<div>Background: Duckweed is a monocotyledon species of the family Lemnaceae. It is a small floating aquatic plant that grows very well on stagnant ponds and is commonly found throughout tropical countries in natural ponds, lakes and flooded rice fields. Duckweed has high crude protein content and a well-balanced amino acid profile and is also a good source of vitamins and minerals. Duckweed at different levels was utilized in the diet of broiler chicken to study their performance.&nbsp; 
 
Methods: One hundred and fifty day old broiler chicks of one week old were distributed randomly into five treatment groups viz T1: (Control), T2: 5% Duckweed without enzyme, T3: 5% Duckweed with enzyme, T4:10% Duckweed without enzyme and T5 :10% Duckweed with enzyme having 30 chicks in each groups with three replicates of 10 chicks each.&nbsp; 
 
Result: The Duckweed contains 20.33% crude protein, 3.10% ether extract, 18.06% crude fibre, 2.80% calcium, 1.10% phosphorous and 1660.77 ME (Kcal/ Kg). Significantly (P&le;0.05) higher body weight was recorded in T1 (1889.67&plusmn;13.28g) and T3 (1878.65&plusmn;2.02g) groups followed by T2 (1831.67&plusmn;3.51g), T5 (1798.31&plusmn;1.76 g) and T4 (1728.63&plusmn;2.60 g) groups, respectively. The average daily body weight gain was ranged between 37.87 to 41.66 g. The cumulative feed consumption was recorded to be highest in T1 (3050.13&plusmn;14.01) and lowest in T4 (2943.17&plusmn;8.54g) group. The Cumulative FCR was significantly (P&le;0.05) better (1.74&plusmn;0.01) in T1 and T3 groups in comparison to T2 (1.78&plusmn;0.01), T4 (1.85&plusmn; 0.01) and T5 (1.78&plusmn; 0.04) groups. Total 3.3% mortality was recorded in all treatment groups except T3 group in which there was no mortality during entire experimental period.</div>

Effect of Inclusion of Different Levels of Duckweed (Lemna minor) on the Performance of Broiler Chicken

Background: Duckweed (Wolffia globosa) is a valuable source of protein, essential amino acids, dietary fiber, vitamin B12 and bioactive compounds, including antioxidants. It has potential as a functional food for managing metabolic syndrome, particularly by helping to control glycemic levels in individuals with diabetes through dietary interventions. This study aimed to determine the antioxidant properties and evaluate enzyme inhibitory activities of W. globosa extract (WE) against key enzymes involved in lipid and glucose metabolism. 
 
Methods: Fresh W. globosa plants were dried, pulverized and extracted using ethanol by maceration. The total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) of the extract were assessed using the Folin-Ciocalteu and aluminum chloride methods, respectively. Antioxidant activities were evaluated through several assays: DPPH radical scavenging, nitric oxide (NO) radical scavenging, ferrous iron-ferrozine complex and ferric iron-thiocyanate complex assays. In vitro enzyme inhibitory activities of WE were tested against pancreatic lipase, &alpha;-amylase and &alpha;-glucosidase. 
 
Result: The extract contained phenolic compounds (TPC = 28.19&plusmn;0.79 mg GAE/g) but lacked detectable flavonoids. WE exhibited antioxidant activity in the DPPH and NO radical scavenging assays and inhibited lipid peroxidation (IC50 = 0.34&plusmn;0.05, 0.23&plusmn;0.06 and 80.51&plusmn;16.02 mg/ml, respectively). However, the extract showed no metal ion chelation activity. WE strongly inhibited pancreatic lipase (IC50&nbsp;= 1.55&plusmn;0.20 mg/ml) and &alpha;-amylase (IC50&nbsp;= 0.02&plusmn;0.01 mg/ml), while it showed poor inhibition of &alpha;-glucosidase (IC50&gt;1,000 mg/ml). These findings support the potential of WE as a functional food ingredient for managing metabolic conditions such as diabetes and hyperlipidemia.

In vitro &alpha;-amylase, &alpha;-glucosidase and Lipase Inhibiting Activities of Duckweed (Wolffia globosa), the Possibility as Functional Food