Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
4.9
2.7
Journals
Animals
Special Issues
Use of Agro-Industrial Co-Products in Animal Nutrition
share announcement

Use of Agro-Industrial Co-Products in Animal Nutrition

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 November 2025 | Viewed by 317

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Xiaokang Ma

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Animal Nutritional Genome and Germplasm Innovation Research Center, College of Animal Science and Technology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China
Interests: livestock and poultry animals: corn and soybean meal reduction replacement; non-grain feed raw materials; feed raw materials database; precise feed formulation technology; green and efficient feed additives; resource utilization efficiency; intestinal health
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

With the intensification of global competition for food resources, the high dependence on corn and soybean meal as traditional feed raw materials has gradually exposed the problems of high cost fluctuation and resource shortage. Using corn and soybean meal reduction replacement technology, the use of non-grain feed raw materials (such as agricultural and sideline products, microbial proteins, etc.) can not only reduce feed costs but also reduce the competitive pressure on main food crops, as well as promote the green development of animal husbandry.

To realize the efficient utilization of feed resources, precision feed formulation technology plays an important role. The technology combines a feed raw material database and an intelligent algorithm to fully grasp the nutrient compositions of raw materials and animal needs, accurately optimize the feed formula, improve the feed conversion efficiency, and reduce waste and emissions.

In addition, the creation of green and efficient feed additives, through the development of environmentally friendly and functional additives, improves animal production performance and health level, reduces the use of antibiotics, and further helps us to ensure the sustainable development of animal husbandry.

Dr. Xiaokang Ma
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • animal nutrition
  • agro-industrial co-products
  • feed raw materials and additives
  • precise feed formulation technology
  • feed material utilization efficiency
  • intestinal health

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

15 pages, 1856 KiB  
Article
Dietary Galacto-Oligosaccharides Enhance Growth Performance and Modulate Gut Microbiota in Weaned Piglets: A Sustainable Alternative to Antibiotics
by Yongchao Wang, Zhong Li, Guowu Chen, Yiyuan Xing, Jingjing Wang, Yujie Zhao, Meng Kang, Ke Huang, Enkai Li and Xiaokang Ma
Animals 2025, 15(11), 1508; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15111508 - 22 May 2025
Abstract
Galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) are recognized prebiotics with extensive applications in animal nutrition. This study aimed to elucidate the effects of chlortetracycline (CTC) supplementation alongside GOS on growth performance, intestinal morphology, and microbiota composition in weaned piglets. A total of 72 weaned piglets [(Duroc × [...] Read more.
Galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) are recognized prebiotics with extensive applications in animal nutrition. This study aimed to elucidate the effects of chlortetracycline (CTC) supplementation alongside GOS on growth performance, intestinal morphology, and microbiota composition in weaned piglets. A total of 72 weaned piglets [(Duroc × (Landrace × Yorkshire)] with an initial body weight of 7.64 ± 0.15 kg were randomly assigned to three dietary treatments: a corn–soybean meal-based diet (CON), a corn–soybean meal-based diet supplemented with chlortetracycline (CTC) at 75 mg/kg, and a diet with 1500 mg/kg GOS. The experiment spanned 14 days, divided into early (1–7 days) and late (7–14 days) stages. The results indicated that the GOS group exhibited a significant increase in body weight (BW) by day 14 and improved average daily gain (ADG) from day 1 to 14, alongside a decreased feed-to-gain ratio and diarrhea incidence (p < 0.05). Notably, GOS supplementation enhanced the villus height of the jejunum and increased the ratio of villus height to crypt depth compared to the CON group, although no significant differences were observed between GOS and AntB groups. Additionally, the number of goblet cells in the colonic crypts increased significantly with GOS supplementation. High-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed an increased relative abundance of Firmicutes in the GOS group, coupled with a decrease in Bacteroidetes and Spirochaetota. Beneficial bacteria such as Lactobacillus and Faecalibacterium were significantly enriched, while potentially pathogenic bacteria, including Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1 and Treponema, were reduced. In summary, dietary GOS supplementation can enhance beneficial microbiota while diminishing harmful species, thereby improving intestinal morphology and growth performance in weaned piglets. Consequently, GOS emerges as a promising alternative to in-feed antibiotics in contemporary animal husbandry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Use of Agro-Industrial Co-Products in Animal Nutrition)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-1
Back to TopTop