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5.2
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Animals
Special Issues
Sustainable Animal Production and Product Quality
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Sustainable Animal Production and Product Quality

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2025) | Viewed by 1227

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Edward Webb

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Texas A&M University System, Tarleton State University, Stephenville, TX 76402, USA
Interests: production animal physiology; livestock production systems; meat science
Dr. Walter Frank Owsley

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Animal Science, Tarleton State University, Stephenville, TX, USA
Interests: animal nutrition; nutrient management animal; production systems

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The Special Issue of this journal addresses the critical goal of "Sustainable Animal Agriculture" amidst prevalent misinterpretations of sustainability. It focuses on evidence-based strategies to enhance sustainable animal production and evaluates their impact on key factors such as animal product quality, profitability, and environmental sustainability. By providing rigorous scientific scrutiny, this Special Issue aims to elucidate pathways toward genuine sustainability in animal agriculture, balancing the needs of consumers, profits, and the planet.

Dr. Edward Webb
Dr. Walter Frank Owsley
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

  • sustainability
  • animal production
  • meat quality
  • milk quality
  • profit
  • environment
  • planet
  • natural resources

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

Published Papers (3 papers)

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20 pages, 2801 KiB  
Article
Statistical Optimization and Analysis of Factors Maximizing Milk Productivity
by Yücel Kurtuluş, Hasan Şahin and Abdulkadir Atalan
Animals 2025, 15(10), 1475; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15101475 - 20 May 2025
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Abstract
This study was conducted to determine the biological and environmental factors affecting milk yield and dry matter consumption and to analyze the effects of these factors on animal production. The study determined the variables affecting milk yield as input factors, such as lactation [...] Read more.
This study was conducted to determine the biological and environmental factors affecting milk yield and dry matter consumption and to analyze the effects of these factors on animal production. The study determined the variables affecting milk yield as input factors, such as lactation period, number of days of gestation, age, TMR dry matter ratio, and environmental factors. As a result of regression analyses, it was determined that each 1% increase in the TMR dry matter ratio decreased the milk yield by 0.9148 L, and each increase in the number of lactations increased the daily milk yield by 3.753 L. However, it was observed that the increase in the number of lactation days caused a decrease in milk production, and milk yield decreased as the gestation period extended. The most appropriate independent variable values were determined using statistical optimization analyses to maximize milk yield and optimize dry matter consumption. As a result of the analyses, the optimum value for the TMR dry matter ratio was calculated as 46.77%, 5 for lactation number, 6 for lactation day number, 230 days for gestation period, 55.8 months for cow age, and 20 °C for air temperature. The optimum values of the dependent variables were determined to be 61.145 L for daily milk yield and 19.033 units for dry matter consumption. The prediction intervals provided by the model served as reference points for future observations and showed that milk production was strongly affected by certain environmental and biological factors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Animal Production and Product Quality)
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17 pages, 1412 KiB  
Article
The Relationship Between Protein Fraction Contents and Immune Cells in Milk
by Haitong Wang, Xiaoli Ren, Li Liu, Zhuo Yang, Chunfang Li, Xiangnan Bao, Ayihumaer Amantuer, Peipei Wen, Dongwei Wang and Shujun Zhang
Animals 2025, 15(11), 1578; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15111578 - 28 May 2025
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Abstract
Mastitis significantly impacts both the yield and quality of milk. The somatic cell count (SCC) and differential somatic cell count (DSCC), which are related to immune cells, are primary indicators for assessing mammary gland health. In this study, eight previously established mid-infrared spectroscopy [...] Read more.
