Hassan Habibi

We conducted a study to investigate how Persian Gulf algae derivatives, specifically phycocyanin (PC) and fucoidan (FUC), influence the egg quality and ileal microflora of laying Japanese quail. We employed a total of 200 Japanese quails aged six weeks for our study, which were distributed into five treatment groups. Each group consisted of four replicates, with 10 birds in each replicate, following a completely randomized design. During the experiment, the treatment groups were administered phycocyanin (PC) obtained from Spirulina platensis and fucoidan (FUC) extracted from brown seaweed in their drinking water, while the control groups did not receive these supplements. The treatment groups received PC and FUC at two different concentrations, 20 mg/L and 40 mg/L, denoted as PC20, PC40, FUC20, and FUC40, respectively. Throughout the study, all quails were provided with the same diet. Various concentrations of phycocyanin (PC) and fucoidan (FUC) had a significant impact on increasing eggshell thickness, while other parameters of egg quality remained unchanged. Additionally, both algal derivatives had a positive influence on the intestinal microflora, specifically enhancing the populations of Lactobacillus, coliform, and Clostridia, although aerobic bacteria levels remained unaffected. In conclusion, our study demonstrates the favorable effects of phycocyanin (PC) and fucoidan (FUC) on the shell thickness and ileal microflora of laying Japanese quail.