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Animals
Special Issues
Optimizing Alternative Protein Sources for Sustainable Poultry Diet
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Optimizing Alternative Protein Sources for Sustainable Poultry Diet

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2026 | Viewed by 4010

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Ondřej Šťastník

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Animal Nutrition and Forage Production, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
Interests: poultry nutrition; animal nutrition; animal production; feed processing; meat quality

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Alternative protein sources are gaining increasing attention as sustainable and innovative options in poultry nutrition. In the face of rising feed costs, environmental concerns, and global demand for animal protein, optimizing alternative protein ingredients has become essential for the development of resilient and environmentally responsible poultry production systems.

This Special Issue aims to gather recent advances in the use, evaluation, and optimization of alternative protein sources for poultry diets. It fits the scope of Animals by addressing animal nutrition, feed sustainability, and welfare, and by supporting interdisciplinary approaches to future-oriented livestock production. We welcome studies that assess the nutritional value, digestibility, safety, and performance outcomes of various alternative proteins, including insect meals, microalgae, single-cell proteins, co-products from food and biofuel industries, and fermented feed materials. Life cycle assessment (LCA), environmental and economic aspects, and effects on gut health and product quality are also of great interest.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • The evaluation of insect meals, microalgae, and single-cell proteins in poultry feed;
  • The use of agro-industrial by-products and fermented protein-rich materials;
  • The impact of alternative proteins on poultry growth, health, and product quality;
  • The digestibility, amino acid profiles, and metabolizable energy of novel feed ingredients;
  • Gut microbiota modulation and immune responses;
  • Sustainability assessment (e.g., carbon footprint, resource efficiency);
  • Consumer acceptance and the labeling of animal products from alternative protein-fed poultry.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Ondřej Šťastník
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

  • poultry nutrition
  • alternative proteins
  • insect meal
  • microalgae
  • by-products
  • feed sustainability
  • gut health
  • amino acid profile
  • fermented feed
  • circular economy

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

Jump to: Review

24 pages, 8610 KB  
Article
Effects of Dietary Methionine and Lysine Balance on Intestinal Function and Immune Organ Development in Wanxi White Geese During the Brooding Period
by Shaoqi Shi, Changsheng Jiang, Suting Fang, Leilei Li, Xiaojin Li, Ahmed H. Ghonaim, Man Ren and Shenghe Li
Animals 2026, 16(6), 872; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16060872 - 11 Mar 2026
Viewed by 434
Abstract
(1) Background: This experiment investigated the effects of balancing methionine or lysine under different dietary protein levels on intestinal function and immune organ development in Wanxi white geese during the brooding period. (2) Methods: A total of 180 one-day-old Wanxi white geese were [...] Read more.
(1) Background: This experiment investigated the effects of balancing methionine or lysine under different dietary protein levels on intestinal function and immune organ development in Wanxi white geese during the brooding period. (2) Methods: A total of 180 one-day-old Wanxi white geese were randomly divided into six groups using a 2 × 3 factorial design, with amino acid balance (lysine or methionine) and dietary crude protein levels (20%, 18%, and 16%) as experimental factors. Each group consisted of five replicates with six geese per replicate. The feeding trial lasted 28 days. (3) Results: The lysine-balanced diet significantly increased jejunal lipase activity in 14-day-old geese (p < 0.05). In contrast, the methionine-balanced diet significantly enhanced ileal trypsin, maltase, and amylase activities at 14 days, as well as ileal trypsin activity at 28 days (p < 0.05). Lysine balance markedly improved jejunal weight and muscularis thickness, ileal weight, villus height, and villus-to-crypt (V/C) ratio in 14-day-old geese, and further increased jejunal villus height and ileal crypt depth and muscularis thickness at 28 days (p < 0.05). Methionine balance significantly elevated total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) in the jejunum and ileum of geese at both 14 and 28 days (p < 0.05). Moreover, the methionine-balanced group exhibited a significantly higher thymus index and spleen index in 28-day-old geese compared with the lysine-balanced group (p < 0.05). Notably, geese fed the 18% crude protein diet showed significantly greater follicular and medullary areas of the bursa of Fabricius at 14 days than those fed 20% or 16% protein diets (p < 0.05). (4) Conclusions: Appropriate dietary protein reduction combined with balanced lysine or methionine supplementation effectively enhances intestinal digestive function, antioxidant capacity, and immune organ development in Wanxi white geese. Among the tested treatments, a dietary protein level of 18% produced the most favorable overall outcomes during the brooding period. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optimizing Alternative Protein Sources for Sustainable Poultry Diet)
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10 pages, 211 KB  
Article
Ileal Amino Acid Digestibility in Various Protein Sources Fed to Broiler Chickens
by Inho Cho, June Hyeok Yoon, Hyun Jung Jung and Changsu Kong
Animals 2026, 16(5), 779; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16050779 - 2 Mar 2026
Viewed by 567
Abstract
This study aimed to determine the ileal digestibility of amino acids (AA) in various protein sources for 21-day-old broilers. A total of 448 Ross 308 male broilers were allocated to eight dietary treatments with eight replicates in a randomized complete block design. Experimental [...] Read more.
This study aimed to determine the ileal digestibility of amino acids (AA) in various protein sources for 21-day-old broilers. A total of 448 Ross 308 male broilers were allocated to eight dietary treatments with eight replicates in a randomized complete block design. Experimental diets included one nitrogen-free diet and seven test diets, each containing one of the following feed ingredients—dehulled soybean meal (SBM), fermented SBM (FSBM), rapeseed meal (RM), copra meal (CM), palm kernel meal (PKM), corn distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS), and fish meal (FM), as the sole source of AA. On day 21, all birds were euthanized and subsequently ileal digesta was collected from the distal two-thirds of the ileum, extending from Meckel’s diverticulum to 1 cm proximal to the ileocecal junction. The ileal digestibility of AA in the FM was the greatest, followed by the SBM. The ileal digestibility for AA in the SBM was greater than that in the RM. The ileal AA digestibility in the RM was greater than or not different from that in the FSBM, except for Val and Pro, and superior to the CM and the PKM. The ileal digestibility of AA in the FSBM was greater than or not different from those in corn DDGS, except for Met and Cys. Corn DDGS exhibited greater or not different ileal digestibility of AA compared to that of the CM and the PKM, except for Val and Asp, and the PKM was the lowest. In conclusion, the ileal digestibility of AA was the greatest in the FM, followed by the SBM, FSBM, the RM, corn DDGS, the CM, and the PKM. Furthermore, the results underscore the necessity for continuous evaluation of ileal AA digestibility in various protein sources. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optimizing Alternative Protein Sources for Sustainable Poultry Diet)
18 pages, 313 KB  
Article
Feeding Low- and High-Fibre Sunflower Meal to Broiler Chickens—Effects of Inclusion Rate and Age of Birds on the Production Traits, Carcass Composition, Nutrient Digestibility, Gut Viscosity, and Caecal Short-Chain Fatty Acid Content
by Kesete Goitom Tewelde, Brigitta Kiss, Tivadar Csiszér, László Pál, Nikoletta Such, Ádám Bartos and Károly Dublecz
Animals 2026, 16(2), 162; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16020162 - 6 Jan 2026
Viewed by 1130
Abstract
Sunflower meal (SM) is an economically important, inexpensive, and locally abundant alternative protein source in the Eurozone. The study aimed at investigating the effects of feeding two forms of SM on the production traits, carcass composition, nutrient digestibility, and some gut parameters of [...] Read more.
Sunflower meal (SM) is an economically important, inexpensive, and locally abundant alternative protein source in the Eurozone. The study aimed at investigating the effects of feeding two forms of SM on the production traits, carcass composition, nutrient digestibility, and some gut parameters of broiler chickens. A total of 600-day-old Ross 308 male broilers were fed five isocaloric and isonitrogenous diets. Besides the control diet (C), the high- and low-fibre SMs (HFSM and LFSM) were fed at 20% (HFSM20 and LFSM20) and 30% (HFSM30 and LFSM30). Compared to the C, feeding the SM-containing diets did not affect the feed intake (FI) of birds. In the finisher phase, the HFSM30 treatment resulted in significantly higher, while the LFSM30 diet in significantly lower body weight gain. All SM treatments impaired FCR, but the difference was significant only in the grower phase. In comparison with the C, the SM treatments failed to modify carcass composition. The fat digestibility and the AMEn content increased, while the starch digestibility decreased when SM was fed. Except the LFSM30 treatment in the grower phase, the Nitrogen retention of birds was not affected. The SM-containing diets reduced the urinary N excretion, and the total N excretion of growers. Furthermore, the HFSM30 reduced the jejunal viscosity during the grower and finisher phases. The treatments did not modify the short-chain fatty acid contents of the caeca. In conclusion, SM can be used even at 20 and 30% in the nutrition of broiler chickens. However, the responses are affected by the age and the fibre content of SM. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optimizing Alternative Protein Sources for Sustainable Poultry Diet)

