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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 May 2027 | Viewed by 7807

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Dr. Don Viet Nguyen

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School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia
Interests: animal nutrition; meat science; fatty acid profile; meat sensory properties; intra-muscular fat; sustainable livestock production

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The global livestock sector is facing growing challenges in its efforts to meet demand for high-quality animal products while ensuring environmental sustainability, resource efficiency, and animal welfare. In this context, nutrition has come to play a pivotal role in improving feed conversion, reducing emissions, and enhancing the nutritional value and safety of animal-derived foods, and recent scientific advances in feed formulation, nutrient utilisation, and precision feeding technologies have created new opportunities to optimise livestock production systems for both economic and ecological benefits.

This Special Issue, Advances in Farm Animal Feed and Nutrition, aims to gather together high-quality research that aligns with the scope of Animals by promoting sustainable animal production and improving livestock health and product quality. We seek to showcase novel findings that advance our understanding of feed innovation and nutrient metabolism, and the consequent implications for animal performance and product traits.

We welcome original research papers, reviews, and short communications on topics including feed evaluation, ruminant and non-ruminant nutrition, feed additives, alternative feed resources, fatty acid metabolism, nutritional physiology, precision feeding, and sustainable nutrition strategies. Studies integrating animal nutrition with meat, milk, or egg quality, greenhouse gas mitigation, and circular economy approaches are particularly encouraged.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Don Viet Nguyen
Guest Editor

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Keywords

animal feed
ruminant nutrition
non-ruminant nutrition
feed efficiency
fatty acid profile
sustainable livestock production
feed additives
alternative feed resources
animal performance
meat quality

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Published Papers (9 papers)

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22 pages, 1232 KB

Open AccessArticle

Replacement of Soybean Oil with Hermetia illucens Larvae Fat in Layer Diets: Effects on Performance, Egg Quality, Yolk Lipid Composition, and Ovarian Follicles

by Franziska Hornfeck, Ronny Müller, Sarah M. Grundmann, Kristina Maier-Sam, Erika Most, Lea Schäfer, Denise K. Gessner and Klaus Eder

Animals 2026, 16(17), 2661; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16172661 - 25 Aug 2026

Viewed by 595

Abstract

This study evaluated the effects of partially (50%) or completely (100%) replacing soybean oil with Hermetia illucens larvae fat (HI fat) in diets for laying hens on productive performance, egg quality, yolk lipid composition, and ovarian follicle characteristics during a 20-week feeding period. Sixty Lohmann LSL Classic hens were randomly allocated to three dietary treatments (Control, HI50, and HI100; n = 20 hens per treatment). Due to space limitations within the experimental facility, each treatment was housed in a single pen, which precluded statistical analysis of production performance data. Nevertheless, descriptive evaluation revealed no obvious differences in laying rate, egg weight, egg mass, feed intake, or feed conversion ratio among the dietary treatments. Most egg quality traits, including albumen height, Haugh units, shell strength, and yolk color, remained unaffected, although minor transient differences were detected at individual sampling time points. Dietary treatments altered yolk fatty acid composition, reflecting the fatty acid profile of the experimental diets. Replacement of soybean oil with HI fat increased the proportions of saturated fatty acids, particularly lauric (C12:0), myristic (C14:0), and palmitic acids (C16:0), while reducing both n-6 and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. In conclusion, the findings of this exploratory study indicate that HI fat may have potential as an alternative lipid source in layer diets. Under the conditions of the present experiment, no obvious adverse effects on productive performance, egg quality, or ovarian follicle characteristics were observed. However, because each dietary treatment was represented by a single pen, the results should be interpreted with caution and require confirmation in studies with replicated experimental units. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Farm Animal Feed and Nutrition)

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11 pages, 219 KB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Dietary Rumen-Undegradable Protein and Protein Levels on Growth Performance, Fermentation Parameters, Slaughter Performance, and Meat Quality on Fattening Hu Sheep

by Changxin Tian, Zhibo Wang, Shengdi Hu, Biao Yun, Zhaojin Liu, Xueqiao Qian and Zhixiong He

Animals 2026, 16(15), 2407; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16152407 - 4 Aug 2026

