Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
5.5
3.2
Journals
Animals
Special Issues
Feeding Strategies to Optimize Growth and Reduce Waste in Pigs
share announcement

Feeding Strategies to Optimize Growth and Reduce Waste in Pigs

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2026 | Viewed by 2612

Editors

Dr. Anita Zaworska-Zakrzewska

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Department of Animal Nutrition, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Wołyńska 33, 60-637 Poznań, Poland
Interests: pigs; monogastric nutrition; feed additives; alternative protein components; GIT physiology; feed and food processing methods
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Małgorzata Kasprowicz-Potocka

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Animal Nutrition, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Wołyńska 33, 60-637 Poznań, Poland
Interests: pigs; nutrition; feed additives; alternative protein and energy components; feed and food processing; fermentation; germination
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sustainable pig production faces the dual challenge of maximizing growth performance while minimizing nutrient losses and environmental impact. Feed constitutes the largest cost in pig farming and remains a critical factor influencing both productivity and ecological footprint. Conventional feeding approaches often lead to inefficiencies, such as over-supplementation of protein or minerals, resulting in nitrogen and phosphorus excretion, greenhouse gas emissions, and reduced feed efficiency.

To address these issues, novel feeding strategies that combine precision nutrition, feed additives, alternative protein and energy sources, and improved management practices are being developed. Recent advances in precision feeding technologies allow for individualized nutrient supply according to growth stage and health status, reducing waste without compromising performance. Moreover, the incorporation of functional ingredients, fiber fractions, and bioactive substances can enhance gut health, stimulate feed intake, and improve nutrient utilization. At the same time, the exploration of local, sustainable feedstuffs and circular economy concepts, such as co-products from the agrifood industry, provide opportunities to reduce reliance on conventional raw materials.

This Special Issue aims to highlight current research, innovations, and practical applications in swine nutrition aimed at optimizing growth, improving feed efficiency, and mitigating the environmental impact of pig production.

Dr. Anita Zaworska-Zakrzewska
Prof. Małgorzata Kasprowicz-Potocka
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-anonymized 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

  • pig production strategies
  • pig feeding
  • reduction waste
  • optimize growth pigs
  • sustainable feed materials

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Other

19 pages, 935 KB  
Article
The Effect of Feeding Strategies Based on Flaxseed and Locally Available Plant-Derived Additives on the Growth Performance, Biochemical and Immune Blood Indices, and Antioxidant Capacity of Pigs in Sustainable Production
by Małgorzata Świątkiewicz, Magdalena Szyndler-Nędza, Anna Czech, Kinga Szczepanik, Mirosław Tyra and Marek Babicz
Animals 2026, 16(14), 2236; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16142236 - 19 Jul 2026
Viewed by 402
Abstract
The study evaluated the effects of feeding strategies on growth performance, health laboratory biomarkers, and antioxidant protection of slow-growing pigs, fed finisher diets containing alternative protein sources (local and by-product), as an element of sustainable pig production. The study involved 40 fattening pigs [...] Read more.
The study evaluated the effects of feeding strategies on growth performance, health laboratory biomarkers, and antioxidant protection of slow-growing pigs, fed finisher diets containing alternative protein sources (local and by-product), as an element of sustainable pig production. The study involved 40 fattening pigs (Pulawska native breed), fed the same grower mixture, while dietary treatment was applied during the finisher phase (90–135 kg BW). The diet in all groups was isoenergetic and isoprotein, but differing in additives. Control pigs—mixture without additives; experimental groups—feed supplemented with 3% flaxseed together with 2% dried herbs (H), or 2% dried fruit (F), or 2% herbs with dried beetroot (HB). The experimental finisher diets did not change the fattening results, carcass, and physico-chemical traits of meat quality. Summarized, the tested feeding strategies can be proposed for the production of native (local) pork with higher PUFA n-3 and dietetic added value combined with the oxidative stability of the meat, with the diet containing flaxseed together with dried herbs proving particularly effective for inhibiting the negative effects of oxidative stress in pigs (higher CAT, SOD, GSH and lower MDA, LOOH observed in blood and meat, p ≤ 0.05), and improving their immune blood indices (higher IgA, IgG, IgM, lysozyme, lower Il6 and Il8, p ≤ 0.05). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feeding Strategies to Optimize Growth and Reduce Waste in Pigs)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Other

Jump to: Research

22 pages, 549 KB  
Systematic Review
Phytase in Pig Diets: Technical and Economic Evaluation
by Danilo de Souza Sanches, Charles Kiefer, Ricardo Carneiro Brumatti, Karina Marcia Ribeiro de Souza Nascimento, Luan Souza dos Santos, Anderson Corassa, Elis Regina de Moraes Garcia, Gislaine da Cunha de Andrade and Giovana Cristina Giannesi
Animals 2026, 16(11), 1714; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16111714 - 3 Jun 2026
Viewed by 964
Abstract
Despite the widespread use of phytase in swine diets, there is a need to update the current evidence on its effects on performance, carcass traits, and economic outcomes. This meta-analysis evaluated the impact of phytase supplementation on growth performance, carcass traits, and economic [...] Read more.
Despite the widespread use of phytase in swine diets, there is a need to update the current evidence on its effects on performance, carcass traits, and economic outcomes. This meta-analysis evaluated the impact of phytase supplementation on growth performance, carcass traits, and economic returns in growing–finishing pigs, combining meta-analysis with economic modeling. A systematic review (Web of Science, ScienceDirect, PubMed, and Scopus) revealed 1049 studies, 17 of which met the inclusion criteria (PRISMA). Three treatments were considered: a basal diet (BD), a reduced-P diet without phytase (DRP), and a reduced-P diet with phytase (DRP + P), with effect sizes expressed as weighted mean differences (WMDs). The meta-analysis included performance traits (daily feed intake, DFI; daily weight gain, DWG; feed conversion, FC; and final weight, FW) and carcass traits (carcass weight, CW; carcass yield, CY; backfat thickness, BT; loin eye area, LEA; lean meat percentage, LMP; and lean meat yield, LMY). With respect to BD vs. DRP, P reduction impaired performance and decreased ADG, DFI, and final weight (p < 0.001), especially at reductions ≥0.12%. In DRP + P vs. BD, phytase had no significant effects on performance (WMD = 0.008 kg/day) or carcass traits. In DRP + P vs. DRP, phytase improved performance (ADG: +0.068 kg/day; DFI: +0.106 kg/day; FW: +4.630 kg; FC: −0.115; p < 0.001), with stronger effects in males and at greater P reductions. In DRP + P vs. DB, carcass traits were not significantly affected, whereas DB vs. DRP reduced LEA (WMD = −1.820, p < 0.00), and DRP + P vs. DRP produced subgroup-dependent changes in CW, LEA, and LMY according to sex, phytase source, and diet composition. Economically, phytase increased profit by up to US$ 2.66 (vs. BD) and US$ 5.14 (vs. DRP), remaining advantageous even with enzyme price increases of up to 4×. Overall, phytase supplementation improved performance and economic returns, representing an effective strategy for the development of swine production systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feeding Strategies to Optimize Growth and Reduce Waste in Pigs)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-2
Back to TopTop