Mastitis significantly impacts both the yield and quality of milk. The somatic cell count (SCC) and differential somatic cell count (DSCC), which are related to immune cells, are primary indicators for assessing mammary gland health. In this study, eight previously established mid-infrared spectroscopy models were utilized to predict the content of milk protein fractions (αs1-CN, β-CN, κ-CN, total CN, α-LA, β-LG, IgG, and LF) in milk samples from 21,388 lactating cows across 33 herds. Four linear mixed models were applied to analyze the secretion patterns of milk protein fractions by days in milk (DIM) and parity, their variations under different mastitis conditions, and their associations with the somatic cell score (SCS), DSCC, and immune cell counts (PMN + LYM score (PMN + LYMS) and MAC score (MACS)). The primary findings of the investigation comprised the following: (1) IgG was higher in early lactation, decreased with advancing lactation days, and slightly increased in late lactation, while seven other protein factions decreased from early to peak lactation and increased during mid-to-late lactation. Parity influenced all milk protein fractions except αs1-CN, with total CN, β-CN, and α-LA decreasing and κ-CN, β-LG, IgG, and LF increasing as parity increased (p < 0.05). (2) Mastitis significantly reduced the milk yield, fat percentage, protein percentage, and the contents of total CN, β-CN, κ-CN, and α-LA while increasing β-LG, IgG, and LF. (3) The SCS was negatively correlated with milk yield and α-LA but positively correlated with the fat percentage, protein percentage, κ-CN, β-LG, IgG, and LF. (4) When the DSCC increased to 50%, the milk yield decreased, while the milk protein percentage and κ-CN content significantly increased (p < 0.05). When the DSCC exceeded 50%, the fat percentage, protein percentage, total casein, αs1-CN, β-CN, κ-CN, β-LG, IgG, and LF decreased, while the α-LA content increased (p < 0.05). (5) When the PMN + LYMS increased, the milk yield and α-LA content rose, while the milk fat percentage, the milk protein percentage, and the contents of αs1-CN, β-CN, κ-CN, total CN, β-LG, IgG, and LF decreased (p < 0.05). Conversely, when the MACS increased, the milk yield and α-LA content declined, whereas the milk fat percentage, the milk protein percentage, and the contents of αs1-CN, β-CN, κ-CN, total CN, β-LG, IgG, and LF increased (p < 0.05). This study offers valuable insights into enhancing milk product quality, advancing the early diagnosis and mechanistic research of bovine mastitis, and the sustainable development of the dairy farming industry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Animal Production and Product Quality)
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11 pages, 259 KiB  
Article
Effect of Guanidinoacetic Acid and Zilpaterol Hydrochloride Feed Additions on Lambs’ Productive Performance, Carcass Characteristics, and Blood Chemistry
by Daniel López-Aguirre, Javier Hernández-Meléndez, José F. Vázquez-Armijo, Luz Y. Peña-Avelino and Jorge Alva-Pérez
Animals 2025, 15(12), 1692; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15121692 - 7 Jun 2025
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Abstract
This study evaluated the effects of dietary supplementation with guanidinoacetic acid (GAA) and zilpaterol hydrochloride (ZLH) on productive performance, carcass traits, and blood chemistry in non-castrated male lambs over 60 days. Twenty-four Pelibuey × Dorper crossbred lambs (16.3 ± 2.7 kg) were adapted [...] Read more.
This study evaluated the effects of dietary supplementation with guanidinoacetic acid (GAA) and zilpaterol hydrochloride (ZLH) on productive performance, carcass traits, and blood chemistry in non-castrated male lambs over 60 days. Twenty-four Pelibuey × Dorper crossbred lambs (16.3 ± 2.7 kg) were adapted to housing and diet for 14 days before being randomly assigned to one of three treatments: (1) Control: total mixed ration (TMR) without additives; (2) GAA: TMR with 0.2% GAA; and (3) ZLH: TMR with 6 mg/kg dry matter (DM) of ZLH for the last 30 days. No significant differences were observed in productive performance or carcass traits among treatments. However, lambs fed GAA showed higher serum glucose and creatinine levels than the control group (p < 0.05), suggesting a potential effect on energy metabolism. ZLH supplementation had no measurable impact on the parameters evaluated. These findings indicate that while GAA may influence certain metabolic indicators, further research with extended feeding periods or varying dosages is needed to clarify its effects on growth and carcass characteristics in lambs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Animal Production and Product Quality)
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