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 412

Abstract

Optimizing protein nutrition in ruminants is vital for enhancing growth performance, meat quality, and overall production efficiency. However, the precise protein requirement for ruminants remains unclear. Two experimental trials were conducted to investigate the impact of varying levels of rumen-undegradable protein (RUP) on in situ feed degradability, growth performance, meat quality, and rumen fermentation parameters in fattening Hu sheep. In EXP 1, six Hu sheep were fitted with rumen fistulas to measure rumen degradation characteristics of diets varying levels of crude protein (CP) (13%, 14%, 15%, and 16% X RUP: CP 40%, 45%, 50%). The results showed that the ruminal DM and GE degradation had no difference between the experimental diets (p > 0.05). However, the CP degradation rate gradually decreased as the dietary RUP proportion increased (p < 0.05). In EXP 2, a double factorial experiment was conducted using 720 male Hu sheep, divided into twelve dietary treatments with varying levels of crude protein (CP) (13%, 14%, 15%, and 16%) and RUP (40%, 45%, and 50%). Key performance indicators such as body weight gain (BWG), average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were measured at the beginning and end of the trial. Post-slaughter, meat quality attributes, including drip loss and initial pH of the longissimus dorsi muscle, were assessed after 40 days of the trial. Rumen fluid samples were analyzed for volatile fatty acid (VFA) profiles to evaluate rumen fermentation efficiency. The results demonstrated that increasing RUP levels significantly improved BWG and ADG (p < 0.05) without affecting ADFI and FCR. Although dietary protein levels had minimal impact, higher RUP levels were associated with a trend toward increased final body weight (p = 0.09). Dietary protein levels and the RUP: CP ratio had no significant effect on meat quality (p > 0.05). Ruminal acetate, valerate, and iso-valerate concentrations were reduced as RUP: CP increased (p < 0.05), and propionate concentration showed a similar trend (p = 0.062). In conclusion, optimizing RUP levels in the diets of fattening Hu sheep significantly enhances growth performance without compromising feed efficiency or the overall rumen fermentation process. These findings provide a foundation for developing feeding strategies that maximize production efficiency in sheep farming. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Farm Animal Feed and Nutrition)

21 pages, 510 KB

Open AccessArticle

Pre-Weaned Calf Rearing on Northern Irish Dairy Farms: Part 3—The Impact of Environmental Factors on Calf Performance

by Aaron J. Brown, Gillian Scoley, Niamh O’Connell, Alan Gordon and Steven Morrison

Animals 2026, 16(15), 2297; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16152297 - 24 Jul 2026

Viewed by 616

Abstract

Nutrition, healthcare and management of the rearing environment all interact and have an impact on the performance and feed efficiency of pre-weaned dairy calves. In a survey of 54 dairy farms in Northern Ireland, average daily gain (ADG) of 369 pre-weaned calves was assessed. Dietary and nutritional information detailing intake of milk or calf milk replacer (CMR) and the composition of milk/CMR and solid feed diets was collected. Environmental and hygiene-related parameters within calf rearing facilities were recorded. It was hypothesised that suboptimal environmental management conditions would negatively affect calf performance and cause the observed average daily gain and retained energy to fall below values predicted from nutritional intake alone. Factors that tended to be negatively associated with the observed calf ADG were increased time (>50%) below lower critical temperature (LCT), increased time (>10%) above 0.4 m/s airspeed and reduced straw dry matter (<70%). Potential calf ADG was predicted using the young calf model from the Nutrient Requirements of Dairy Cattle (8th Edition). The predicted and observed calf ADG and retained energy (RE) were compared to assess whether the individual observed calf ADG was greater, equal to or less than that predicted by the model. Environmental factors associated with calf ADG or RE being less than the model prediction included: greater than 30 animals housed in the calf house, increased time (>10%) above 0.4 m/s airspeed and where coliforms were detected in ≤50% of milk samples on that farm. These results demonstrate the relevance of management of the rearing environment in optimising pre-weaned calf performance and feed efficiency. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Farm Animal Feed and Nutrition)

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23 pages, 1620 KB

Open AccessArticle

Convolutional Neural Network-Based Models for Near-Infrared Prediction of Nutritional Quality in Multi-Product Animal Feeds

by Xueping Yang, Zhengling Liu, Fuyu Yang, Yanli Lin, Paolo Berzaghi and Salvador Castillo-Girones

