Perspectives and advantages of using olive (Olea europaea) by-products as a dietary supplement for rabbit production and health

Abstract

Over the years, the olive oil market has increased considerably due to its organoleptic features and increasing awareness of the beneficial properties of olive products for human health. However, the olive oil production processes generate a variety of wastes and by-products that create serious environmental concerns because of their high phytotoxicity, but also represent an extraordinary potential source of functional compounds, such as polyphenols. This review explored the application of olive by-products as possible functional feed ingredient in rabbit nutrition. The available literature indicates that the manipulation of the rabbit diet is very reliable in producing “enriched meat” and that the bioactive fractions of olive by-products can be used to enhance meat microbial quality, fatty acid profile, and can increase the presence of compounds with natural antioxidant effect, which can exert beneficial effects on gut microbiota and animal welfare. Therefore, supplementing the diet of rabbits with olive by-products could present a sustainable option for valuable biomass, reduce the costs associated with animal feeding, and provide an “eco-green” improvement of meat quality.