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Worldwide, millets are regarded as a significant grain, however, they are the least exploited. Millet grain is abundant in nutrients and health-beneficial phenolic compounds, making it suitable as food and feed. The diverse content of nutrients and phenolic compounds present in finger and pearl millet are good indicators that the variety of millet available is important when selecting it for use as food or feed. The phenolic properties found in millets compromise phenolic acids, flavonoids, and tannins, which are beneficial to human health. Moreover, finger millet has an exceptionally unique, more abundant, and diverse phenolic profile compared to pearl millet. Research has shown that millet phenolic properties have high antioxidant activity. The presence of phytochemicals in millet grains has positive effect on human health by lowering the cholesterol and phytates in the body. The frantic demands on maize and its uses in multiple industries have merited the search for alternative grains, to ease the pressure. Substitution of maize with pearl and finger millets in the diets of different animals resulted in positive impact on the performance. Including these grains in the diet may improve health and decrease the risks of diseases. Pearl millet of 50% or more can be used in broiler diets without adversely affecting broiler performance or egg production. Of late, millet grain has been incorporated in other foods and used to make traditional beverages. Thus, the core aim of this review is to provide insight and comprehension about the nutritional and phenolic status of millets and their impact on human and livestock.

Protein sources are known to be the second largest component in the poultry sector. Traditionally, fish and soya-bean meals are known to supply very good protein; however, these are restricted in supply and more expensive than energy sources. The prices of soya-bean meal are currently high and tend to fluctuate with changes in climatic conditions and social situations in the countries where it is produced. Developing countries like South Africa have made enormous investments in soya-bean production, despite that the country still imports considerable volumes of this crop and is not self-sufficient. This then means that there is an urgent need to seek for alternative and cost-effective protein sources that can provide the same nutrients as soya-bean and fish meal for poultry production. Tenebrio molitor L. which is commonly known as yellow mealworm has a huge potential to substitute commonly used protein sources in poultry diets. Mealworms are easy to breed and do not require large area for production. Moreover, they have high nutritional value comparable to that of soya-bean and fishmeal. However, the only limiting nutrient for mealworms is calcium which can be easily supplemented in the diets. Therefore, this review sets out to explore the importance of replacing soya bean with mealworms in poultry diets. Furthermore, the life cycle of meal worms will also be discussed.

The therapeutic benefits of phenolic compounds found in plants are well known. The purpose of this study was to determine the phenolic content of ten plant species used as ethnoveterinary treatments in Namibia’s Omusati and Kunene regions. The plants of concern were Aloe esculenta , Fockea angustifolia, Boscia albitrunca, Combretum imberbe, Acacia nilotica, Colophospermum mopane, Acacia erioloba, Ziziphus mucronata, Ximenia americana , and Salvadora persica . An LC–MS approach was used to identify the compounds. To analyse high-resolution UPLC-UV/MS, a Waters Acquity ultra-performance liquid chromatograph (UPLC) with a photodiode array detector was connected to a Waters Synapt G2 quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer (MS). The current study identified a total of 29 phenolic compounds. Flavonoids (epicatechin, (-)-Epigallocatechin, and rutin,) were the most abundant, followed by 2R, 3S-Piscidic acid. Methylisocitric acid was found in all species investigated, with the highest quantities in A. esculenta and X. americana leaf extracts. There were differences in composition and quantity of phenolic compounds in aerial and ground sections between species. The overall findings of the present study would act as a standard for subsequent investigations into the pharmacological potentials of plants species utilized as ethnoveterinary remedies. Priority should be given to isolating, purifying, and defining the active compounds responsible for these plants' activity.

This review is intended to provide recent published information on trace elements from edible insects from various environments. Recently, insects are gaining popularity as food proteins in developing countries and press higher demand for edible insects since they may provide similar nutritional value as meat. Insects have been part of the human diet in the world for decades and at least 1900 insect species are considered edible. Furthermore, insects play a crucial role in socioeconomic by contributing to the world’s food security as well as eradicating poverty in rural communities. Generally, edible insects are considered a readily available source of proteins, carbohydrates, and chitin. They also contain considerable amounts of trace elements such as iron, zinc, copper, and manganese. It has been observed that there is a great variation between mineral contents found in insects of the same or different species. Knowledge and comprehensive understanding of trace element contents of edible insects are crucial to fully maximise their utilisation in diets and prevent mineral deficiency in human beings and animals. However, most of the research on insects has focused on the nutritional contents of insects with less attention given to other nutritional components such as minerals and trace elements. The available data on trace elements from edible insects as food is limited and makes it difficult to draw estimations for the nutrient intake of humans and animals. Therefore, this review aimed to provide comprehensive information on availability of iron, zinc, copper, and manganese from selected edible insects, functions, and deficiencies in both humans and animals.

Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) is an annual herbaceous dicotyledonous plant native to Asia and Africa belonging to the Malvaceae family. Due to its many applications, it is a valuable multifunctional crop. This is an essential food, fibre and medicinal plant that can tolerate a variety of environmental conditions. This plant, along with other food alternatives, has potential to be used in feed resource-based inventories. It is an alternative crop that can be used as a protein source in both human and animal feed production. Kenaf contains a great number of bioactive compounds which can be of great importance in human and animal health. Furthermore, kenaf meal can replace soyabean meal and fish meal as protein supplements. Kenaf is greatly adaptable and available therefore, its fast growth and nutritional qualities give it a great potential to solve food insecurity in future. This paper gives an overview of kenaf's future potential in the food and feed industries.

Fermented tropical leaf meals (FTLM) are currently added to chicken feed to improve chicken productivity due to their reported nutritional and medicinal benefits. However, the effects of FTLM on broiler productivity and health are less clear. Thus, this meta-analysis was designed to assess the effects of FTLM on the performance outcomes of broilers Eleven controlled studies were retrieved and used to explore the impacts of dietary FTLM supplementation on growth performance [feed intake (FI), feed conversion ratio (FCR), average daily gain (ADG)], blood lipids, slaughter performance (abdominal fat, breast and thigh muscles weight), meat quality [pH, drip loss, shear force, lightness (L*), redness (a*), and yellowness (b*)], and intestinal histomorphology [villus height (VH), crypt depth (CD) and VH/CD values] of broilers. Subgroup and meta-regression analyses of the effects of moderators (i.e., leaf meal type, supplementation level, broiler strains, rearing phase, and fermentation microbes) on the growth performance of broilers were also assessed. Results show that dietary FTLM supplementation increased FI [standardised mean difference (SMD) = 0.11; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.02, 0.20; P < 0.0001], improved ADG (SMD = 0.33; 95% CI: 0.23, 0.43; P < 0.0001) and FCR (SMD =  − 0.21; 95% CI: − 0.30, − 0.11; P < 0.0001) in broilers. In addition, FTLM enhanced slaughter performance, meat quality, and intestinal histomorphology of broilers. Broilers fed 0—5 g/kg feed FTLM had better FI, FCR, and ADG than the controls taking significant heterogeneity into account. Meta-regression revealed that analysed moderators influenced growth performance results and accounted for some of the sources of heterogeneity. It can be concluded that up to 5 g/kg of FTLM can be added to broiler feed to improve growth performance, intestinal histomorphology, slaughter performance, and meat quality without adverse effects on dressing percentage and blood lipid profiles.

Our review condensed evidence on the potential of medicinal plants to improve the reproductive performance of livestock. The success of any livestock farming operation is highly dependent on the reproductive performance of animals. However, infertility has limited the proficiency of livestock and resulted in economic losses. For centuries, farmers utilised medicinal plants extensively in managing reproductive disorders. These plants have few to no side effects, are cheap, easily accessible and readily available. Among others, the inclusion of Moringa olifera leaf extracts for 14 days at levels of 100–300 mg/kg body weight improved sperm characteristics. Zingiber officinale root extracts at levels of 500–1000 mg/kg body weight for 3 weeks increased sperm count, viability and mobility and testosterone. Furthermore, the increase in the volume of ejaculate and sperm concentration has been observed in sheep when Leucaena spp were added to their diets at 100–300 g/sheep/day for 60 days. However, there is little literature regarding the use of medicinal plants on ruminants, as the majority of studies have been laboratory-based and have used experimental animals, including rats and mice. Thus, future research is required through in vivo and in vitro studies to ascertain the efficacy of these medicinal plants in male ruminants.

