Mushroom Meal Supplementation as Prebiotic Sources in Poultry Nutrition: A Review

Mushrooms are fleshy, spore-bearing fungi grown above ground. Mushrooms have a cap (pileups), stem (stipe), and lower cap gills (lamellae) or pores. The mushroom fungus produces millions of small spores under its top instead of seeds. Among common edible mushroom Shiitake (<i>Lentinula edodes</i>), the second most grown edible mushroom, accounts for 25% of production. Shiitake is a complete nutritional diet since it has all nutritional components protein, lipids, carbohydrate (CHO), polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content, vitamins minerals and fibers. Shiitake mushrooms have gained widespread recognition for their diverse bioactivity, which includes antifungal, antibacterial, antparasitic, antiviral, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-proliferative, cytotoxic, anticancer, antitumor, hepatoprotective, hypocholesterolemic, antidiabetic, and anticoagulant effects. The use of growth promoter drugs in chicken feed has raised concerns about the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which has put both human and animal health at risk. Consequently, issues with animal performance, feed conversion ratio, agitation, and an increase in the prevalence of specific animal diseases have resulted from the withdrawal of antibiotics as growth promoters.