The issue of
antibiotic resistance of the pathogenic organisms has become a global challenge,
more so is the issue of presence of antibiotic residues in the food. The
pervasive presence of antibiotic residues including tetracyclines, sulphonamides,
and quinolones in meat, milk, and eggs has raised significant concerns due to
their extensive use in animal husbandry. This not only pose a serious challenge
to the food safety but also contributes significantly to the global crisis of
antimicrobial resistance. Hence, scientists are making efforts to find a safe
and sustainable alternative to antibiotics in animal husbandry. Finding feed
additives which effectively control the pathogenic organisms & diseases, and
promote health in animal husbandry is the need of the hour. Areca nut extract
has emerged as a promising candidate due to its diverse biological activities
and potential applications in livestock production. Due to its remarkable
antioxidant potential, along with its exceptional antibacterial, antifungal,
and antiviral activities, areca nut extract is emerging as a promising candidate
as a feed additive.
The in vitro
radical scavenging activity (DPPH) of areca extract has been found to be on par
with Vitamin C in one study. The ferric ion reduction capacity of areca nut
extract is comparable to half the dose of vitamin C, while its lipid
peroxidation inhibition capacity is fourfold greater than that of Vitamin E. In
animal models, the areca nut extract augmented the antioxidant enzymes,
including superoxide dismutase (SOD), myeloperoxidase (MPO), and catalase (CAT).
Areca nut extract exhibits a spectrum of remarkable antibacterial activity against
a myriad of bacterial and fungal strains. In one study, areca nut extract showed
a minimum inhibitory concentration between 3.3 to 7 µg/ml for the gram-negative
bacteria and up to 16 µg/ml for the gram-positive bacteria. Butanol extract of areca
nut showed superior efficacy against Staphylococcus aureus and Mycobacterium
smegmatis, with minimum inhibitory concentrations ranging from 62.5 to 250 µg/ml.
At a concentration of 50 µg/ml, it effectively inhibited Candida albicans
in another study.
Using areca nut
extract in the chicken feed at dosages of 100, 200, and 300 mg/kg over a period
of 9 days demonstrated significant therapeutic effects against coccidial
infections. This treatment notably
ameliorated cecal damage caused by the disease in one study. Furthermore, the areca
nut extract enhanced the immune function of the chickens by increasing the
concentrations of cytokines in the bloodstream, thereby bolstering their
disease resistance. The areca nut extract has also shown inhibitory effects on
the replication of Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV) and Egg Drop Syndrome Virus
(EDS) in another study.
Recently, Xu and Co-workers from Hunan Agriculture University China, studied the effect of areca nut extracts on growth performance, slaughtering performance, and meat quality of broiler chickens for 49 days on one-day-old broiler chickens. They had used the extract of areca nuts for their study. They have reported that 100 to 200 mg of areca extract per kg of feed significantly boost the growth performance and meat quality of broilers, facilitate muscle development, and has no remarkable influence on slaughter performance.
References
Liu et al., (2025). Exploring the potential benefits of
areca nut extract in animal production: a review, Frontiers in Animal Science,
DOI 10.3389/fanim.2025.1495886.
Xu et al., (2025). Effect of areca nut extracts on growth performance, slaughtering performance, and meat quality of broiler chickens, Frontiers in Veterinary Science, DOI 10.3389/fvets.2025.1579415.
