Review Article

GINGER AS AN ANIMAL FEED ADDITIVE: AN OVERVIEW

R. S. Siregar^1,*, Y. Widiyastuti², M. S. Siregar¹, M. Silalahi³

¹Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara, Medan 20238, North Sumatra, Indonesia

²Center for Research and Development of Medicinal Plants and Traditional Medicines, Agency of Health Research and Development, Ministry of Health, Karanganyar Regency 57792, Central Java, Indonesia

³Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Universitas Kristen Indonesia, Cawang 13630, East Jakarta, Indonesia

^*Corresponding author’s e-mail: rahmadsyukur@umsu.ac.id

ABSTRACT

Ginger is a natural alternative to antibiotics and is safe for animal and human health. Its use has been reported as an animal feed additive without triggering antibiotic resistance or residues in products. Ginger contains a number of active compounds, viz., terpenes, oleoresin, zingiberol, zingiberone, zingiberene, gingerol, shogaol, zingerone, and paradol, which function as antioxidants, natural antibiotics, and immune stimulants to support animal health and growth. This article employed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) method by identifying articles from various scientific report source databases, viz., PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, and Elsevier. The articles and reports (n=130) were selected between the years 2014 to 2021. The literature survey findings revealed that ginger is a natural alternative to antibiotics that can increase the growth and productive efficiency of poultry, ruminant, and aquaculture. The use of ginger as a feed additive can support organic farming activities to protect the environment, humans, and animals, thereby potentially increasing the sustainability of the animal production sector.