Feed Additives and Gut Morphology of Monogastric Animals
A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Nutrition".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 March 2027 | Viewed by 7
Special Issue Editor
Interests: pig; nutritional metabolism; intestinal health; intestinal microbiota; meat quality; feed additives
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
In young monogastric animals such as piglets and chicks, the digestive intestinal tract is not fully developed and is highly susceptible to infection. Weaning stress can compromise the morphological integrity of the gut, resulting in impaired digestion and absorption. This, in turn, may lead to growth retardation, diarrhea, and even death, thereby causing severe economic losses to sustainable livestock production. Therefore, developing functional feed additives is of great practical significance for promoting growth, development, and overall health in monogastric animals. Feed additives like probiotics, enzymes, or plant extracts positively modulate gut structure and function, offering a natural strategy to enhance animal health without relying on antibiotics. This Special Issue explores how various feed additives influence gut structure and, consequently, the overall health status of monogastric species. A better understanding of these relationships will help farmers and nutritionists to design more sustainable diets that improve animal welfare, reduce environmental impact, and support responsible food production.
(1) Focus
This Special Issue focuses on the relationship between dietary feed additives (e.g., probiotics, prebiotics, organic acids, phytogenics, enzymes, and postbiotics) and the structural integrity of the gut in monogastric animals—primarily pigs and poultry. Specific attention is given to gut morphology parameters, epithelial barrier function, and goblet cell density.
(2) Scope
The issue welcomes original research, reviews, and short communications that investigate the following:
- The effects of single or combined feed additives on gut morphometric characteristics.
- Mechanistic pathways associated with feed additives and gut morphological changes.
- Comparative studies across different monogastric species or production stages.
- Practical applications: dose–response trials, long-term safety assessments, and performance outcomes associated with gut architecture.
- Emerging additives and their influence on gut maturation or repair.
(3) Purpose
The goal of this Special Issue is to consolidate existing knowledge and stimulate new research that establishes causal relationships between feed additives and measurable improvements in gut structure; ultimately, to provide evidence‑based guidelines for feed formulation, and improve both animal welfare and production efficiency.
Prof. Dr. Xiangfeng Kong
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
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
- monogastric animals
- gut morphology
- intestinal health
- intestinal microbiota
- feed additives
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