Nutrient profiles of brown marine algae (Sargassum dentifebium) as affected by different processing methods for chickens

The aim of this research was to evaluate the nutritional value of brown marine algae (BMA) as affected by different processing methods as a feedstuff for chicken diets. Brown marine algae (Sargassum dentifebium) were cultivated from Jeddah Red Sea shore. BMA was first sun-dried (SBMA) at average day temperature of 40 degrees C until constant weight. Then, a part of the SBMA was processed by boiling (BBMA) in water (1 part algae at 45 degrees C for 4 part water) for 20 min. Another part of SBMA was processed by autoclaving (ABMA) under 115 bar/inc for 15 min. The BBMA and ABMA were then air-dried at 45 degrees C for 48 h until constant weight. Brown marine algae contained protein 7.54-7.77%, crude fat 0.41-0.47%, crude fibre 7.77-7.90%, ash 47.15-48.31%, nitrogen free extract 29.95-31.38% and soluble sugars 1.666-1.880% whereas the metabolizable energy (ME) value was 1523-1543 kcal/kg. Nature detergent fibre ranged from 27.95 to 30.21%, acid detergent fibre from 21.18 to 23.54% and hemicellulose from 6.41 to 7.73% whereas tannins ranged from 0.733 to 0.815 mg/g protein. Mineral contents of BMA were Ca 0.126-0.144%, P0.239-0.255%, Na 4.01-4.05%, Zn 215-345 ppm, Mn 216-270 ppm, I 12.72-13.51 ppm, Fe 11.2-11.5 ppm and Cu 4.6-4.81 ppm. Valine (0.94-1.03%), leucine (0.88-0.96%), arginine (0.71-0.77%) and threonine (0.63-0.74%) were the most abundant essential amino acids (EAAs) in BMA processed by different methods. The contents of EAAs were 0.17-0.25%, 0.23-0.35% and 0.30-0.40% for methionine, methionine + cystine and lysine. The saturated fatty acids (SFA) were 32-54-35.90%, monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) 35.79-37.02%, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) 27.77-30.43% and unsaturated fatty acids (UFA) 64.10-67.46%. The SFA:UFA ratio was 0.482-0.560. It was concluded that BMA had a valuable nutrient profiles and could be used as a feed resource for poultry feeding.