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Advances in Sustainable Feed for Livestock: Impacts on Nutrition and...
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Advances in Sustainable Feed for Livestock: Impacts on Nutrition and Food Quality

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 3264

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Daniela-Mihaela Grigore

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Formative Sciences in Animal Husbandry and Food Industry Department, University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest, 59 Marasti Blvd., District 1, Bucharest, Romania
Interests: biotechnology; animal nutrition; food chemistry; food safety; food quality; meat; eggs; milk; broilers; layers; calf; nutrition; welfare
Dr. Petru Alexandru Vlaicu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Feed and Food Quality Department, National Research and Development Institute for Animal Biology and Nutrition, 077015 Balotesti, Romania
Interests: feed additives; by-products; bioactive compounds; polyphenols; antioxidant potential; nutritional quality; lipid quality of animal products; antioxidant status; food quality; poultry nutrition; functional foods
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Mădălina Ungureanu-Iuga

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Faculty of Food Engineering, Stefan cel Mare University of Suceava, 720229 Suceava, Romania
2. Integrated Center for Research, Development and Innovation in Advanced Materials, Nanotechnologies, and Distributed Systems for Fabrication and Control (MANSiD), Ştefan cel Mare University of Suceava, 720229 Suceava, Romania
3. Mountain Economy Center (CE-MONT), “Costin C. Kiriţescu” National Institute of Economic Researches (INCE), Romanian Academy, 725700 Vatra Dornei, Romania
Interests: food rheology; food texture; antioxidant activity; food composition; bioactive compounds; functional foods; physical treatments
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The global intensification of livestock production has raised urgent concerns regarding environmental sustainability, resource competition, and food system resilience. Feed, representing a significant input in animal agriculture, is actively shaping both the environmental footprint of production systems and the nutritional quality of animal-derived foods. Conventional feed ingredients, such as cereal grains and soybean meal, are increasingly criticized for their contribution to deforestation, land and water use, greenhouse gas emissions, and competition with human food resources. Importantly, the feed composition also influences the nutritional profile, functional properties, and safety of animal products.

In response, sustainable feeding strategies are gaining popularity, aiming to reduce the environmental impacts while maintaining or enhancing animal performance and the quality of animal products. Innovations include the use of alternative feed resources such as agro-industrial by-products, food chain co-products, microalgae, insect meal, and microbial biomass, along with precision nutrition approaches and circular economy models. The current developments are increasingly being supported by system-level tools, including lifecycle assessments, nutrient modeling, and omics-based analyses.

This Special Issue will highlight recent advances in sustainable livestock feed, focusing on novel ingredients, physiological responses, and the impacts on product quality. By integrating animal nutrition, environmental science, and the quality assessment of animal products, this collection aims to bring together multidisciplinary perspectives that support the transition toward more resilient, efficient, and health-conscious livestock systems. All types of papers related to the topic will be considered.

Dr. Daniela-Mihaela Grigore
Dr. Petru Alexandru Vlaicu
Dr. Mădălina Ungureanu-Iuga
Guest Editors

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

  • agro-industrial by-products
  • macroalgae
  • insect meal
  • microbial biomass
  • nutrition
  • feed
  • meat quality
  • egg quality
  • circular economy
  • environmental sustainability

