The Animal Kingdom, Agriculture and Seaweeds

• Main Authors: Melania L. Cornish, Michéal Mac Monagail, Alan T. Critchley
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-07-01
• Series: Journal of Marine Science and Engineering
• Subjects: macroalgae (seaweeds); feed; food; <i>Homo sapiens</i>; agriculture; health
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/8/8/574

Marine macroalgae (seaweeds), are amongst the first multicellular organisms and, as such, the precursors to land plants. By the time ‘land’ animals arrived on the scene, terrestrial plants were plentiful and varied, and herbivorous diets developed in concert with the food sources most commonly available. However, skip forward several hundred millennia, and with the advent of agriculture, approximately 10,000 years ago, dietary diversity began to change. Today, the world is experiencing increasingly higher rates of debilitating, non-communicable diseases—might there be a connection? This paper reviews scientific evidence for the judicious use of various seaweeds in the reduction of heat stress, enhanced immunity, improved growth performance, and methane reduction in animals. The extensive, (super) prebiotic effects of selected macroalgae will also be highlighted. Key studies conducted across the animal kingdom provide considerable support that there is an overwhelming need for the guided and wise applications of increased usage of selected seaweeds in feed, food and supplements. Particular attention will be paid to the bioactive components, and nutraceutical qualities, of various seaweeds, i.e., the brown, <i>Saccharina</i> (<i>Laminaria</i>) spp. and <i>Ascophyllum nodosum</i>, and the red alga <i>Chondrus crispus</i>. Suggestions are put forward for benefits to be derived from their further applications.