Alternative Protein Sources for Animal Feeds

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 September 2025 | Viewed by 619

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NC, USA
Interests: finfish nutrition; alternative proteins; soybean meal; nutritional programming; epigenetics; gut inflammation; early development stages

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Around 733 million people faced undernourishment in 2023, an equivalent of one in eleven people worldwide and one in five in Africa. The world is facing an unprecedented hunger crisis, and it is falling significantly short of achieving the Sustainable Development Goal 2 that focuses on ending hunger, achieving food security and improved nutrition. Poverty, inequality, conflicts, and in recent years climate change have been the leading causes of severe food disasters. Climate change dramatically alters biodiversity, agricultural production, and global food security and its alleviation is essential to fulfill the future food demands of continuously expanding human population.

For food production to increase in a sustainable manner to meet the increasing global demand for protein, adjustments to the current farming practices must be made to accommodate the changing climate. We therefore welcome leading scientists working in the field of sustainable agriculture to submit their original research or review papers to this Special Issue. In particular, topics such as the use of alternative protein sources, impacts on animal digestibility, growth performance, health, product quality, consumer perception and acceptance, alternative feeding approaches, sustainable production

Dr. Karolina Kwasek
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • aquaculture
  • livestock nutrition
  • alternative proteins
  • nutritional programming
  • epigenetics
  • animal health
  • environmental sustainability
  • climate change

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

10 pages, 740 KiB  
Article
In Vitro Evaluation of Three Pisum sativum L. Varieties to Partially Replace Soybean and Corn Meal in Dairy Cow Diet
by Maria Ferrara, Emanuele D’Anza, Teresa Montefusco, Piera Iommelli, Barbara Piccirillo, Alessio Ruggiero and Alessandro Vastolo
Animals 2025, 15(6), 855; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15060855 - 17 Mar 2025
Viewed by 320
Abstract
Pea (Pisum sativum L.) seeds are valuable feed ingredients due to their high-quality protein and starch digestibility, making them a viable alternative to soybean meal and corn grain. This study evaluated the nutritional value of three commercial pea varieties (Ganster, Peps, and [...] Read more.
Pea (Pisum sativum L.) seeds are valuable feed ingredients due to their high-quality protein and starch digestibility, making them a viable alternative to soybean meal and corn grain. This study evaluated the nutritional value of three commercial pea varieties (Ganster, Peps, and Poseidon) through in vitro trials. Each variety was incorporated into an experimental diet (GNS, PES, and PNS) for dairy cows, partially replacing soybean and corn meals. These diets were compared to a control diet containing only soybean and corn meals. All diets were incubated anaerobically for 120 h with dairy cow rumen liquor. Results showed that GNS and PES diets enhanced protein degradability (p < 0.05) and fermentation kinetics (p < 0.001). Additionally, all experimental diets reduced ammonia production (p < 0.001), while the PES diet increased (p < 0.001) volatile fatty acid production. Among the tested varieties, Peps demonstrated the greatest potential by improving protein metabolism and volatile fatty acid production. These findings suggest that pea grains can be a suitable alternative in dairy cow diets, supporting efficient ruminal fermentation and nutrient utilization. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Alternative Protein Sources for Animal Feeds)
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