Review

Jump to: Research

31 pages, 543 KB  
Review
Canola Meal: A Sustainable Protein Source for Poultry Diets
by Thi Hiep Dao and Amy F. Moss
Animals 2025, 15(24), 3609; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15243609 - 15 Dec 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1363
Abstract
Soybean meal has traditionally dominated poultry diets as the protein source. However, its widespread use raises concerns regarding economic costs, environmental impact and social sustainability. As a result, there is growing interest in alternative protein sources, such as canola meal, which may reduce [...] Read more.
Soybean meal has traditionally dominated poultry diets as the protein source. However, its widespread use raises concerns regarding economic costs, environmental impact and social sustainability. As a result, there is growing interest in alternative protein sources, such as canola meal, which may reduce feed costs while sustaining productivity. This review evaluates the potential of canola meal as a sustainable protein source in modern poultry production systems, focusing on nutritional, economic and environmental advantages, as well as the potential implications of canola meal inclusion in reduced-protein diets. Evidence from scientific studies indicates that canola meal’s nutritional profile supports bird growth and production, although higher fiber content and anti-nutritional compounds reduce metabolizable energy, making it more suitable for laying hens than broiler chickens. Processing techniques, enzyme supplementation, fermentation, and modern cultivars have improved both nutritional value and practical utility of canola meal. Performance outcomes differ by species. Broilers exhibit variable growth at high inclusion levels, whereas laying hens are estimated to tolerate up to 20% without affecting laying performance or egg quality; however, data is severely lacking, particularly under the context of modern reduced-protein diets. Economically, canola meal is cost-competitive with soybean meal. From an environmental perspective, substituting imported soybean meal with local canola reduces greenhouse gas emissions, enhances resource efficiency, and supports pollinators. Nevertheless, trade-offs exist, including increased land use, variable digestibility, and potential eutrophication. Incorporating canola meal into reduced-protein diets offers both economic and ecological benefits, though effectiveness depends on the extent of protein reduction and the precision of amino acid formulation. Overall, canola meal offers a sustainable, economically viable, and environmentally responsible protein source for modern poultry production, provided that inclusion levels are adjusted to species-specific requirements and regional conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optimizing Alternative Protein Sources for Sustainable Poultry Diet)
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