Fermented mulberry leaves show promise in aged laying hens

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A study newly published in Animals suggests that mulberry leaves fermented with the medicinal mushroom Ganoderma lucidum could become a more functional feed ingredient for aged laying hens. The researchers reported that fermentation improved the leaves’ nutritional composition and reduced antinutritional compounds, then linked a 3% dietary inclusion to better laying outcomes after 60 days. The work lands at a time when poultry nutrition research is paying closer attention to phytogenic and fermented ingredients that might help sustain performance in older birds without relying on conventional growth-promoting approaches. (mdpi.com)

The background here is important. Mulberry leaves have been investigated for years as an alternative plant feed resource because they contain protein, amino acids, flavonoids, and other bioactive compounds. But they also come with practical limitations, especially in poultry, including crude fiber, tannins, and phytic acid that can reduce palatability or nutrient utilization if inclusion rates climb too high. Reviews and prior feeding studies have consistently framed fermentation as one of the main ways to make mulberry-based ingredients more usable by lowering those barriers and potentially enhancing bioactive value. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

That rationale aligns closely with the new paper’s design. In the study, solid-state fermentation with G. lucidum increased crude protein by 19.51% and boosted total, essential, and branched-chain amino acids, while tannin and phytic acid contents fell by 31.03% and 19.61%. The feeding trial then tested a 3% inclusion level in aged layers over 60 days. While the source summary provided here is truncated, the reported outcome was an improved laying rate in the fermented-mulberry-leaf group, alongside functional signals tied to antioxidant effects. That fits with earlier layer research showing mulberry-derived ingredients can influence antioxidative status, egg traits, and metabolic measures, especially when targeted to birds in later production phases. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

There’s also a second trend embedded in this study: growing interest in mushroom-linked feed inputs. A recent Animals paper on enzyme-microbe co-fermented Ganoderma lucidum spent substrate in broilers found improvements in growth performance and feed efficiency, while an earlier review on medicinal mushrooms in layer rations concluded the category is promising but still lacks clarity on optimal inclusion levels and mechanisms. In other words, the new mulberry study sits at the intersection of two active areas of feed research, fermented plant substrates and medicinal mushroom applications. (mdpi.com)

Direct outside expert reaction to this specific paper wasn’t readily available in public sources, but the broader literature points in a similar direction. A recent Frontiers in Veterinary Science review said mulberry inclusion in pigs and poultry should not chase high replacement levels and instead should pair fermentation treatment, dose selection, digestible nutrient data, and product-quality outcomes in one evidence chain. That’s a useful frame for interpreting the new findings: promising biology, but commercial relevance will depend on repeatability, formulation discipline, and cost. (frontiersin.org)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals working with commercial egg systems, the late laying phase is where modest nutritional gains can have outsized value. Older hens are more vulnerable to declines in antioxidant capacity, gut integrity, immune resilience, and shell or egg output metrics. If fermentation can make mulberry leaves more digestible and less constrained by tannins and phytate, it may widen the toolbox for supporting aged flocks with nontraditional feed ingredients. Still, this remains an early-stage nutrition story, not a practice-changing one. Inclusion rate, ingredient sourcing, fermentation control, mycotoxin and contaminant monitoring, and return on investment will matter as much as the biological signal. (mdpi.com)

There are also translational questions for veterinarians and nutrition teams. Results from experimental flocks don’t always hold under commercial conditions, and mulberry products vary widely by cultivar, harvest stage, processing, and microbial method. Prior studies have shown that moderate inclusion can be helpful, while higher levels may blunt performance. That means any move toward adoption would likely require tighter ingredient specifications than many farms currently have for alternative plant materials. (frontiersin.org)

What to watch: Watch for the full paper’s detailed production, egg-quality, serum, and intestinal data, and for follow-up work testing multiple inclusion levels, larger commercial flocks, and economic performance. If those data hold up, fermented mulberry leaf products could gain traction as a niche additive for aging hens, especially in markets looking for lower-cost, plant-forward, or antibiotic-sparing nutrition strategies. (mdpi.com)