Recently, microalgae, natural marine resources, have gained increasing interests as a feed for animals. Chlorella vulgaris microalgae are single-cell microorganisms that have been used to provide nutrition to humans and animals for centuries. In the present review, we unveil the composition and nutritive value of C. vulgaris microalgae as a feed for ruminants. Research has shown that inclusion of C. vulgaris microalgae in diets improved feed utilization, milk production and quality, growth performance, and meat quality in ruminants, as a result of improved diet nutritive value leading to improved feed utilization. Very low doses of C. vulgaris in feed enhance growth and lactational performance of ruminants. Additionally, C. vulgaris showed very promising results as an alternative to corn and soybean meal; however, it is an expensive protein feed. Therefore, the main constraint to use of C. vulgaris as a feedstuff is its high cost of production, making improvement of cultivation technology to reduce the production costs a critical issue in the near future.

中文翻译：

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反刍动物营养中的小球藻微藻：化学成分和营养价值的综述

近来，微藻作为天然海洋资源，作为动物饲料已受到越来越多的关注。绿藻小球藻是单细胞微生物，已有数百年历史，一直为人类和动物提供营养。在本综述中，我们揭示了作为反刍动物饲料的寻常小球藻微藻的组成和营养价值。研究表明，日粮中添加寻常型微藻可提高饲料利用率，牛奶产量和品质，反刍动物的生长性能以及肉质，这是由于日粮营养价值的提高导致饲料利用率的提高。饲料中极低剂量的寻常梭菌可提高反刍动物的生长和泌乳性能。另外，普通梭状芽胞杆菌作为玉米和豆粕的替代品显示出非常可喜的结果。但是，它是一种昂贵的蛋白质饲料。因此，使用寻常梭菌作为饲料的主要限制因素是其高生产成本，使得改良栽培技术以降低生产成本成为近期的关键问题。