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 5581 KB  
Article
Effect of Bacterial-Enzymatic Synergistic Liquid Fermented Rapeseed Meal on Growth Performance, Intestinal Health, and Muscle Development of Growing Pigs
by Jingchao Liu, Ting Zhang, Yunkai Li, Jingyi Zhang, Xiaolei Zhao, Meng Li, Guoqing Cao, Bugao Li, Xiaohong Guo and Yang Yang
Animals 2026, 16(7), 1092; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16071092 - 2 Apr 2026
Viewed by 361
Abstract
This study investigated the synergistic effects of liquid fermentation of rapeseed meal (RSM) on feed microbiota, growth performance, and muscle development in growing pigs. RSM was fermented using four compound probiotics and eleven enzyme preparations, and microbial changes were analyzed using 16S rRNA [...] Read more.
This study investigated the synergistic effects of liquid fermentation of rapeseed meal (RSM) on feed microbiota, growth performance, and muscle development in growing pigs. RSM was fermented using four compound probiotics and eleven enzyme preparations, and microbial changes were analyzed using 16S rRNA sequencing. Seventy-two Duroc × Jingfen White pigs were randomly assigned to three groups: soybean meal (Ctrl), RSM, and fermented RSM (FRSM). FRSM showed higher trichloroacetic acid-soluble protein (TCA-sp) content and significantly lower neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), anti-nutritional factors (ANFs), and toxins (TS) (p < 0.01). Fermentation increased microbial diversity, with higher abundances of Lactobacillus and Pediococcus. Compared with Ctrl and RSM, the feed-to-gain ratio (F/G) decreased in the FRSM group (p < 0.01). FRSM also improved serum antioxidant capacity, enhanced intestinal villus height (VH)and villus height/crypt depth ratio (VH/CD), and upregulated the expression of tight junction proteins (ZO-1, occludin) and the anti-inflammatory factor IL-10 (p < 0.01). FRSM group also increased myofiber diameter and cross-sectional area in the longissimus dorsi and elevated MyoD, MyoG and Myf5 expression (p < 0.01). RNA-seq revealed 2094 differentially expressed genes enriched in metabolic pathways. Overall, FRSM improved growth performance, intestinal health, and muscle development in growing pigs, which may guide the development of protein resource utilization technologies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Sustainable Feed for Livestock: Impacts on Nutrition and Food Quality)
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18 pages, 854 KB  
Article
Physiological and Metabolic Effects of Limnospira maxima Inclusion in Fish Feed on the Liver, Intestine, and Fillet of Juvenile Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)
by Layon Carvalho de Assis, Daniel Kurpan, Sílvia Pope de Araújo, Wassali Valadares de Sousa, Arthur Costa Santos, Bruna de Lemos Novo, Raphael de Oliveira Ribeiro, Carolina dos Santos Ferreira, Tatiana El-Bacha, Pedro Pierro Mendonça, Fábio César Sousa Nogueira, Alexandre Guedes Torres and Anita Ferreira do Valle
Animals 2026, 16(6), 889; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16060889 - 12 Mar 2026
Viewed by 363
Abstract
To reduce pressure on capture fisheries, sustainable aquaculture must decrease its dependency on fish meal and fish oil. Microalgae are a promising substitute due to their complete nutritional profile and low-footprint production process. This study examined the use of the cyanobacterium Limnospira maxima [...] Read more.
To reduce pressure on capture fisheries, sustainable aquaculture must decrease its dependency on fish meal and fish oil. Microalgae are a promising substitute due to their complete nutritional profile and low-footprint production process. This study examined the use of the cyanobacterium Limnospira maxima (commercially known as Spirulina) as a partial substitute for fish meal in feed for juvenile Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). We developed isoproteic (36%) and isoenergetic (3000 kcal kg−1) fish feed formulations containing 0% (control), 10%, 20%, 30%, or 40% L. maxima dry biomass. The experimental diets were then fed to 360 juvenile O. niloticus (1.32 ± 0.35 g) for 85 days using a randomized experimental design. The hepatic, intestinal, and muscle (fillet) tissues of the fish were collected for morphophysiological, fatty acid, and proteomic analyses. The intestinal coefficient, number of intestinal villi, villus height, and hepatosomatic index were essentially the same for all treatments (p > 0.05). Treatments containing 20–30% L. maxima exhibited a higher degree of unsaturation and better dietary fat quality. A greater abundance of the enzymes SOD, GSR, PRX1, and PLD3 in the experimental groups indicated higher antioxidant activity, whereas a greater abundance of acyl-CoA dehydrogenases indicated better use of fatty acids as an energy source. These trends were more evident in the 20–30% inclusion range. Thus, adding L. maxima to fish feed improves farming performance, fish health, and product quality. The results encourage the use of microalgae to promote more sustainable aquaculture. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Sustainable Feed for Livestock: Impacts on Nutrition and Food Quality)