Animals 2026, 16(11), 1676; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16111676 - 30 May 2026

Viewed by 520

Abstract

Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is widely used for rapid and non-destructive evaluation of feed nutritional quality, but robust calibration remains challenging for heterogeneous multi-product feed datasets. This study evaluated convolutional neural network (CNN)-based models for predicting crude protein (CP) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) using a previously published NIR database containing forage and grain-based feeds. A one-dimensional CNN and two hybrid models, CNN combined with partial least squares regression (CNN+PLS) and XGBoost (CNN+XGBoost), were developed and compared with conventional PLSR calibration models based on either the pooled multi-product dataset or product-specific subsets. Model performance was assessed using an independent internal hold-out test set generated within the same database. For CP prediction, CNN-based models achieved strong performance on the hold-out test set, with testing R² values of 0.98 and RMSEP values of 0.60–0.62, showing a clear reduction in prediction error compared with the global PLSR model. For ADF, CNN and CNN+PLS provided only modest improvements over global PLSR, whereas CNN+XGBoost showed weaker generalization for ADF. Product-wise results further indicated that ADF prediction was more strongly affected by feed matrix and product category than CP prediction. Grad-CAM examples suggested that CNN activation patterns were broadly consistent with known protein- and fiber-related absorption regions, although this interpretation should be regarded as illustrative evidence of spectral coherence rather than direct chemical causality. Overall, CNN-based models, particularly CNN+PLS, showed promise for improving NIRS prediction of CP in heterogeneous feed datasets, while their advantage for ADF was limited. Further validation using independent external datasets and multi-instrument conditions is required before routine implementation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Farm Animal Feed and Nutrition)

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13 pages, 784 KB

Open AccessArticle

Do Polish Konik Horses Find Soaked Hay to Be Palatable?

by Ewelina Tkaczyk, Izabela Ewelina Gazda, Michalina Humięcka, Jarosław Łuszczyński, Kinga Basińska, Beata Kaczmarek, Joanna Barłowska, Przemysław Tkaczyk and Iwona Janczarek

Animals 2026, 16(11), 1663; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16111663 - 29 May 2026

Viewed by 790

Abstract

Frequently, equine diseases necessitate the moistening or soaking of hay for the horses. It was assumed that this treatment would not reduce the willingness of the Polish Konik horses with low nutritional requirements to consume the hay. Furthermore, it was believed that moistening would increase the palatability of this feed. The aim of this study was to determine time and frequency parameters and the amount of unconsumed dry, moist, or soaked hay. The research material comprised 12 Polish Konik horses consuming either 1 kg of dry hay, 2.1 kg of moist hay, or 3.3 kg of soaked hay on three subsequent days of the experiment. The following parameters were determined: the time of hay intake, the duration and frequency of pauses in intake, the time of straw intake, the time and frequency of drinking, and the time spent on other activities during a one-hour period following the provision of hay, after which the feed refusals were weighed. An algorithm for assessing the ‘palatability’ of hay was also developed. The experimental time of hay intake ranged from 1261.67 s (moist hay) to 2663.33 s (soaked hay), and the maximum mass of feed refusals ranged from 10.00 g (dry hay) to 343.33 g (soaked hay). No sex-related differences were noted. The time of straw intake did not exceed 60 s. In general, Polish Konik horses were noted to be selective in their feeding habits, as the ‘palatability’ of soaked hay was low at best, that of dry hay was moderate or high, and that of moist hay was very high. The low ‘palatability’ of soaked hay was more evident in the geldings than in the mares. The reduced willingness to consume hay did not contribute to an increase in the straw intake, which is not a substitute for roughage. It is also important to note that different results may be expected in some horses, as the values for the traits examined indicated significant individual variation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Farm Animal Feed and Nutrition)

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19 pages, 391 KB

Open AccessArticle

Canola Meal in Poultry Diet: Impact on pH, Color, Drip Loss, Nutritional Composition and Oxidative Status of Fresh and Stored Meat

by Marta del Puerto, María Cristina Cabrera, Ayrton da Silva, Roberto Olivero, Alejandra Terevinto and Ali Saadoun

