Impact of Functional Feed Additives and Lower Antibiotic Use on Poultry Meat Quality and Consumer Perception

Summary

This critical review synthesises evidence on functional feed additives as alternatives to antibiotics in poultry production, examining their effects on meat quality, food safety, economic viability and consumer perception. The review identifies benefits including improved feed efficiency, carcass characteristics and meat quality traits, alongside reduced antimicrobial resistance risk, but highlights unresolved challenges including additive efficacy variability, dosage standardisation and farm-level implementation across diverse production systems. The authors conclude that precision nutrition and data-driven feed strategies combining synergistic additives will be essential for achieving profitable and sustainable poultry production.

Regional applicability

The findings are internationally applicable given growing regulatory pressure to reduce antibiotic use across Europe, the United Kingdom and beyond. United Kingdom poultry producers and policymakers face similar antimicrobial resistance concerns and consumer demand for antibiotic-free products, making this review's assessment of functional alternatives directly relevant to UK farm practice and food safety policy.

Key measures

Feed conversion ratio, body weight gain, carcass yield, water-holding capacity, colour stability, tenderness, oxidative stability, shelf life, antibiotic residues, antimicrobial resistance gene transmission, consumer acceptance and willingness to purchase

Outcomes reported

The review evaluates how functional feed additives (probiotics, prebiotics, phytogenics, organic acids, essential oils, etc.) affect poultry meat quality, food safety, economic viability and consumer perception when used as alternatives to antibiotics. It examines effects on feed conversion, body weight gain, carcass yield, meat quality traits and antimicrobial resistance risk reduction.

Topic tags