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The Role of Natural Polysaccharides in Livestock and Poultry Production
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The Role of Natural Polysaccharides in Livestock and Poultry Production

A Special Issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615) belonging to the section "Animal Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2027 | Viewed by 2842

Editor

Prof. Dr. Jie Yin

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Animal Science and Technology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, China
Interests: livestock; probiotics; pathogens
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the global pursuit of sustainable animal production, enhancing animal welfare, health, and food safety has become a central focus. Dietary intervention is a key strategy for simultaneously improving these aspects. Among various dietary components, natural polysaccharides, as a class of safe, renewable, and biologically active polymers, are attracting increasing attention for their vast potential. These compounds, originating from algae, plants, microorganisms, and fungi, possess diverse chemical structures and biological activities that form the basis of their multifunctionality. While inappropriate diets can induce stress and health crises, natural polysaccharides demonstrate a remarkable capacity to mitigate these challenges. Their application is thus considered crucial for ensuring sustainable production, welfare, and safety in livestock and poultry.

This Special Issue invites contributions on the roles of various natural polysaccharides—such as dietary fibers, plant-derived polysaccharides, seaweed polysaccharides, and microbial polysaccharides—as functional feed additives. The submission of original research papers and review articles that provide deep insights into the underlying physiological and molecular mechanisms by which natural polysaccharides influence animal health, production performance, and product quality is encouraged.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Effects of natural polysaccharides on improving growth performance, gut health, immune status, and stress resilience in livestock and poultry.
  • Roles of natural polysaccharides in enhancing the quality and safety of meat, eggs, and milk.
  • Elucidation of the mechanisms of action of natural polysaccharides using multi-omics technologies and molecular biology approaches.
  • Exploration of novel polysaccharide resources, efficient preparation strategies, and efficacy-enhancing methods.

Prof. Dr. Jie Yin
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-anonymized 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

  • natural polysaccharides
  • animal health
  • nutrition
  • gut health
  • gut microbiota
  • livestock
  • feed additives

