Special Issue "Advances in the Usage of Sustainable Feed Materials in Animal Nutrition"

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2022.

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Bartosz Kierończyk
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: non-ruminant nutrition; poultry; companion animals; feed additives; insects as food and feed; GIT microbiology; GIT physiology
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals
Dr. Robert Mikuła
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Animal Nutrition, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Poznań, Poland
Interests: ruminant nutrition; feed additives; silages, tools to estimate dairy cow nutrition; dairy cows’ transition period physiology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the era of commonly used environmentally unfriendly feed materials in livestock nutrition, as well as the societal disagreement to use of GMO products, there is room to implement novel and innovative feedstuffs. Thus, sustainable farming should not only be based on establishing the rearing conditions but the usage of alternative protein, dietary energy sources, as well as feed additives that may reduce carbon, water footprint and nitrogen emissions in animal nutrition. According to the reuse, recycle, renew, repurpose idea (4R), as well as the assumption of the Horizon2020 Green Deal UE project, there is a need to provide deep and effective solutions in animal nutrition, particularly in terms of intensive production. These changes should be accelerated and implemented in the whole livestock nutrition sector including poultry, pigs, cattle, and aquaculture nutrition. Additionally, better nutrient requirements would improve farm economy and decrease the negative impact of animal keeping on the environment. Therefore, scientific knowledge should be widely available and rapidly transferred to field conditions to exhibit positive effects.

The goal of the Special Issue is related to the exhibition of any solutions connected to novel and innovative technologies, feeding programs, specific products such as feedstuffs, and feed additives used in animal nutrition that may reduce the harmful influence on the environment via the limitation of water usage, nitrogen emission, as well as carbon footprint. It is crucial to include the effect of various products, etc., on the animal growth performance, digestibility coefficients, gut development, final product quality, gut microbiota modulations, physiological and immunological status, metabolic response, health and fertility. Additionally, the characteristics (nutritional aspects) of different products are welcome. We invite you to publish original scientific articles as well as review papers to expand the current knowledge in the field.

The main aim of the Special Issue:

  • implementation of various insect meals in animal nutrition;
  • addition of alternative and environmentally friendly energy sources in animal nutrition;
  • the usage of algae in livestock production;
  • non-GMO feed materials in animal nutrition;
  • precision feeding;
  • limitation of water and carbon footprints through nutrition;
  • production of alternative feedstuffs;
  • the technological processes to improve feed quality.

Dr. Bartosz Kierończyk
Dr. Robert Mikuła
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 papers will be 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 monthly 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 1800 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

  • Alternative protein
  • Alternative dietary energy source
  • Non-GMO products
  • Animal health
  • Productivity parameters

