Research Progress on Lycopene in Swine and Poultry Nutrition: An Update

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Lycopene is a natural, red-colored pigment that is found in plants and has particularly robust antioxidant activity among the carotenoids. Plenty of research has highlighted its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antidiabetic properties. Emerging evidence has promoted the development of lycopene as a natural antioxidant feed supplement to enhance the health status and performance of pigs and poultry. This review aimed to summarize the latest research advances on lycopene in swine and poultry, to deepen our understanding of its biological functions and practical applications in livestock production. ABSTRACT: Oxidative stress and in-feed antibiotics restrictions have accelerated the development of natural, green, safe feed additives for swine and poultry diets. Lycopene has the greatest antioxidant potential among the carotenoids, due to its specific chemical structure. In the past decade, increasing attention has been paid to lycopene as a functional additive for swine and poultry feed. In this review, we systematically summarized the latest research progress on lycopene in swine and poultry nutrition during the past ten years (2013–2022). We primarily focused on the effects of lycopene on productivity, meat and egg quality, antioxidant function, immune function, lipid metabolism, and intestinal physiological functions. The output of this review highlights the crucial foundation of lycopene as a functional feed supplement for animal nutrition.