Lentil (Lens culinaria) and its by-products inclusion in livestock nutrition: present insights and emerging trends in rabbit and poultry system

ABSTRACT

The current agro-industrial system must develop a more efficient and sustainable food production model to achieve greater food security for the expanding global population, in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) outlined in the European Agenda 2030. A green and sustainable solution for the feed-food production dilemma may be the use of agricultural by-products (AB) in livestock feeding. The ABs are what remains of fruits and vegetables after industrial processing, containing a plethora of bioactive compounds. Currently, their direct utilization in livestock nutrition is growing, but more research is needed to deeply discover their potential in terms of health-promoting compounds. Lentils (Lens culinaria L.), belonging to the Fabaceae family and commonly categorized as pulses, have historically served as a staple food for humans. Post-harvest processing of lentils yields various by-products (e.g. straw, hulls, screenings) that possess high nutritive value and are rich in phytochemicals, making them suitable for incorporation into balanced diets for numerous livestock species, including poultry and rabbits. This review focuses on the available knowledge on lentil by-products (LB), their nutritive value and phytochemicals including the main dietary effects on growth and productive parameters of poultry and rabbits.

KEYWORDS:

• Lentil
• agricultural by-products
• livestock
• phytochemicals
• poultry
• rabbit

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by EU funding within the NextGenerationEU-MUR PNRR based on DM 118/23, project ‘Green chemistry for sustainable innovation of production processes for animal feed’, under the first author’s PhD Programme in Organs and Tissues Transplantation and Cellular Therapies (XXXIX cycle) of the Department of Precision and Regenerative Medicine and Jonian Area, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Italy.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).