Averrhoa carambola L. leaf as a source of phytobiotic feed additive for broilers: A review

Abstract

The sweet starfruit (Averrhoa carambola L.), a plant widely cultivated in Indonesia and other tropical regions, has long been recognized for its medical properties. Its leaves are rich in bioactive compounds including polyphenols, flavonoids, and essential fatty acids. These compounds exhibit strong antioxidant, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory activities, making sweet starfruit leaves a promising candidate for phytobiotic feed additive in poultry nutrition. Antioxidants play an important role in preventing the oxidation of long-chain unsaturated fatty acids. Tannins are polyphenols that reduce free radicals by inhibiting the enzymatic system. Flavonoids can stabilize free radicals by adding electrons from free radicals and preventing ring reactions that form new free radicals. Flavonoids function in the prevention and treatment of oxidative pathologies such as atherosclerosis and inflammation. Flavonoids can function as drugs because they have a role in regulating enzymes and receptors in the brain that produce significant effects on the central nervous system. The active compound content of sweet starfruit leaves makes this plant useful as a phytobiotic feed additive. This study explored the potential of sweet starfruit leaf extract as anatural feed additive to improve broiler performance and the finding support as a suistainable and effective alternative to synthetic growth promotor.