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 777 KB  
Article
Combined Effects of Dietary Gum Arabic and Mannan Oligosaccharides on Growth Performance, Physiological Responses, Meat Quality, and Selected Cecal Bacteria in Growing New Zealand White Rabbits
by Islam M. Youssef, Yasser Alrauji and Mohamed Shehab-El-Deen
Animals 2026, 16(17), 2680; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16172680 - 27 Aug 2026
Viewed by 406
Abstract
The interest in dietary prebiotics in rabbit production has increased as a consequence of the search for natural alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters. This study was conducted to evaluate the individual and combined effects of gum Arabic and mannan oligosaccharides on growth performance, [...] Read more.
The interest in dietary prebiotics in rabbit production has increased as a consequence of the search for natural alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters. This study was conducted to evaluate the individual and combined effects of gum Arabic and mannan oligosaccharides on growth performance, physiological health, meat quality and cecal bacterial populations of growing New Zealand White rabbits. Eighty rabbits (5 weeks of age) were randomly allocated to four dietary treatments, for a period of 8 weeks: basal diet (control), basal diet supplemented with gum Arabic (2 g/kg), mannan oligosaccharides (2 g/kg) or their combination (2 + 2 g/kg). The dietary supplementation significantly improved the final body weight, body weight gain, feed conversion ratio, carcass yield, serum protein profile, selected serum biochemical indicators related to hepatic and renal status, lipid profile, antioxidant status, immune response, meat quality and cecal microbial balance as compared to the control group. The combined treatment always produced the best improvements with better growth performance, less abdominal fat, higher antioxidant enzyme activity, higher immunoglobulin concentrations, better water-holding capacity and cooking characteristics of meat, higher populations of beneficial Lactobacillus and lower Escherichia coli counts. The combined treatment produced the most favorable responses for several measured variables, although the magnitude and statistical significance of the response varied among traits. These findings suggest that GA and MOS may have potential as dietary supplements for modulating selected productive, physiological, meat-quality, and cecal bacterial parameters in growing rabbits. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Natural Polysaccharides in Livestock and Poultry Production)
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27 pages, 4341 KB  
Article
Effects of Plant Polysaccharides on Growth Performance, Blood Biochemical Indices, Intestinal Antioxidant and Enzyme Activities, and Microbial Diversity in Early-Weaned Squabs
by Jie Ren, Yuanhao Li, Huiguo Yang, Haiying Li, Xiaobin Li, Xiaoyu Zhao, Yafei Liang, Mingcong Ding, Haiying He, Aikemu Mamaitijiang, Honglei Sun and Jiajia Liu
Animals 2026, 16(12), 1785; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16121785 - 9 Jun 2026
Viewed by 419
Abstract
Plant polysaccharides, such as Astragalus polysaccharide (APS) and Glycyrrhiza polysaccharide (GPS), have potential as functional feed additives. This study investigated the effects of dietary APS and GPS on growth-related traits, serum biochemical and immune indices, antioxidant capacity, intestinal health, and microbial diversity in [...] Read more.
Plant polysaccharides, such as Astragalus polysaccharide (APS) and Glycyrrhiza polysaccharide (GPS), have potential as functional feed additives. This study investigated the effects of dietary APS and GPS on growth-related traits, serum biochemical and immune indices, antioxidant capacity, intestinal health, and microbial diversity in early-weaned squabs. A total of 192 15-day-old Silver King squabs were randomly divided into four groups: the control group (CK), the 800 mg/kg APS group, the 450 mg/kg GPS group, and the APS + GPS combination group (AG group), with 12 replicates per group and 4 squabs per replicate. The experiment lasted for 28 days. The results showed that final body weight tended to be higher in the APS, GPS, and AG groups, whereas breast width and breast depth were significantly increased in the GPS and AG groups (p < 0.01). The GPS and AG groups exhibited increased serum immunoglobulin A (IgA; p < 0.05) and immunoglobulin G (IgG; p < 0.01) levels, as well as reduced levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α; p < 0.01). All treatments increased serum total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC; p < 0.01), while the AG group reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and increased total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities (p < 0.01). Duodenal and jejunal T-AOC increased in all treatment groups (p < 0.01), and APS and AG increased ileal T-AOC (p < 0.01). However, intestinal MDA concentrations increased in several segments, indicating a complex and segment-specific oxidative response. The AG group also increased jejunal lipase activities (p < 0.05). Microbiome analysis suggested that Helicobacter was correlated with immune-related indicators, while Lactobacillus was identified as an important core genus in the microbial co-occurrence network. These findings suggest that dietary APS and GPS may regulate immune function, oxidative–antioxidant responses, intestinal function, and gut microbial composition, thereby supporting physiological adaptation in early-weaned squabs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Natural Polysaccharides in Livestock and Poultry Production)
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18 pages, 3655 KB  
Article
Effects of Supplementing Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni Extract in the Diet of Yellow-Feathered Broilers on Meat Quality
by Xiao Peng, Xin Gao, Jing Wang, Zhen Li, Yunfei Song, Jianguo Zeng, Wei Xiang and Xiubin Liu
Animals 2026, 16(7), 1026; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16071026 - 27 Mar 2026
Viewed by 673
Abstract
Improving meat quality using safe phytogenic feed additives is of practical interest in yellow-feathered broiler production. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of dietary Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni extract (SBE) supplementation on meat quality traits. A total of 510 one-day-old, female yellow-feathered broilers [...] Read more.
Improving meat quality using safe phytogenic feed additives is of practical interest in yellow-feathered broiler production. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of dietary Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni extract (SBE) supplementation on meat quality traits. A total of 510 one-day-old, female yellow-feathered broilers were randomly allocated to six dietary treatments (0, 50, 100, 200, 300, and 400 mg/kg SBE) for 63 days. Meat sensory attributes, routine physicochemical characteristics, amino acid and fatty acid composition, electronic-nose profiles, and total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB–N) during refrigerated storage were assessed. Overall, the results provide evidence that dietary SBE supplementation is associated with changes in multiple meat quality-related parameters, supporting further evaluation of SBE as a phytogenic feed additive in yellow-feathered broilers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Natural Polysaccharides in Livestock and Poultry Production)
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24 pages, 2228 KB  
Article
Effects of Dietary Paramylon on Nutrient Digestion and Absorption and Intestinal Health of Weaned Piglets
by Tianjiao Wu, Zhiming Zhang, Zheng Luo, Fangbao Shu, Qi Han, Jie Yin and Peng Bin
Animals 2026, 16(2), 304; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16020304 - 19 Jan 2026
Viewed by 702
Abstract
Weaning stress frequently compromises intestinal integrity and nutrient absorption in piglets and induces structural perturbations in the gut microbiota. This study investigated the effects of dietary Paramylon, a linear β-1,3-glucan from Euglena gracilis, on growth and intestinal function. A total of 32 [...] Read more.
Weaning stress frequently compromises intestinal integrity and nutrient absorption in piglets and induces structural perturbations in the gut microbiota. This study investigated the effects of dietary Paramylon, a linear β-1,3-glucan from Euglena gracilis, on growth and intestinal function. A total of 32 healthy, 21-day-old weaned piglets (male, castrated, Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire) were randomly allocated to four groups: control, 0.025%, 0.05%, and 0.1% Paramylon (8 pigs/group). The results showed that 0.05% dietary Paramylon quadratically increased average daily gain and feed intake (p < 0.05). Serum TC content significantly increased, while the serum urea level significantly decreased (p < 0.05). This optimal dose was used for mechanistic exploration. Dietary 0.05% Paramylon notably enhanced ileal morphology, increasing the villus height to crypt depth ratio (p < 0.01) and significantly improving apparent nutrient digestibility and ileal β-amylase activity (p < 0.05). The expression levels of SLC7A1 and GLUT2 in ileum tissues were significantly upregulated (p < 0.05). The expression level of SLC7A7 in the liver was also increased (p < 0.05). This nutrient transport-promoting effect was further confirmed in IPEC-J2 cells, which manifested because 10 ng/mL of pure Paramylon significantly upregulated the gene expressions of SLC38A2, EAAT3, PEPT1, and GLUT2 (p < 0.05). KEGG enrichment analysis on the ileum indicated that differentially abundant metabolites were enriched in amino acid-related metabolic pathways. Furthermore, the 16s sequencing results revealed that Romboutsia was significantly enriched in the Paramylon group. In conclusion, Paramylon, as an effective dietary supplement, helps promote nutrient digestion and absorption in weaned piglets and contributes to maintaining intestinal health. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Natural Polysaccharides in Livestock and Poultry Production)
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