Animals 2026, 16(9), 1297; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16091297 - 23 Apr 2026

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Abstract

Canola meal, with environmentally friendly attributes, lower cost, and previous studies, is an interesting proteic source to partially replace the soybean meal for poultry nutrition. For that, in this work we aimed to investigate canola meal as a partial replacement of soybean meal in finishing poultry diets (21 to 49 days) on the productive performance, also including the impact on the quality, nutritional attributes and antioxidative status of valuable cuts of meat. Ninety-six 21-day-old chickens were assigned to four experimental diets (24/diet), with increasing doses of canola meal (CM 0, 2.5, 5 and 10%). Daily consumption, weekly live weight and post mortem carcass weight and yield were determined. At 24 h post mortem, pH, color (CIE L, a*, b*) and drip loss were measured in the breast, drumstick and thigh cuts. Fatty acid composition and health lipid indexes were also determined in the fresh cuts. The oxidative status of lipids and proteins, polyphenol and flavonoids content in fresh and in stored (7 days-display at 4–6 °C) in vacuum packaged cuts were determined. Including CM, up to 10%, the feed intake and growth of birds was not affected (p = 0.74 and p = 0.87 respectively). In meat, CM significantly decreased the drip loss (p < 0.05), the pH in breast and thigh (p = 0.01 and p = 0.05 respectively), a lower L and b in thigh and increased PUFAs in more oxidative cuts, with a strong interaction between dose and muscle type. There was no effect on lipid oxidation while carbonyls decrease at a 2.5% dose in fresh and stored cuts but there is an increase with higher ones. Flavonoids raise the maximum deposition in meat at 5% CM. In conclusion, CM can be included in finishing poultry diets, but high doses must to be adequately managed if performance and quality of meat criteria are considered together. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Farm Animal Feed and Nutrition)

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15 pages, 1663 KB

Open AccessArticle

Reducing Protein Content with and Without Yeast Probiotic Actisaf Sc 47 Supplementation in the Diet of Dairy Cow: Effects on Nitrogen Use, Digestibility, and Rumen Microbial Protein

by Nizar Salah, Brigitte Gestes, Pauline Ly, Axel Blancou, Kheira Hadjeba, Julie Schulthess, Julie Duclos and Eric Pinloche

Animals 2026, 16(8), 1277; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16081277 - 21 Apr 2026

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 997

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of lowering crude protein (CP) levels in the diet of dairy cows alone or in combination with a yeast probiotic on nitrogen utilization, digestion, and rumen microbial protein synthesis. In total, six cows were included in a 3 × 3 Latin square design. Each study period consisted of 23 days of diet adaptation and 5 days for sampling and data collection. Cows were randomly assigned to one of the three diets according to protein level and supplementation: control diet with 16.5 CP%DM (CTR), a diet with 14.5 CP%DM without Actisaf Sc 47 supplementation (LCP), and a diet with 14.5 CP%DM with Actisaf Sc 47 supplementation at 5 g/cow/day (LCPActisaf). Reducing protein content from 16.5 to 14.5 CP%DM alone or in combination with Actisaf Sc 47 significantly reduced nitrogen intake. Regarding fecal nitrogen (FN), no difference was observed between the CTR and LCP groups. However, FN was significantly lower in the LCPActisaf group compared with that of the CTR group. There was a tendency for lower FN in the LCPActisaf group compared with the LCP group. Compared with CTR, urinary nitrogen (UN) was not impacted by LCP but tended to decrease with LCPActisaf (p = 0.1). Compared with CTR and LCP, supplementation with Actisaf Sc 47 increased nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) (p < 0.05). A tendency for higher NUE was observed in the LCP group compared with the CTR group (p = 0.07). Crude protein digestibility was similar between the CTR and LCP groups and tended to increase with Actisaf Sc 47 supplementation. Compared with CTR, neutral detergent fiber (NDF) digestibility was not impacted by LCP but increased by LCPActisaf (p = 0.05); LCPActisaf did not impact NDF digestibility compared with LCP. Organic matter (OM) digestibility was similar among treatments. Although there was no difference between the three groups on rumen microbial protein synthesis (RMP), supplementation with Actisaf Sc 47 increased RMP. Reducing protein content in combination with Actisaf Sc 47 appears to be a good strategy, enabling both the environmental footprint linked to nitrogen losses to be reduced, and fiber digestibility and rumen microbial protein synthesis to increase. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Farm Animal Feed and Nutrition)

