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Animals
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Algae (Macro/Microalgae): Its Impact on Ruminant Nutrition and Environmental Sustainability
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Algae (Macro/Microalgae): Its Impact on Ruminant Nutrition and Environmental Sustainability

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2020) | Viewed by 8396

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Katerina Theodoridou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Global Food Security, Queen’s University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Northern Ireland, Belfast BT9 5DL, UK
Interests: polyphenols; ruminant nutrition; alternative protein sources; animal products; milk and meat quality; feed evaluation; methane and ammonia emissions
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Jordi Ortuno Casanova

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Biological Sciences, Institute for Global Food Security, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK
Interests: meat quality; food technology; animal nutrition; aromatic-medicinal plants
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Food security is a global challenge, and as demand for food increases, an urgent need to increase the protein supply from sustainable sources is created. At the same time, the main concerns are that climate-induced shifts will increase the cost of animal protein/feed due to an increased demand for land and water and the greenhouse gas emissions related to animal production. It is crucial, therefore, to find strategies to improve feed efficiency and decrease emissions. One approach is the use of algae in ruminant nutrition, which could contribute to the freeing up of land to grow crops for direct consumption by the human populace and lead to a concomitant increase in food security. Microalgae are a great source of PUFA (DHA, DPA, and omega-3), while brown seaweed (macroalgae) containing phlorotannins has the potential to optimise protein use efficiency, reduce environmental impact, and improve animal health and food quality. The aim of this Special Issue is to publish current and relevant information related to the use of algae in ruminant nutrition. In particular, original research papers and reviews that address any aspect of their use and their effect on feed efficiency, animal health, methane emissions and the quality of animal products are welcome.

Dr. Katerina Theodoridou
Dr. Jordi Ortuno Casanova
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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

  • ruminants
  • seaweed
  • algae
  • micro-algae
  • phlorotannins
  • methane emissions
  • feed efficiency
  • ammonia production
  • antimicrobial agent
  • protein degradation
  • fatty acids

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 1565 KiB  
Article
The Effect of Ensiling on the Nutritional Composition and Fermentation Characteristics of Brown Seaweeds as a Ruminant Feed Ingredient
by Mairead Campbell, Jordi Ortuño, Lauren Ford, David R. Davies, Anastasios Koidis, Pamela J. Walsh and Katerina Theodoridou
Animals 2020, 10(6), 1019; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10061019 - 11 Jun 2020
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 4144
Abstract
Ensiling could be an effective method to preserve seaweeds for animal feed applications, however, there is limited scientific knowledge in this area. Seaweeds are a promising ruminant feed ingredient, in part due to the content of phenolic compounds, which are receiving considerable interest [...] Read more.
Ensiling could be an effective method to preserve seaweeds for animal feed applications, however, there is limited scientific knowledge in this area. Seaweeds are a promising ruminant feed ingredient, in part due to the content of phenolic compounds, which are receiving considerable interest as alternative antimicrobial agents in feed. The aim of the study was to compare the effect of ensiling on the nutritional composition and fermentation characteristics of two brown seaweed species, Fucus vesiculosus (FV) and Saccharina latissimi (SL) with or without the use of a Lactobacillus plantarum (LAB) inoculant. The effect of ensiling on the stability of phlorotannin was also investigated using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). After harvesting, the seaweeds were wilted for 24 h and subsequently ensiled in laboratory-scaled silos for 90 days. SL silage showed a stronger fermentation pattern (pH < 4), dominated by lactic acid (50–60 g/kg Dry Matter (DM)), and a slightly higher acetic acid content compared to FV silages (p < 0.05). The fermentability of FV was limited (pH > 4.8) with low lactic acid production (<5 g/kg DM). The addition of the LAB inoculant showed no effect on the fermentation process but a modest effect on the chemical composition of both species was observed after the 90-day ensiling period. The results showed no losses in the nutrient content of FV after ensiling, however losses in the Crude Protein (CP, −32%), ash (−36%), Neutral Detergent Fibre (NDF, −77%) and Acid Detergent Fibre (ADF, −58%) content of SL were observed. The ensiling process had a limited effect on the in vitro true dry matter digestibility and phenolic content of either species. Therefore, ensilage may be a suitable preservation method for the use of brown seaweeds as a ruminant feed; however, species-specific differences were observed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Algae (Macro/Microalgae): Its Impact on Ruminant Nutrition and Environmental Sustainability)
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14 pages, 309 KiB  
Article
Ruminal Fermentation, Growth Rate and Methane Production in Sheep Fed Diets Including White Clover, Soybean Meal or Porphyra sp.
by Vibeke Lind, Martin R. Weisbjerg, Grete M. Jørgensen, Júlia E. Fernandez-Yepes, Lesly Arbesú and Eduarda Molina-Alcaide
Animals 2020, 10(1), 79; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10010079 - 02 Jan 2020
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3678
Abstract
The aim of the present work was to investigate the potential of Porphyra sp. as an alternative source of protein to soybean meal in diets for sheep. Our experimental treatments included a control diet (CON) based on grass silage and crushed oats and [...] Read more.
The aim of the present work was to investigate the potential of Porphyra sp. as an alternative source of protein to soybean meal in diets for sheep. Our experimental treatments included a control diet (CON) based on grass silage and crushed oats and three diets containing protein supplements, clover silage (CLO), soybean meal (SOY) or Porphyra sp. (POR) to increase dietary crude protein concentrations. We studied its effects on rumen fermentation, growth rate and methane emissions. Ruminal fermentation characteristics, kinetics of gas production and methane production were studied in vitro by using batch cultures inoculated with rumen inoculum from sheep. There were no differences among diets in total volatile fatty acids (VFA) production or in the VFA profile in vitro. Across treatments, we measured no differences in methane production either in vitro or in vivo, and we saw no noticeable antimethanogenic effect of Porphyra sp. The present in vivo trial with lambs showed no differences in average daily weight gain when fed diets including Porphyra sp. or soybean meal diets (250 and 254 g/d, respectively). We conclude that Porphyra sp. has a protein value similar to high-quality protein sources like soybean meal. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Algae (Macro/Microalgae): Its Impact on Ruminant Nutrition and Environmental Sustainability)
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