The effects of dietary fermented cassava on the blood constituents and production parameters of broiler chickens have been reported with variable outcomes. Therefore, this investigation aimed to explore the impacts of dietary fermented cassava on growth traits, blood constituents, visceral organ, and carcass characteristics of broiler chickens. Four databases were searched for studies that assessed responses of broiler chickens dietary fermented cassava. Eleven articles were used for the investigation, and data generated were analysed using OpenMEE software. A random effects model was used, and effect sizes were presented as standardised mean difference (SMD) at a 95 % confidence interval (CI). Sources of heterogeneity were evaluated using the following modifiers: broiler strain used, cassava form, feeding duration, type of microbes used for the fermentation, and inclusion level of cassava. Results indicate that fermented cassava-based diets increased feed intake (SMD = 0.38; 95 % CI: 0.11, 0.65; P = 0.006), feed conversion ratio (SMD = 1.26; 95 % CI: 0.91, 1.61; P < 0.001), white blood cells (SMD = 1.26; 95 % CI: 0.54, 1.98; P < 0.001), total serum protein (SMD = 1.23; 95 % CI: 0.41, 2.05; P = 0.003), serum cholesterol (SMD = 0.43; 95 % CI: 0.01, 0.85; P = 0.050), serum creatinine (SMD = 2.53; 95 % CI: 0.53, 4.53; P = 0.013), and serum uric acid (SMD = 4.33; 95 % CI: 6.25, 2.41; P < 0.001), but lowered average daily gain and carcass yield, taking heterogeneity into account. Results reveal that studied modifiers were responsible for the inconsistent results among authors. In conclusion, dietary fermented cassava negatively influenced carcass yield, growth performance, and aspects of blood indices of broiler chickens, but did not affect abdominal fat content, visceral organ weights, and cut-part weights. However, more innovative research is needed to improve the feeding quality of cassava using other biotechnological tools in order to maximise its potential as an energy source in broiler chickens.

The structure and functionality of digestive system and gastrointestinal microbiota composition play a crucial role in the development of the gastrointestinal tract and gut morphology. A well-developed gastrointestinal tract will have a proper balanced proportion between the beneficial and harmful microbes; therefore, this balance will promote nutrient utilization and stimulate the development of immune system. The gut microbiota living in an animal’s gastrointestinal tract can be modulated through the feeding of prebiotic or probiotic compounds which have effects on the animal’s humoral immunity, hence improving the nutrient utilization and thus improving growth performance and the overall health condition of the animal. Therefore, this review aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding and recent reports on the role of insect meal in poultry feed aimed at improving health condition and gut status in poultry production. A literature search was performed with an electronic database of Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), Research gate, Web of Science, Science Direct, Google Scholar, and PubMed. In addition, recently published manuscripts were selected, and the citations included in articles from the databases were used to search for other relevant articles. The studies were evaluated, and the level of evidence varied with insect types, inclusion levels, and the supplementing method. Extensive research has shown that insects can be safely used in poultry feeds to modulate the development of digestive and immune system without compromising the production parameters and the quality of the produce. Insects can be directly fed to chickens or can be processed into insect meals and supplemented in the diet. Nonetheless, most literatures done on the effects of insect meal are focused commercial chicken breeds and little attention is given to other poultry species; therefore, more studies are recommended to ascertain these findings.

Abstract An experiment was conducted to evaluate the influence of sorghum as a replacement of maize on the performance and carcass traits of Ross 308 broiler chickens aged 1–42 days. One hundred and sixty Ross 308 broiler chickens weighing 41.8 ± 6g were assigned to a complete randomized design with five dietary treatments replicated 4 times with eight birds per replicate. Five diets were formulated to contain low tannin white sorghum replacement levels of 0% (M100S0), 25% (M75S25), 50% (M50S50), 75% (M25S75) and 100% (M0S100). Body weight and feed intake were measured on weekly basis and feed conversion ratio (FCR) calculated. The general linear model procedure of the statistical analysis software (SAS) was used to analyse the data. When maize was replaced by low tannin sorghum meal feed intake, body weight and feed conversion ratio were not affected (p>0.05) at ages 1–42 days. Replacing maize with low tannin sorghum diet had no effect (p>0.05) on crop, gizzard, caecum, large intestine weights and intestinal morphology of Ross 308 broiler chickens aged 1–21 days of age. Drumstick, thigh and wing weights, drumstick, thigh and wing colour, meat sensory evaluation and meat pH of male Ross 308 broiler chickens were not affected (p>0.05) by replacement of maize with sorghum-based diet. It can, therefore, be concluded that low tannin sorghum can replace maize at 25, 50, 75 and 100% levels without causing adverse effects on overall productivity of broiler chickens aged 1–42 days.