The impact of Spirulina platensis supplementation on performance and immune response in laying hens.

Veterinary research communications · 2026 · Benefit · Low evidence

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BenefitLow evidencePaper 2391

Study snapshot

PublicationVeterinary research communications · 2026

Study typeanimal

Reported directionBenefit

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

This study evaluated the effects of dietary supplementation with different levels of Spirulina platensis (SP) on laying performance, immune response, serum fatty acid profile of laying hens and SP's in vitro antioxidant capacity. About 160 hens were assigned to four dietary treatments: control (0) and SP-supplemented diets (1.5, 3, and 4.5 g/kg diet). Supplementation with SP showed notable, significant positive effects on laying rate (92.9-94.5%), egg weight (62.2-67.1 g), egg mass, yolk color, shell quality traits, and feed conversion ratio compared to the control group (P < 0.05). SP supplementation also enhanced the humoral immune response, as shown by increased Newcastle disease antibody titers, particularly at 1.5 and 3 g/kg during the first 60 days. Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of serum fatty acid profile revealed a dose- and time-dependent increase in beneficial unsaturated fatty acids and a marked reduction in cholesterol levels in SP-fed hens. In vitro evaluations showed that SP extract had potent antioxidant activity with 2, 2-azino-bis-3 ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activity comparable to vitamins C and E, particularly at high concentrations (3 and 4.5 g/kg). These results highlight the promising potential of Spirulina platensis as a functional, natural feed additive to improve the laying performance, egg quality, immune response, yolk fat and provide potent antioxidant protection in poultry production systems.

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AI evidence extraction

Structured fields below were generated from the paper’s abstract and metadata to make the evidence easier to inspect. Automated extraction may be incomplete or incorrect; verify important details against the original paper.

Study typeanimal

Effect directionbenefit

PopulationLaying hens

Sample size160

ExposureNot supplied

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

In 160 laying hens assigned to control or Spirulina platensis (1.5, 3, 4.5 g/kg diet), Spirulina supplementation significantly improved laying rate, egg weight, egg mass, yolk color, shell quality traits, and feed conversion ratio versus control (P<0.05). Spirulina also increased Newcastle disease antibody titers (noted particularly at 1.5 and 3 g/kg during the first 60 days), shifted serum fatty acids toward higher unsaturated fatty acids with reduced cholesterol in a dose- and time-dependent manner, and showed potent in vitro antioxidant activity (ABTS/DPPH) comparable to vitamins C and E at higher concentrations.

Outcomes measured

Laying performance (laying rate, egg weight, egg mass)
Egg quality (yolk color, shell quality traits)
Feed conversion ratio
Humoral immune response (Newcastle disease antibody titers)
Serum fatty acid profile (GC-MS)
Cholesterol levels
In vitro antioxidant capacity (ABTS, DPPH scavenging activity)

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": null,
    "source": null,
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": null
  },
  "population": "Laying hens",
  "sample_size": 160,
  "outcomes": [
    "Laying performance (laying rate, egg weight, egg mass)",
    "Egg quality (yolk color, shell quality traits)",
    "Feed conversion ratio",
    "Humoral immune response (Newcastle disease antibody titers)",
    "Serum fatty acid profile (GC-MS)",
    "Cholesterol levels",
    "In vitro antioxidant capacity (ABTS, DPPH scavenging activity)"
  ],
  "main_findings": "In 160 laying hens assigned to control or Spirulina platensis (1.5, 3, 4.5 g/kg diet), Spirulina supplementation significantly improved laying rate, egg weight, egg mass, yolk color, shell quality traits, and feed conversion ratio versus control (P<0.05). Spirulina also increased Newcastle disease antibody titers (noted particularly at 1.5 and 3 g/kg during the first 60 days), shifted serum fatty acids toward higher unsaturated fatty acids with reduced cholesterol in a dose- and time-dependent manner, and showed potent in vitro antioxidant activity (ABTS/DPPH) comparable to vitamins C and E at higher concentrations.",
  "effect_direction": "benefit",
  "limitations": [],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "Spirulina platensis",
    "laying hens",
    "dietary supplementation",
    "egg quality",
    "laying performance",
    "immune response",
    "Newcastle disease antibody titers",
    "serum fatty acids",
    "cholesterol",
    "antioxidant activity",
    "ABTS",
    "DPPH",
    "GC-MS"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": []
}

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AI-extracted fields are generated from the abstract and metadata and may be incomplete or incorrect. This material is for informational purposes and is not medical advice.

Identifiers and source

DOI: 10.1007/s11259-026-11069-8
PubMed: 41653387

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