Microalgae as a dietary additive for lambs: A meta-analysis on growth performance, meat quality, and meat fatty acid profile

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of dietary inclusion of microalgae (MIAs) on growth performance, meat quality, and fatty acid (FAs) profile of lamb meat, using a meta-analytic method. The data used were obtained from 18 peer-reviewed publications. The effect size was assessed using weighted mean differences (WMD) between experimental treatments (diets with MIAs) and control treatments (diets without MIAs). Dietary supplementation with MIAs increased (P < 0.05) dry matter intake and average daily gain and decreased feed conversion ratio (P = 0.005). In meat, MIAs supplementation decreased (P < 0.05) drip loss and Warner-Bratzler shear force and increased lightness (P < 0.001). The content of pentadecanoic, stearic, oleic, total ω-6 FAs, and the ω-6/ω-3 ratio of meat decreased in response to the dietary inclusion of MIAs (P < 0.05). In addition, MIA supplementation increased (P < 0.05) the content of linoleic, conjugated linoleic, eicosapentaenoic, docosahexaenoic, and total ω-3 FAs in meat. In conclusion, the dietary inclusion of microalgae can be used as a nutritional strategy to improve animal performance, meat quality, and fatty acid profile in lamb meat.