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19 pages, 320 KB  
Article
Inclusion of Polyphenol-Rich Olive Cake in Beef Cattle Diets: Effects on Meat Quality and Nutritional Traits
by Marianna Oteri, Daniela Beghelli, Vincenzo Lopreiato, Biagio Tuvè, Luigi Liotta, Gianni Dipasquale, Maria Elena Furfaro, Fabiana Antognoni, Mariacaterina Lianza and Vincenzo Chiofalo
Animals 2026, 16(5), 729; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16050729 - 26 Feb 2026
Viewed by 411
Abstract
This study involved 45 finishing Limousin young bulls (initial BW 350 ± 15 kg; aged 250 ± 20 days) reared under commercial conditions and randomly assigned for 250 days to three dietary treatments: a control diet without olive cake (CTR), and diets including [...] Read more.
This study involved 45 finishing Limousin young bulls (initial BW 350 ± 15 kg; aged 250 ± 20 days) reared under commercial conditions and randomly assigned for 250 days to three dietary treatments: a control diet without olive cake (CTR), and diets including partially destoned dried olive cake at 10% (OC10) or 15% (OC15) of dry matter. The effects of the dietary inclusion of partially destoned dried olive cake (DOC) on the physicochemical properties, intramuscular fatty acid composition, nutritional lipid indices, and antioxidant profile of the Longissimus dorsi muscle were evaluated. Meat pH was measured at 45 min, 24 h, and 7 days of aging. Instrumental color, proximate composition, fatty acid profile, lipid nutritional indices, total phenolic content (TPC), individual polyphenols, and antioxidant capacity were determined. Data were analyzed by ANOVA using PROC GLIMMIX in SAS, with orthogonal contrasts to evaluate linear and quadratic responses to olive cake inclusion. Treatments did not affect post mortem pH, and color differences observed at 24 h were not present after 7 days of aging. Crude protein content was lower in OC-fed groups, while total lipid content tended to increase; sodium chloride concentration was higher in OC15 meat. Olive cake supplementation reduced hypercholesterolemic saturated fatty acids and increased stearic, oleic, and polyunsaturated fatty acids, including α-linolenic acid, EPA, and DPA, improving PUFA/SFA and UFA/SFA ratios and reducing atherogenic and thrombogenic indices. Despite a higher peroxidability index, OC groups showed greater muscle TPC and antioxidant capacity, the presence of detectable hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol suggests a possible contribution of dietary olive phenolics or their metabolites, although the exact mechanisms underlying their appearance in muscle tissue remain to be fully elucidated. Overall, partially destoned DOC can be included up to 15% of the finishing diet to improve beef nutritional and functional quality within sustainable circular systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Sustainable Feed for Livestock: Impacts on Nutrition and Food Quality)
16 pages, 286 KB  
Article
Fermented Rapeseed Meal Improves Growth Performance, Antioxidant Capacity, and Intestinal Morphology of Broilers by Enhancing Nutritional Value and Reducing Antinutritional Factors
by Yinghao Liu, Shuzhen Li, Xing Chen, Xinyi Zhai, Aijuan Zheng, Zhimin Chen, Jiang Chen, Zhiheng Zou and Guohua Liu
Animals 2026, 16(3), 429; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16030429 - 29 Jan 2026
Viewed by 586
Abstract
This study evaluated changes in nutritional components and antinutritional factors in rapeseed meal before and after microbial fermentation. It further investigated the enhancements in its nutritional value and the growth-promoting effects of fermented rapeseed meal on broiler chickens. A total of 180 one-day-old [...] Read more.
