Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2022 Feb 20;11(2):278.
doi: 10.3390/antibiotics11020278.

Perspective, Opportunities and Challenges in Using Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) in Poultry Health and Production as an Eco-Friendly Alternative to Antibiotics: A Review

Rifat Ullah Khan  1 , Adia Fatima  2 , Shabana Naz  3 , Marco Ragni  4 , Simona Tarricone  4 , Vincenzo Tufarelli  5
Affiliations
Review

Perspective, Opportunities and Challenges in Using Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) in Poultry Health and Production as an Eco-Friendly Alternative to Antibiotics: A Review

Rifat Ullah Khan et al. Antibiotics (Basel). .

Abstract

Following the European Union's restriction on antibiotic growth promoters, research on enhancing gut health has been accelerated. As the poultry industry is facing issues that were previously managed by antimicrobial growth promoters, the hunt for the best remedies continues to find suitable alternatives. Simultaneously, social pressure is mounting to reduce the usage of antibiotics and replace them with other feed additives. Consumers believe a number of accessible options to be safe, with phytogenics playing a crucial role. This review describes how the use of fennel seeds could be beneficial for poultry. An overview of the broad chemical diversity of fennel is presented together with their physicochemical and biological properties. According to investigations, fennel seeds have a variety of biological effects in birds, including improved performance, higher immune cell proliferation, reduced oxidative stress, and boosted antibody titers against infectious diseases. The efficacy of poultry outcomes is determined by the stage and age of the plants, the extraction process, the geographical location, the chicken species, management techniques, and the concentrations administered. The present review focuses on the effects of fennel seeds as a feed additive on poultry growth, carcass quality, blood biochemistry, antioxidant activity, immunity, and microbiological aspects.

Keywords: antibiotics; fennel; health; poultry; production.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Different feed additives reported in poultry production.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Different forms of fennel plants and seeds.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Multiple beneficial effects of fennel seeds in poultry.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Khan R.U., Naz S. The applications of probiotics in poultry production. World’s Poult. Sci. J. 2013;69:621–632. doi: 10.1017/S0043933913000627. - DOI
    1. Khan R.U., Rahman Z.U., Javed I., Muhammad F. Supplementation of vitamins, probioitics and proteins on oxidative stress, enzymes and hormones in post-moulted male broiler breeder. Arch. Tierz. 2013;61:607–616.
    1. Khan R., Rahman Z.U., Javed I., Muhammad F. Serum antioxidants and trace minerals as influenced by vitamins, probiotics and proteins in broiler breeders. J. Appl. Anim. Res. 2014;42:249–255. doi: 10.1080/09712119.2013.822815. - DOI
    1. Alam S., Masood S., Zaneb H., Rabbani I., Khan R.U., Shah M., Ashraf S., Alhidary I.A. Effect of Bacillus ce-reus and phytase on the expression of musculoskeletal strength and gut health in Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) Poult. Sci. J. 2020;57:200–204. doi: 10.2141/jpsa.0190057. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Shah M., Zaneb H., Masood S., Khan R.U., Mobashar M., Khan I., Din S., Khan M.S., Rehman H.R., Tinelli H.A. Single or combined applications of zinc and multi-strains probiotic on intestinal histomorphology of broilers under cy-clic heat stress. Probiotics Antimicrob. Proteins. 2020;12:473–480. doi: 10.1007/s12602-019-09561-6. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources