An Overview on Nanotechnology and Its Poultry Applications: Opportunities and Challenges

Nanotechnology is a very promising science with great potential and wide applications in different fields such as catalysts, biosensors, pharmaceutics, biomedicine, drug delivery, food and chemical industry, electronics, human health, and poultry. Nanoparticles possess unique physical and chemical properties and bioavailability that can be enhanced by increasing the surface area of respective minerals. Additionally, nanoparticles have various magnetic, electrical, mechanical, and optical properties distinguishing them from the bulk materials, and this can be owned to the control over the molecular scale. Recently, the application of nanoparticles in poultry nutrition become highly interesting. Various nanoparticles such as zinc, copper, silver, selenium, iron, chromium, and manganese in the diets of broilers, layers, turkeys, and quails showed promising results regarding the biological function and biochemical reaction, as they help to improve the digestive efficiency, immunity, and performance of livestock and poultry. There are various results in the applied studies on comparative enhancement of production performance, reproductive properties, and other biological functions that can be explained by the superior properties of NPs, such as sizes, shapes, and direct interactions on basal diets. The supplementation of zinc oxide NPs showed a higher laying performance, egg quality, and nutrient digestibility. AgNPs can be considered antimicrobial agents because of their effect against viruses and bacteria and boosting the immune system, making them potential health-promoting operators for poultry. As well, FeNPs have displayed great abilities in weight gain, hemato biochemical profile, egg production, fertility, and reduced feed conversion ratio in the poultry industry. Collectively, the different nanoparticles have an efficient impact on poultry health. However, more research is still recommended to explore the different implications of NPs in this field and to underline the unexpected side effects.