. Hu Q. John Wiley and Sons Hoboken, NJ, USA 2013 327 338

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Authors
Spínola, M. P., Costa, M. M., & Prates, J. A. M.
Affiliations
University of Lisbon (PT)
Corresponding author
Prates, José A. M.
Venue
Animals
Publisher
MDPI AG
Published
2023-03-10
Volume
13
Issue
6
Pages
1017
ISSN
2076-2615 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W4324091388
Cited by
45
References
67
Citations by year
2026: 9 · 2025: 21 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 3
FWCI
1.35
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Animals (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
  • Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia grants (UI/BD/153071/2022, UIDB/00276/2020, LA/P/0059/2020, P2020/17/SI/70114/2019)
  • Portugal2020 project (UI/BD/153071/2022, UIDB/00276/2020, LA/P/0059/2020, P2020/17/SI/70114/2019)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Animal Science and Zoology › Animal Nutrition and Physiology
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Aquatic Science › Aquaculture Nutrition and Growth
  • Physical Sciences › Energy › Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment › Algal biology and biofuel production
Keywords
Chlorella vulgaris, microalgal biomass, nutrient digestibility, bioaccessibility, bioavailability, poultry feed, pig feed, alternative feed ingredients, omega-3 fatty acids, protein and fat content

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