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

Article
Oxidative Quality of Acid Oils and Fatty Acid Distillates Used in Animal Feeding
Animals 2021, 11(9), 2559; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11092559 - 31 Aug 2021
Abstract
Acid oils (AO) and fatty acid distillates (FAD) are byproducts from chemical and physical refining of edible oils and fats, respectively. Their high energy value makes their upcycling interesting as alternatives to conventional fats in animal feeding. The objective of this study is [...] Read more.
Acid oils (AO) and fatty acid distillates (FAD) are byproducts from chemical and physical refining of edible oils and fats, respectively. Their high energy value makes their upcycling interesting as alternatives to conventional fats in animal feeding. The objective of this study is to characterize their oxidative quality and to provide recommendations about their evaluation for animal feeding purposes. The oxidation status (peroxide value (PV), p-Anisidine value (p-AnV), % polymeric compounds (POL)), the oxidative stability (induction time by the Rancimat at 120 °C (IT)), the fatty acid composition (FA), and tocopherol and tocotrienol content of 92 AO and FAD samples from the Spanish market were analyzed. Both AO and FAD showed low PV (0.8 and 1 meq O2/kg); however, p-AnV was higher in FAD (36.4 vs. 16.4 in AO) and POL was higher in AO (2.5% vs. not detected in FAD) as a consequence of the type of refining process. The botanical origin of AO and FAD influenced FA and tocol composition, and they influenced IT. A high variability was observed for most analyzed parameters, reinforcing the need for standardizing AO and FAD to obtain reliable feed ingredients and to include primary and secondary oxidative parameters within their quality control. Full article
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Article
Effects of Replacing Yellow Corn with Olive Cake Meal on Growth Performance, Plasma Lipid Profile, and Muscle Fatty Acid Content in Broilers
Animals 2021, 11(8), 2240; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11082240 - 29 Jul 2021
Viewed by 701
Abstract
The current study focused exclusively on evaluating the effects of replacing corn with olive cake meal (OCM) in the diet of broilers on their growth performance, abdominal fat, selected plasma parameters, and muscle fatty acid (FA) content. A total of 480 one-day-old male [...] Read more.
The current study focused exclusively on evaluating the effects of replacing corn with olive cake meal (OCM) in the diet of broilers on their growth performance, abdominal fat, selected plasma parameters, and muscle fatty acid (FA) content. A total of 480 one-day-old male broiler chickens (Ross 308) were divided into four treatment groups with 12 replicates/treatment. The control group was fed the base diet, whereas the second to fourth groups were fed diets of corn with 5%, 10%, and 20% contents of OCM, respectively. Broilers fed with the 5% and 10% OCM diets showed better body weight (p = 0.04) and feed conversion ratio than the 20% OCM group (p < 0.048). Both nitrogen retention and ether extract digestibility were not improved by replaced corn with OCM. Replacing corn with OCM led to a decreased abdominal fat percentage (p = 0.023) compared with the control group. Birds in the OCM groups showed the lowest total cholesterol values (p = 0.038). The breast muscle (musculus pectoralis superficialis) content of oleic and linoleic, linolenic, and arachidonic acids was significantly high in birds fed with OCM diets. However, their palmitic acid level was significantly decreased. Vitamin E was increased by increasing the OCM level. Thus, we concluded that replacing corn with OCM, especially at a 10% level, is more effective than other replacement levels in improving growth performance, plasma lipid profile, and muscle FA content, as well as in causing a reduction in abdominal fat in broilers. Full article
Article
Canola Meal versus Soybean Meal as Protein Supplements in the Diets of Lactating Dairy Cows Affects the Greenhouse Gas Intensity of Milk
Animals 2021, 11(6), 1636; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11061636 - 31 May 2021
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Abstract
Soybean meal (SBM) and canola meal (CM) are protein supplements used in lactating dairy cow diets and, recently, an enteric methane-mitigating effect (i.e., lower Ym value) was reported for CM. Before recommending CM as a greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation strategy, it is [...] Read more.
Soybean meal (SBM) and canola meal (CM) are protein supplements used in lactating dairy cow diets and, recently, an enteric methane-mitigating effect (i.e., lower Ym value) was reported for CM. Before recommending CM as a greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation strategy, it is necessary to examine the net impact on total GHG emissions from milk production. The objective was to determine whether using CM rather than SBM in lactating dairy cow diets decreases GHG per kilogram of fat and protein corrected milk (FPCM), and whether the decrease depends upon where the meals are produced. Cradle to farm-gate life cycle assessments were conducted for a simulated dairy farm in eastern (Quebec) and western (Alberta) Canada. Scenarios examined the source of protein meal, location where meals were produced, and the methane-mitigating effect of CM. The Holos model was used to estimate GHG emissions from animals, manure, crop production, imported feeds, and energy use. GHG intensities (CO2e/kg FPCM) were 0.85–1.02 in the east and 1.07–1.11 in the west for the various scenarios, with enteric methane comprising 34 to 40% of total emissions. CM produced in western Canada with a low up-stream emission factor and low Ym value reduced CO2e/kg FPCM by 3% (western farm) to 6.6% (eastern farm) compared with SBM. We conclude that using CM rather than SBM in the diet of lactating dairy cows can be a GHG mitigation strategy depending upon where it is produced and whether it decreases enteric methane emissions. Full article
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