The effects of dietary macroalgae, or seaweeds, on growth performance and meat quality of livestock animal species are here reviewed. Macroalgae are classified into Phaeophyceae (brown algae), Rhodophyceae (red algae) and Chlorophyceae (green algae). The most common macroalga genera used as livestock feedstuffs are: Ascophyllum, Laminaria and Undaria for brown algae; Ulva, Codium and Cladophora for green algae; and Pyropia, Chondrus and Palmaria for red algae. Macroalgae are rich in many nutrients, including bioactive compounds, such as soluble polysaccharides, with some species being good sources of n-3 and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids. To date, the incorporation of macroalgae in livestock animal diets was shown to improve growth and meat quality, depending on the alga species, dietary level and animal growth stage. Generally, Ascophyllum nodosum can increase average daily gain (ADG) in ruminant and pig mostly due to its prebiotic activity in animal's gut. A. nodosum also enhances marbling score, colour uniformity and redness, and can decrease saturated fatty acids in ruminant meats. Laminaria sp., mainly Laminaria digitata, increases ADG and feed efficiency, and improves the antioxidant potential of pork. Ulva sp., and its mixture with Codium sp., was shown to improve poultry growth at up to 10% feed. Therefore, seaweeds are promising sustainable alternatives to corn and soybean as feed ingredients, thus attenuating the current competition among food-feed-biofuel industries. In addition, macroalgae can hinder eutrophication and participate in bioremediation. However, some challenges need to be overcome, such as the development of large-scale and cost-effective algae production methods and the improvement of algae digestibility by monogastric animals. The dietary inclusion of Carbohydrate-Active enZymes (CAZymes) could allow for the degradation of recalcitrant macroalga cell walls, with an increase of nutrients bioavailability. Overall, the use of macroalgae as feedstuffs is a promising strategy for the development of a more sustainable livestock production.

中文翻译：

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海藻用于畜牧生产和肉类质量的当前知识和未来前景：系统评价


本文综述了膳食大型藻类或海藻对家畜动物生长性能和肉质的影响。大型藻类分为褐藻纲（褐藻）、红藻纲（红藻）和绿藻纲（绿藻）。用作牲畜饲料的最常见的大型藻属是： 泡叶藻(Ascophyllum) 、海带 (Laminaria ) 和裙带菜 (Undaria) （褐藻）；绿藻中的石莼 (Ulva) 、石莼 (Codium)和刚毛藻 (Cladophora) ；红藻有Pyropia 、 Chondrus和Palmaria 。大型藻类富含许多营养物质，包括生物活性化合物，例如可溶性多糖，其中一些物种是 n-3 和 n-6 多不饱和脂肪酸的良好来源。迄今为止，根据藻类种类、饮食水平和动物生长阶段，在牲畜饲料中加入大型藻类可以改善生长和肉质。一般来说，泡叶藻可以增加反刍动物和猪的平均日增重 (ADG)，主要是由于其在动物肠道中的益生元活性。 A 。 nodosum还可以提高大理石花纹分数、颜色均匀性和红色度，并可以减少反刍动物肉类中的饱和脂肪酸。海带，主要是指状海带，可提高日增重和饲料效率，并提高猪肉的抗氧化潜力。石莼属及其与石莼属的混合物显示，添加高达 10% 的饲料可改善家禽的生长。因此，海藻有望成为玉米和大豆饲料原料的可持续替代品，从而削弱当前食品-饲料-生物燃料行业之间的竞争。 此外，大型藻类可以阻碍富营养化并参与生物修复。然而，一些挑战需要克服，例如开发大规模且具有成本效益的藻类生产方法以及提高单胃动物对藻类的消化率。饮食中添加碳水化合物活性酶（CAZymes）可以降解顽固的巨藻细胞壁，同时增加营养物质的生物利用度。总体而言，使用大型藻类作为饲料是发展更可持续畜牧生产的一项有前途的战略。