A critical review of Leucaena leucocephala leaves as an alternative source of dietary supplement on the production performance of growing rabbits

Rabbit meat is a potential option to conventional red meat due to its higher crude protein content (20-25%), lower fat level (6-10%), and rich nutrient profile. Despite these nutritional benefits, rabbit production remains underdeveloped in many regions due to limited market access, inadequate consumer awareness, and high cost of feed, which accounts for nearly 60-70% of total production expenses. Consequently, the development of cost-effective feeding strategies is essential to improve the profitability and sustainability of rabbit farming. One promising approach is the inclusion of alternative and locally available feed resources, such as Leucaena leucocephala (LL) leaves. Dietary supplementation with LL leaves at low to moderate levels (up to 10%) can improve growth performance, feed intake, nutrient utilisation, feed conversion efficiency, carcass quality, and economic returns in growing rabbits. These benefits are largely attributed to the rich protein content and favourable nutrient composition of LL leaves. However, inclusion levels above 10% may adversely affect rabbit health and productivity due to the presence of anti-nutritional factors (ANFs), primarily mimosine and tannins which can impair nutrient digestion, protein utilization, and metabolic functions. Therefore, careful management of dietary inclusion rates is required. Future research should focus on improving detoxification and processing methods, including sun-drying, soaking, fermentation, ensiling, microbial degradation, chemical treatment and enzyme supplementation, to reduce ANFs and maximize safe utilization of LL leaves. This review synthesizes findings from studies published over the past 15 years on the effects of LL leaves supplementation on the production performance and productivity of growing rabbits.

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