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22 pages, 1946 KB

Open AccessArticle

Comparative Evaluation of High-Throughput In Vitro Digestion Methods for Predicting In Vivo Digestibility and Fecal Odor Emissions in Pigs

by Ching-Yi Chen, Ruei-Yang Huang and Han-Tsung Wang

Animals 2026, 16(6), 918; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16060918 - 14 Mar 2026

Viewed by 1260

Abstract

Accurate and physiologically relevant in vitro models are needed to predict nutrient digestibility and hindgut fermentation in pigs, as conventional in vivo trials are resource-intensive and raise animal welfare concerns. This study evaluated and compared the predictive performance of three in vitro digestion approaches—shaking (S), dialysis (D), and a combined shaking plus dialysis (SD) method—for estimating in vivo apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) and fermentation characteristics across weaning, growing, and finishing pigs. Commercial diets were subjected to simulated gastric and small-intestinal digestion using S, D, or SD, followed by fecal inoculation to model hindgut fermentation for 12 and 48 h. During the gastrointestinal phase, crude protein digestibility was highest with D (>75%), intermediate with SD, and lowest with S (50–60%), indicating that product removal by dialysis mitigated enzyme inhibition from metabolite accumulation. After 48 h of fermentation, all methods showed strong linear correlations with in vivo ATTD (r > 0.93), but only D achieved high absolute agreement (Lin’s CCC > 0.95 for dry matter and crude protein). Moreover, D and SD at 48 h closely reflected in vivo fecal profiles of skatole, indole, and microbial enzyme activities, with D at 12 h showing an especially strong correlation for protease (r = 0.98). While D provided the most precise predictions of absolute values, the SD method offered an optimal balance between physiological relevance and operational efficiency, supporting its use as a robust, high-throughput platform for porcine feed evaluation and fecal nitrogenous odorant prediction. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Farm Animal Feed and Nutrition)

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20 pages, 417 KB

Open AccessSystematic Review

Dried Distillers’ Grains with Solubles in Ruminant Diets: Effects on Enteric Methane Emissions and Production Responses—A Systematic Review

by Lwazi Mwanda, Lwando Mbambalala, Musa Ikramatu, Lindokuhle C. Mhlongo and Róbert Tóthi

Animals 2026, 16(15), 2427; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16152427 - 5 Aug 2026

Viewed by 532

Abstract

Enteric methane (CH₄) emissions from ruminants contribute to agricultural greenhouse gas emissions and represent a loss of dietary energy that could otherwise support animal production. Dried distillers’ grains with solubles (DDGSs) have received increasing attention as an alternative feed ingredient because of their nutritional value and potential to influence rumen fermentation, nutrient utilization, and CH₄ emissions. This systematic review evaluated the effects of DDGSs on enteric CH₄ emissions and nutrient utilization in ruminant diets. Literature searches were conducted in Google Scholar, Scopus, and Web of Science for studies published between 2010 and 2025. Following PRISMA guidelines and using the SYRCLE risk of bias tool, 17 studies, comprising 9 in vivo, 5 in vitro, and 3 integrated in vivo–in vitro studies, were included in the qualitative synthesis. The DDGS supplementation did not consistently reduce absolute CH₄ production, although reductions in CH₄ yield and emission intensity were more frequently reported. Moderate inclusion levels (up to 20% of diet dry matter) were frequently associated with improved nutrient utilization, feed efficiency, and animal performance, although these responses varied among studies. Reductions in CH₄ yield and emission intensity were more commonly reported than reductions in absolute CH₄ production. Higher inclusion levels (>30% of diet dry matter) produced more variable responses and were often associated with reduced fiber digestibility. In conclusion, the available evidence suggests that DDGS may act as a dietary modifier capable of improving nutrient utilization and production efficiency under appropriate dietary conditions; however, responses remain dependent on inclusion level, DDGS source, basal diet composition, and production system. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Farm Animal Feed and Nutrition)

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