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. 2021 Feb 5;11(2):401. doi: 10.3390/ani11020401

Table 2.

Natural sources of antioxidants used as feed additives for monogastric and ruminants and main effects found in final products.

Animal Species Animal Product Source Dose Diet Concentration Product Storage Days Effect Reference
Chicken Raw and cooked breast meat patties Grape (Vitis vinifera) pomace
concentrate
60 g/kg - 20 Inhibitory effect on lipid oxidation; increase in radical scavenging capacity [83]
Chicken Breast and thigh meats Grape (V. vinifera) pomace 30 g/kg - 7 Inhibitory effect on lipid oxidation (decreased MDA values) [84]
Chicken Breast meat Grape (V. vinifera) pomace
concentrate
60 g/kg - 7 Inhibitory effect on lipid oxidation (decreased MDA values);
improvement of antioxidant activity (in diet, ileal content, and excreta)
[85]
Chicken Breast meat Grape (V. vinifera) pomace 10 g/kg - 10 Inhibitory effect on lipid oxidation; decrease of redness and yellowness values [86]
Chicken Thigh meat Grape (V. vinifera) pomace 100 g/kg - 4 Inhibitory effect on lipid oxidation; increase in the meat PUFA concentration [87]
Chicken Breast and thigh meats Dry rosemary (Rosmarinus
officinalis L.) leaves (R) and
rosemary essential oil (RO)
11.5 g/kg (R)
0.2 g/kg (RO)
- 5 Inhibitory effect on lipid oxidation (decreased MDA values) decrease in pH value, negative effect on the
sensory analysis (taste, odour, and overall acceptability)
[88]
Chicken Breast meat Rosemary (R. officinalis L.) powder + vitamin E 0.5 g/kg - 14 Increase in oxidative stability [89]
Chicken Minced thigh meat Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) pomace extract (PPE) and
pomegranate pomace (PP)
0.3 g/kg (PPE)
3 g/kg (PP)
45 mg GAE/g meat
(TPC; PPE),
42 mg GAE/g meat (TPC; PP)
11 Inhibitory effect on lipid oxidation (decreased TBARS values); increase in radical scavenging capacity;
decrease of n-6/n-3 ratio
[90]
Chicken Breast muscle, fat, liver Tea polyphenols 15 g/kg - - Inhibitory effect on oxidative stress induced by corticosterone; reduction of abdominal fat content, plasma
triglyceride concentration and liver weight
[91]
Laying hens Eggs Grape (V. vinifera) pomace flour 30 g/kg - 30 Increase of laid eggs percentage;
decrease of yolk and albumen pH;
reduction of egg lipid oxidation;
decrease in contents of caproic,
butyric and margaric fatty acids
[92]
Laying hens Eggs Dried orange pulp (Citrus sinensis) 90 g/kg - 28 (room
temperature)
90 (4 °C)
Improvement of egg yolk oxidative stability; reduction in feed intake; negative influence on egg quality (lighter eggs, lower eggshell percentage,
thickness, and strength, less orange yolk colour)
[93]
Pig Longissimus muscle muscle Fermented grape (V. vinifera)
pomace product
30 g/kg - - Decrease of SFA3 (palmitic, stearic, and arachidic acids) and increase of PUFA concentrations; inhibitory effect on
lipid oxidation (decreased TBARS
values); higher redness and yellowness values
[94]
Pig Raw and cooked
Longissimus dorsi steaks
Grape (V. vinifera) seed extract (GSE) and bearberry (BB) 0.7 g/kg (GSE)
0.7 g/kg (BB)
- 16 (raw meat)
28 (cooked meat)
No effect on oxidative stability and quality of raw and cooked meat [95]
Pig Loin meat mixture Green tea (Camellia sinensis) by-products 20 g/kg - - Inhibitory effect on lipid oxidation (decreased TBARS values) [96]
Pig Longissimus dorsi muscle, lard Rosemary (R. officinalis L.) extract 1 g/kg - 5 Increase in PUFA content; increase of oxidative stability (decreased TBARS values) [97]
Pig Longissimus lumborum muscle Rosemary (R. officinalis L.) 1 g/kg - 5 No influence on meat lipid content; improvement in meat fatty acid
profile (increase in the content of PUFA of the n-3 and n-6 series); no influence on shelf-life duration
[98]
Pig Longissimus lumborum muscle, “capocollo” (neck pork meat) Rosemary (R. officinalis L.) aqueous leaf extract (R), oregano (Origanum vulgare) aqueous leaf extract (O) 2 g/kg (R)
2 g/kg (O)
1 + 1 g/kg (OR)
