News
Mushroom Stembase Can Make Chicken Healthy
Adding stembase of edible mushrooms to chicken feed will not only give chicken greater immunity
but also reduce the use of antibiotics in chicken feed as well as lower chicken's fat content,
which is greatly beneficial to consumers' health.
The Council of Agriculture (COA) pointed out that edible mushrooms are important foodstuffs
nowadays for people seeking to keep in good health because they are highly nutritious, low-fat,
low-cholesterol, low-calorie and rich in high molecular weight polysaccharide which can activate
macrophage cells, stimulate immune system and enhance immunity. In addition, mushrooms are also
rich in cellulose just like other vegetables and there is no need to use agricultural chemicals
when growing edible mushrooms. Therefore, as a safe, hygenic, nutritious and tasty vegetable,
edible mushrooms are very good for health. While the demand for mushrooms is ever increasing,
their by-products, stembase, are a source of eco-friendly animal feed which is worth developing further.
The COA subsidized the research by the Mingdao University Department of Biological Science and
Technology and the National Chung Hsiung University Department of Animal Science in 2009 to dry
abalone mushroom stembase with biological technology. When adding 1-3% of dried abalone mushroom stembase to feed, it will increase chicken's immunity and vitality and improve their health
conditions, not only providing the material for eco-friendly feed but also enhancing animal
health and producing healthy and safe meat.
Since banning antibiotics from animal feed has become a worldwide trend, the COA said, taking
animal welfare into consideration and seeking to produce healthy materials for eco-friendly
feed is a common goal for the livestock industry, the government and research institutes. Because mushroom stembase still has nutritious elements, it can be used to add to the feed to make the feed more natural and good for the health of animals, while reducing the use of antibiotics
by the livestock industry.
