Anti-Nutritional Factors in Livestock feeds and its Mitigating Strategies

Anti-nutritional factors (ANF) present in plants can diminish feed intake and nutrient utilization, influencing the suitability of these plants as fodder for livestock. Leguminous fodder, in particular, contains a diverse array of anti-nutritional factors. While legumes and cereals offer high amounts of macronutrients and micronutrients, they also harbor anti-nutritional factors such as saponins, tannins, phytic acid, gossypol, lectins, protease inhibitors, amylase inhibitors, and goitrogens. The interaction of these anti-nutritional factors with nutrients is a major concern due to diminished nutrient bioavailability. Notably, trypsin inhibitors and phytates, prevalent in legumes and cereals, can reduce protein digestibility and mineral absorption. Various traditional methods and technologies can be employed to mitigate the levels of these anti-nutrient factors. Processing techniques like fermentation, germination, debranning, autoclaving, and soaking are commonly utilized to decrease anti-nutrient content in foods. Through the application of these methods individually or in combination, it is feasible to lower the levels of anti-nutrients in food products. This review focuses on different types of anti-nutrients and explores potential processing methods that can effectively reduce their presence in food items.