Red osier dogwood and its use in animal nutrition: A review

As the human population increases globally, the food animal industry has not been spared from the monumental demand for edible animal products, particularly meat. This has necessitated the simultaneous expansion of the productivity of the animal sector to meet the ever-growing human needs. Although antibiotics have been used in food animal production with commendable positive impacts on their growth performance, their sole contributive factor to the increasing incidence of antimicrobial resistance has ushered the strict restrictions placed on their use in the animal sector. This has handed a setback to both animals and farmers; thus, the intense push for a more sustainable antibiotic alternative for use in animal production. The use of plants with concentrated phytogenic compounds has gained much interest due to their beneficial bioactivities, including antioxidant and selective antimicrobial. While the reported beneficial activities of phytogenic additives on animals vary due to their varying total polyphenol concentrations (TPC), red osier dogwood (ROD) plant materials boast of high TPC with excellent antioxidant prowess and growth improvement capacities compared to some plant extracts commonly used in research. However, its adoption in research and commercial scale is still low. Thus, the present review aims to provide concise information on the dietary potential of ROD plant materials in animal feeding.