Olives are small fruits produced by the olive tree (
Olea europaea), a deciduous tree or shrub that is native to the Mediterranean region. Olive trees, and their various parts, have been used in traditional and contemporary medicine for a wide range of ailments. Specific applications relating to poultry include:
- Cardiovascular Support: A study conducted in 2012 on the effects of supplementing broiler chickens' diets with 10 g/kg of dietary olive leaves, showed that it had an anti-hypertensive effect and decreased incidences of ascites in chickens exposed to cold ambient temperatures.
- Egg quality: Adding 1-3% olive leaf powder to the diet of 120 laying hens for 8 weeks showed that it helped to reduce egg yolk cholesterol content and egg yolk coloring agent.
- Antimicrobial: Olive oil leaf extract has demonstrated strong antimicrobial activity against Campylobacter jejuni and Staphylococcus aureus (including methicillin-resistant S. aureus.
Poultry Specific Studies
| Type | Plant Part | Dosage | Specific use | Results | Ref |
|---|
| Broilers | leaf extract | 600 mg/kg diet | GI health | decreased the caecal E. coli content | G Erener et al., 2020 |
| Chickens | crushed leaves | 1 g/kg diet | immunity | Improved immunity against infection with E. coli. | E Elsaaed et al., 2014 |
References
- Herrero-Encinas, J et al. "Effects of a bioactive olive pomace extract from Olea europaea on growth performance, gut function, and intestinal microbiota in broiler chickens " Poultry science vol. 99,1 (2020)
- Herrero-Encinas, J et al.. "Effects of a bioactive olive pomace extract from Olea europaea on growth performance, gut function, and intestinal microbiota in broiler chickens " Poultry science (2019)
- Debbou-Iouknane, Nedjima et al.. "In Vitro Anticoccidial Activity of Olive Pulp (Olea europaea L. var. Chemlal) Extract Against Eimeria Oocysts in Broiler Chickens " Acta parasitologica vol. 64,4 (2019)
- . "Health Benefits of Olives" OrganicFacts.net (2016)
- Cayan, H., & Erener, G. "Effect of olive leaf (Olea europaea) powder on laying hens performance, egg quality and egg yolk cholesterol levels." Asian-Australasian journal of animal sciences (2015)
- Dal Bosco, A., et al.. "Effect of range enrichment on performance, behavior, and forage intake of free-range chickens." The Journal of Applied Poultry Research (2014)
- Botsoglou EN, Govaris AK, Ambrosiadis IA, Fletouris DJ.. "Olive leaves (Olea europaea L.) versus tocopheryl acetate as dietary supplements for enhancing the oxidative stability of eggs enriched with very-lo" Journal of Science and Food Agriculture (2013)
- Sánchez González, Marta, et al.. "Assessment of the safety of maslinic acid, a bioactive compound from Olea europaea L" Molecular nutrition & food research (2013)
- Botsoglou, E., et al.. "Effect of supplementation of the laying hen diet with olive leaves (Olea europea L.) on lipid oxidation and fatty acid profile of linolenic acid enriched eggs during storage" British poultry science (2012)
- Christaki, E. V., Bonos, E. M., & Florou-Paneri, P. C.. "Comparative evaluation of dietary oregano, anise and olive leaves in laying Japanese quails. " Revista Brasileira de Ciência Avícola (2011)
- De Pablos LM, dos Santos MF, Montero E, Garcia-Granados A, Parra A, Osuna A.. "Anticoccidial activity of maslinic acid against infection with Eimeria tenella in chickens." Parasitology Research (2010)
- Bullitta, S., G. Piluzza, and L. Viegi. "Plant resources used for traditional ethnoveterinary phytotherapy in Sardinia (Italy)" Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution (2007)
