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Animals
Special Issues
Innovative Nutritional Strategies for Sustainable and High-Quality Animal Production
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Innovative Nutritional Strategies for Sustainable and High-Quality Animal Production

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2026 | Viewed by 1040

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Daniel Mierlita

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Department of Animal Nutrition, University of Oradea, 1 University St., 410087 Oradea, Romania
2. Doctoral School of Agricultural Engineering Sciences, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, 3-5 Manastur St., 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Interests: animal nutrition; feeding management; feed efficiency; animal product quality (fatty acid profile, health lipid indices, bioactive compounds and antioxi-dants); alternative feed ingredients
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Danut Struti

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Technological Science, Faculty of Animal Science and Biotechnologies, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Interests: fodder quality and animal productions; animal nutrition; alternative feed ingredients; nourishment impact on productions quality; animal rearing systems

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The growing global demand for food, driven by population growth, increasing life expectancy and improving living standards, presents significant challenges for sustainable and high-quality animal production. In addition, climate change and rapid urbanization, which are straining the availability of natural resources, impose an urgent need for innovative and sustainable animal nutrition strategies that optimize feed efficiency to meet the growing demand for food, but also to ensure a sustainable balance between productivity, animal health, product quality and environmental sustainability. The implementation of innovative feeding strategies, such as precision nutrition, alternative feed resources and circular economy approaches for waste recycling—promoting local feed resources and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions—is essential to achieve a balance between productivity and sustainability in livestock production.

The aim of the current Special Issue is to publish high-quality original scientific articles, with a special (but not exclusive) focus on the following topics: the effect of animal nutrition and feeding strategies on the efficiency and sustainability of animal production systems; nutritional quality and bioactive compound content of animal products; innovative approaches and strategies in animal nutrition and feeding in the context of climate change; advances in alternative animal feed; and exploration of the use of innovative additives (such as prebiotics and natural plant extracts). In addition, this publication encourages the simultaneous development of innovative feeding strategies aimed at improving animal welfare and health; expanding the application of circular economy models; promoting alternative sources of animal feed; and reducing environmental pollution in animal farms.

We are keen to publish both reviews and original research papers. Reviews should conclude with an outlook, open questions, and directions for future research.

Prof. Dr. Daniel Mierlita
Dr. Danut Struti
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

  • precision nutrition technologies
  • innovative solutions in animal nutrition
  • animal product quality (milk, eggs and meat)
  • bioactive compounds
  • sustainability
  • feeding management
  • feed additives
  • alternative feed
  • fish nutrition
  • nutrition and health

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (1 paper)

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34 pages, 1331 KB  
Systematic Review
Effects of Fermented Feed Supplementation on Production Performance and Egg Quality Parameters in Laying Hens: A Meta-Analysis
by Özge Sızmaz, Mohamed Tharwat, Muhammad Shazaib Ramay, Atakan Bundur, Muhammad Waqas, Hafiz Muhammad Nouman, Beenish Imtiaz, Ibrar Ahmed, Umair Ahsan and Fahad A. Alshanbari
Animals 2026, 16(6), 906; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16060906 - 13 Mar 2026
Viewed by 739
Abstract
Fermentation-based feed processing has been proposed as a nutritional approach to improve nutrient availability and metabolic efficiency in laying hens. However, information on its impact on production performance and egg quality remains limited. This meta-analysis statistically assessed the impact of fermented feed supplementation [...] Read more.
Fermentation-based feed processing has been proposed as a nutritional approach to improve nutrient availability and metabolic efficiency in laying hens. However, information on its impact on production performance and egg quality remains limited. This meta-analysis statistically assessed the impact of fermented feed supplementation on the production performance and egg quality parameters of laying hens while investigating potential sources of heterogeneity across studies. A comprehensive literature search was performed in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science using the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. The inclusion criteria were randomized controlled trials and controlled intervention studies with non-fermented control diets. Two primary outcomes were examined: (1) production performance and (2) egg quality. Multilevel random-effects meta-analyses employing restricted maximum likelihood were conducted to address multiple effect sizes. Heterogeneity was evaluated using Cochran’s Q statistic and I2 estimates. Meta-regression analyses were performed considering dietary inclusion level, trial duration, and total hens, with subgroup analyses based on fermented feed type, assessment of publication bias using Egger’s test and trim-and-fill methods, and leave-one-study-out sensitivity analysis. Twenty-four studies were included in the quantitative synthesis. Supplementation with fermented feed markedly enhanced the egg-laying rate (MD = 2.11 percentage points; 95% CI: 0.92–3.30; p = 0.0005), Haugh unit (MD = 1.99; 95% CI: 0.61–3.38; p = 0.0048), and eggshell thickness (MD = 0.0081 mm; 95% CI: 0.0037–0.0124; p = 0.0003), whereas no significant overall effect was noted on the feed-to-egg ratio (MD = −0.0384 g feed/g egg; 95% CI: −0.0871–0.0103; p = 0.1218). Significant heterogeneity was observed across outcomes (I2 ≈ 73–93%). Subgroup analyses revealed notable feed-type-specific effects, whereas meta-regression indicated that dietary inclusion level is a significant moderator of the feed-to-egg ratio. Sensitivity analysis validated the robustness of the pooled estimates, and publication bias did not significantly influence the results. Supplementation with fermented feed was associated with improvements in egg-laying rate, albumen quality (Haugh unit), and eggshell thickness in laying hens. However, substantial heterogeneity across studies and variability in effect sizes indicate that responses may depend on feed type, inclusion level, and study conditions. These findings should therefore be interpreted with caution, and further well-designed and standardized trials are needed to confirm the consistency and magnitude of these effects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Nutritional Strategies for Sustainable and High-Quality Animal Production)
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