2.8 GAE/g dry meat (TPC; O)
3.2 GAE/g dry meat (TPC; R)
4.1 GAE/g dry meat (TPC; OR)
- Increase in antioxidant activity (higher GSH-Px values (O diet), greater
appreciation of meat obtained from
animals fed a diet supplemented with rosemary
[99]
Pig Loin, bacon, chops
patties
Cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) juice powder 150 g/kg - - No influence in oxidative stability; decrease of redness and colour intensity values [100]
Pig Longissimus dorsi Tea polyphenols (TP), Lucta sweetener, flax oil (FO) 0.4 g/kg diet (TP) - - Increase of T-SOD and GSH-Px
(prevention of possible oxidations in the muscle)
[101]
Rabbit Longissimus dorsi, hind legs Rosemary (R. officinalis L.) aqueous extract (R), oregano (O. vulgare) aqueous extract (O) 2 g/kg (R)
2 g/kg (O)
1 + 1 g/kg (RO)
- - Improvement of oxidative stability (lower TBARS content, lower oxidation degree); improvement of protein content [102]
Rabbit Meat from Longissimus lumborum muscle Olive (Olea europaea L.) pomaces 50 g/kg - - Inhibitory effect of lipid oxidation; increase in MUFA content and decrease in PUFA content; no influence on meat physical traits [103]
Rabbit Meat from Longissimus dorsi muscle Spirulina (Arthrospira platensis; S), thyme (Thymus vulgaris; T) 50 g/kg (S)
30 g/kg (T)
- 9 Reduction of lipid oxidation (T);
improvement of colour parameters (T); improvement in α-tocopherol and n-3 fatty acids content (T); reduction of drip loss (T)
[104]
Rabbit Meat from Longissimus thoracis and lumborum muscle Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) pomace 150 g/kg - 60 No influence on carcass characteristics, proximate composition, lipid oxidation and consumer acceptance of rabbit meat; improvement of fatty acids profile (increase of total n-3 PUFA) [105]
Dairy cattle Milk, caciotta cheese Dried grape (V. vinifera) pomace 100 g/kg DM - 28 (caciotta cheese) No influence on milk composition, increase in the concentration of linoleic acid and trans-vaccenic acid (milk and caciotta cheese); increase in rumenic acid (caciotta cheese); darker colouring, harder consistency, less sweet taste (caciotta cheese) [106]
Dairy cattle Milk Grape (V. vinifera) residue silage 100 g/kg DM 12.3 mg GAE/L (TPC)
1.3 mg QE/L
(flavonoids)
- No influence on milk yield, fat, lactose, crude protein; decrease of urea nitrogen and total solids; increase in PUFA concentration and PUFA/SFA ratio; no influence on the concentration of total polyphenols and flavonoids [107]
Dairy cattle Milk Pelleted citrus pulp (PCP), soybean oil 30 g/kg of soybean oil and 90 g/kg PCP (SOCP-9);
30 g/kg of soybean oil and 180 g/kg PCP (SOCP-18)
27.2 μg GAE/mL
(SOCP-9; TPC)
31.1 μg GAE/mL
(SOCP-18; TPC)
0.8 μg QE/mL
(SOCP-9; flavonoids);
0.8 μg QE/mL
(SOCP-18; flavonoids)
- Increase in polyphenols and flavonoids content and total ferric reducing
antioxidant power; decrease in SFA content; increase in MUFA content
[108]
Dairy cattle Milk Ensiled Moringa oleifera 271 g/kg DM - - Improvement of milk yield, increase in milk antioxidant capacity, decrease in somatic cell count content [109]
Dairy cattle Milk Propolis (Baccharis dracunculifolia) based product (PBP), flaxseed oil 1.2 g/kg DM 13.35 mg GAE/L (TPC; PBP) - Increase of fatty acids trans9–18:1, cis9, trans11–18:2 concentrations, and total CLA content; increase of total polyphenols concentration; increase of reducing antioxidant power [110]
Beef cattle Meat from Longissimus thoracis (LT) and
semitendinosus (ST) steaks
Plant extracts rich in polyphenols (PERP) + vitamin E 7 g/kg - 12 Protective effect against lipid
oxidation (lower MDA values; after 12 days aging under-vacuum)
[80]
Beef cattle M. longissimus dorsi (LD) steaks, cooked LD slices Tea catechins (TC), rosemary
(R. officinalis L.) extracts (RE)
1 g/animal/day (TC)
1 g/animal/day (RE)
- 8 No significant influence on lipid
stability and surface redness (LD steaks); no influence on sensory properties and lipid stability (cooked LD slices)
[111]
Beef cattle Meat from M.
Longissimus lumborum
Dried citrus pulp (DCP), dried grape (V. vinifera) pomace (DGP) 150 g/kg DM 32.5 g GAE/kg dry
matter (TPC; DCP)
89.6 g GAE/kg DM
(TPC; DGP)
12.7 g GAE/kg DM (total tannins; DCP)
50.7 g GAE/kg DM (total tannins; DGP)
9 Improvement of antioxidant activity (DGP > DCP); inhibitory effect on lipid oxidation (DGP < DCP); higher value of lightness in beef; improvement of beef shelf life [112]
Beef cattle Longissimus dorsi steaks Olive cake 5 g/kg DM - 9 Inhibitory effect of lipid oxidation; delay of colour deterioration and
off-odour during storage; reduction of peroxide value; no influence on
microbial counts
[113]
Beef cattle Fresh and cooked beef from Longissimus
thoracis muscle
Dried citrus pulp (DCP) 800 g/kg DM 0.92 mg GAE/g muscle (TPC) 14 (fresh beef)
6 (cooked beef)
No influence on TBARS concentration (fresh beef); reduction of lipid oxidation (40% DCP in cooked beef); no negative influence on texture
characteristics and
consumer acceptability
[114]
Goat Milk, cheese Distilled thyme (T. zygis subsp. gracilis) leaves (DTL), not-distilled thyme leaves (TL) 200 g/kg DM (DTL)
75 g/kg DM (TL)
400 mg GAE/kg of cheese (TPC; DTL)
450 mg GAE/kg of cheese (TPC; TL)
45 (cheese) Improvement of milk quality (increase in PUFA content); inhibitory effect on lipid oxidation (TBARS values
decreased; TL); improvement of
sensory characteristics (DTL: best rind and taste)
[115]
Goat Milk Acacia farnesiana pods 300 g/kg DM 305.5 mg GAE/L of milk (TPC) - Improvement of antioxidant activity (scavenging capacity increased, higher Trolox equivalent value, higher ferric reducing antioxidant power value) [116]
Goat Meat from M.
longissimus dorsi (LD), gluteus medius (GM) and semimemberanosus (SM) muscles
Tea catechins (TC) from green tea (C. sinensis) leaves 4 g/kg - - Improvement of antioxidant activity (TBARS values decreased),
improvement of meat colour
stability; decrease of drip loss
percentage (GM); decrease of
intramuscular fat (SM)
[117]
Goat Meat from M.
longissimus thoracis and lumborum muscle
M. oleifera leaves 200 g/animal/day 1.62 ± 0.27 mg GAE /g of meat (T) - Improvement of antioxidant activity; increase in scavenging potential;
increase of percentage of inhibition against lipid oxidation; increase in SOD activity
[118]
Goat Meat from Muscularis longissimus thoracis and lumborum muscle Olive mill wastewaters (OMWW) powder extract 0.0032 g/day - 7 Increase in MUFA concentration,
decrease in SFA concentration;
inhibitory effect of lipid oxidation
(reduction of MDA content);
no significant influence on meat proximate composition; texture and colourimetric properties
[119]
Sheep Pecorino cheese Rosemary (R. officinalis L.) leaves 2.5% 2.14 mg GAE/g of cheese (TPC after 3 weeks from the start of the trial)
2.62 mg GAE/g of cheese (TPC after 5 weeks from the start of the trial)
3.60 mg GAE/g of cheese (TPC after 7 weeks from the start of the trial)
- Increase in the total polyphenol
concentration in milk and Pecorino cheese; increase in antioxidant
activity of cheese; inhibitory effect on lipid oxidation; no influence on cheese composition; modification of overall cheese flavour (after 7 weeks from the start of the trial)
[120]
Sheep Milk, Pecorino cheese Fresh lemon (Citrus limon) pulp 2000 g/day 10.4 g GAE/kg DM (TPC) - Influence on milk fatty acid composition (improvement of vaccenic and
rumenic acids); increase in milk protein and casein percentages; increase in
antioxidant activity of cheese and total content of phenolic compounds
[121]
Sheep Raw and cooked minced lamb meat Rosemary (R. officinalis L.) extract 0.6 g/kg - 21 Extension of raw meat shelf life (lipid oxidation and rancidity delayed),
no influence on the shelf life duration of cooked meat
[122]
Sheep Meat fillets from Longissimus dorsi muscle Rosemary (R. officinalis L.) extract 0.006 g/kg - 21 Inhibitory effect on meat lipid
oxidation (MDA levels reduced) and rancidity, prevention of sensory
deterioration
[123]
Sheep Milk Concentrated Pomegranate (P. granatum L.) peel extract 451 g/DM/kg - - Increase in milk antioxidant capacity, improvement of milk yield and
composition (higher phospholipid, fat, protein and lactose content)
[124]

CLA: conjugated linoleic acid; DM: dry matter; GAE: gallic acid equivalents; MDA: malondialdehyde; MUFA: monounsaturated fatty acids; PUFA: polyunsaturated fatty acids; QE: quercetin; TBARS: thiobarbituric acid reactive substances; TPC: total phenolic content.