This study evaluated changes in nutritional components and antinutritional factors in rapeseed meal before and after microbial fermentation. It further investigated the enhancements in its nutritional value and the growth-promoting effects of fermented rapeseed meal on broiler chickens. A total of 180 one-day-old male Arbor Acres (AA) broilers were randomly allocated into 3 treatment groups, with 6 replicates per group and 10 birds per replicate. The broilers were fed a basal diet (CON), a diet with 5% soybean meal (SBM) replaced by RSM (RSM-5), or a diet with 5% SBM replaced by FRSM (FRSM-5). The date of the experiment was 28 June 2025. The results showed that FRSM improves protein quality and reduces the levels of antinutritional factors, including glucosinolates (GSL), phytic acid (PA), and condensed tannins (CT), compared with unfermented RSM. Additionally, FRSM enhances antioxidant capacity in vitro, significantly enhancing the scavenging rates of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals, hydroxyl radicals (•OH), and superoxide anion radicals (O2•−). In the broiler feeding trial, the FRSM-5 group had significantly higher average daily gain (ADG) during the periods of 22–42 d and 1–42 d (p < 0.05), along with a significantly lower feed to gain ratio (F/G) (p < 0.05), compared with the CON and RSM-5 groups. Compared to the CON group, the FRSM-5 group showed a significantly higher slaughter rate (SR), full eviscerated rate (FER), and breast muscle rate (BMR) (p < 0.05), whereas the RSM-5 group had significantly lower SR and FER (p < 0.05). The activities of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) in the serum and liver of the FRSM-5 group were significantly higher than those in the CON and RSM-5 groups (p < 0.05), and the serum immunoglobulin (IgA, IgG, and IgM) levels were significantly elevated (p < 0.05). Furthermore, compared with the CON and RSM-5 groups, the FRSM-5 group exhibited a significant increase in duodenal villus height (VH) (p < 0.05), a significant reduction in duodenal crypt depth (CD) (p < 0.05), and a consequent significant increase in the VH/CD (p < 0.05). In conclusion, microbial fermentation effectively enhances the nutritional value of RSM by improving its nutrient composition and reducing antinutritional factors. Replacing 5% SBM with FRSM in broiler diets significantly improves growth performance, enhances antioxidant capacity and immune function, and optimizes intestinal morphological structure, thereby replacing part of the soybean meal in broiler diets. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Sustainable Feed for Livestock: Impacts on Nutrition and Food Quality)
27 pages, 912 KB  
Article
Grape Stalks as a Sustainable Feed Supplement for Dairy Cows: A Preliminary In Vivo Study on Milk Microbiota and Cheese Quality
by Giulia Dallavalle, Giorgia Secchi, Andrea Mancini, Nicola Cologna, Urska Vrhovsek, Andrea Angeli, Eugenio Aprea, Jessica Zambanini, Pavel Solovyev, Luana Bontempo, Emanuela Betta, Franco Biasioli, Thomas Zanon and Elena Franciosi
Animals 2026, 16(3), 388; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16030388 - 26 Jan 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 756
Abstract
In the Trentino Alto Adige region, disposal of grape stalks (GS) represents a major cost for wineries, despite their content of phenolic and tannin-rich compounds with potential functional value in ruminant nutrition. This study evaluated whether dietary GS supplementation could influence milk microbiota [...] Read more.
In the Trentino Alto Adige region, disposal of grape stalks (GS) represents a major cost for wineries, despite their content of phenolic and tannin-rich compounds with potential functional value in ruminant nutrition. This study evaluated whether dietary GS supplementation could influence milk microbiota and cheese quality, supporting local circular-economy strategies. GS from three red cultivars (L-GS, CS-GS, M-GS) were dried, milled, and assessed for safety; their average total polyphenol content was approximately 15 g/kg DM. 3 Holstein cows underwent a 7-week trial consisting of alternating control (CTRL) and GS-supplemented periods (2% DM). Weekly milk samples (n = 21) and corresponding mini-cheeses (n = 21) were analyzed. GS supplementation did not affect milk coliforms (2.3–2.5 log CFU/mL), while total mesophilic counts were significantly lower in M-GS (2.8 ± 0.46 log CFU/mL) than in CTRL (4.5 ± 0.71; p < 0.05). Acinetobacter dominated the milk microbiota but decreased from 34.0% in CTRL to 18.0% in L-GS. Cheese total polyphenols were highest in CS-GS (224 ± 34 mg/kg). 1H-NMR and VOCs profiling indicated cultivar-dependent shifts in carbohydrate-related metabolites and short-chain fatty acids. Overall, GS supplementation subtly modulated cheese biochemical and aromatic traits without impairing technological performance, supporting the valorization of winery by-products within integrated dairy-viticulture systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Sustainable Feed for Livestock: Impacts on Nutrition and Food Quality)
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