Microalgae as growth and immunity biostimulants for a sustainable poultry industry in Morocco

Duration

2024-2029

Lead institutions

KU Leuven

Université Mohammed VI Polytechnique

Academic partners

Koenraad Muylaert

Nawal Merghoub

Project status

Ongoing

Programme

TEAM

Total budget

297,612.70

Summary

Poultry is an affordable and sustainable source of animal protein in Morocco. To align with SDG2 and with the plan Maroc Vert, the poultry industry needs to abandon the use of antibiotics as growth promotors to prevent antimicrobial resistance, a growing global health threat. Microalgae have growth and immunostimulant properties and could potentially replace antibiotics in poultry feed. They have addition advantages as they could enhance the nutritional quality of eggs and/or chicken meat. The proposed TEAM project will use locally isolated and produced microalgae to replace antibiotics in poultry feed, promoting a holistic approach to addressing health, environmental, and socio-economic challenges. Microalgae biotechnologists and poultry veterinarians will collaborate to formulate new microalgae-supplemented feeds and apply them in a realistic environment through collaboration with an industrial poultry farm.

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