In ovo delivery of nutraceuticals improves health status and production performance of poultry birds: a review

• Published in: World's poultry science journal 2022-07, Vol.78 (3), p.765-788
• Main Authors: Arain, Muhammad Asif, Nabi, Fazul, Marghazani, Illahi Bakhash, Hassan, Faiz ul, Soomro, Hidayatullah, Kalhoro, Hameeda, Soomro, Feroza, Buzdar, Jameel Ahmed
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Amino acids; Birds; Carbohydrates; Chickens; Chicks; Delay time; Dietary minerals; Drug development; Embryogenesis; Embryos; Feed additives; Feed conversion; Feed efficiency; Food additives; Functional foods & nutraceuticals; Gastrointestinal system; Gastrointestinal tract; Immune response; Immunity; Immunostimulants; Immunosuppressive agents; Inoculation; Juveniles; Minerals; Morbidity; Nutrients; Physiological effects; Poultry; Poultry production; Reviews; Vitamins
• ISSN: 0043-9339; 1743-4777
• DOI: 10.1080/00439339.2022.2091501

SUMMARYNutraceuticals, including amino acids, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins, have gained more attention, owing to multiple nutritional and health benefits, including maintaining the normal physiological status and disease prevention, thereby improving production performance of poultry birds. In commercial poultry production systems, chicks do not have access to feed and water for about 24–48 h during transportation between hatchery and production farm. This delay time poses negative effects on early feed intake, organ development, natural exposure to microbiota and immune sensitisation of chicks. Early feeding via in ovo inoculation of nutrients and feed additives to the developing embryo during 12th or 17th to 18th days of incubation significantly mitigates the adverse effects of starvation and enhances post-hatch performance and health of poultry birds during pre-andpost-hatch periods. The direct administration of various supplements, nutrients, drugs, vaccines, immunostimulants and biological substances through an in ovo route has diverse advantages including boosted health status, immunity and production performance of post-hatch poultry birds. Early feeding of nutrients during embryonic life has numerous benefits, such as improvements in weight gain, feed efficiency, growth rate and digestive organ development; decrease in morbidity and mortality of embryo; reduction in skeletal disorder; and boosted immunity, muscular development and meat yield of poultry birds. Furthermore, early in ovo feeding of nutraceuticals has provided better protection against a number of infectious pathogens than post-hatch supplementation. The current review aimed to provide a promising insight for the promotion of in ovo technology in order to supply different nutraceuticals (amino acid, vitamins, minerals and carbohydrates) directly into the developing embryo to achieve an improvement in post-hatch growth, immune responses and antioxidant defence along with the development of gastrointestinal tract. Additionally, this review highlights the future of in ovo technology as a strategy to improve the productive performance of poultry birds.