animals
Review
Yucca schidigera Usage for Healthy Aquatic Animals: Potential
Roles for Sustainability
Bilal Ahamad Paray
1
, Mohamed F. El-Basuini
2,3
, Mahmoud Alagawany
4
, Mohammed Fahad Albeshr
1
,
Mohammad Abul Farah
1
and Mahmoud A. O. Dawood
5,6,
*
Citation: Paray, B.A.; El-Basuini,
M.F.; Alagawany, M.; Albeshr, M.F.;
Farah, M.A.; Dawood, M.A.O. Yucca
schidigera Usage for Healthy Aquatic
Animals: Potential Roles for
Sustainability. Animals 2021, 11, 93.
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11010093
Received: 26 November 2020
Accepted: 28 December 2020
Published: 6 January 2021
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tribution (CC BY) license (https://
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4.0/).
1
Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia;
bparay@ksu.edu.sa (B.A.P.); zoologyksu21@gmail.com or albeshr@ksu.edu.sa (M.F.A.);
mfarah@ksu.edu.sa (M.A.F.)
2
Faculty of Desert Agriculture, King Salman International University, South Sinai 46612, Egypt;
m_fouad_islam@yahoo.com
3
Department of Animal Production, Faculty of Agriculture, Tanta University, Tanta 31527, Egypt
4
Poultry Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44511, Egypt;
dr.mahmoud.alagwany@gmail.com
5
Department of Animal Production, Faculty of Agriculture, Kafrelsheikh University,
Kafrelsheikh 33516, Egypt
6
Center for Applied Research on the Environment and Sustainability, the American University in Cairo,
New Cairo 11835, Egypt
* Correspondence: Mahmoud.dawood@agr.kfs.edu.eg
Simple Summary: This review presents an updated and exclusive collection of results about yucca’s
beneficial effects as phytogenic additives for clean aquaculture activity. The overall performances of
aquatic organisms treated with yucca as dietary additives of water cleaners encourage performing
further studies to prove its mode of action based on biochemical and biological techniques.
Abstract: In modern aquaculture systems, farmers are increasing the stocking capacity of aquatic
organisms to develop the yield and maximize water resources utilization. However, the accumulation
of ammonia in fishponds regularly occurs in intensive aquaculture systems, resulting in reduced
growth rates and poor health conditions. The inclusion of yucca extract is recognized as a practical
solution for adsorbing the waterborne ammonia. Yucca has abundant amounts of polyphenolics,
steroidal saponins, and resveratrol and can be used as a solution or as a powder. In this context,
this review aimed to investigate the possible regulatory roles of yucca extract on aquatic animals’
performances. Concurrently, the feed utilization, growth performance, and physiological status
of aquatic species can be improved. Additionally, the yucca application resulted in enhancing
the antioxidative, immunological, and anti-inflammatory responses in several aquatic animals.
Exclusively, the present review proposed a protective solution through the application of yucca
extract in the aquafeed and rearing water of aquatic animals suffering from ammonia accumulation.
Furthermore, it shows how yucca could enhance the growth, survival rates, blood biochemical quality,
immunological indices, and the antioxidative capacity of aquatic animals in light of the relevant
published data.
Keywords: aquaculture development; phytogenic; Yucca schidigera; feasibility; added value
1. Introduction
With the recent global environmental changes (e.g., global warming and pandemics),
the necessity to produce organic and healthy food for humanity [1], and the need to reach
food sustainability objectives that focus on finding alternative food sources with feasible
and applicable practices [2], tremendous efforts are requested from primary animal protein
producers (poultry, livestock, and aquaculture sectors) to guarantee sufficient protein
amounts at low cost [3]. Recently, food security agencies have called for limiting the usage
Animals 2021, 11, 93. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11010093 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/animals