Special Issue "Nutritional Strategies to Improve Feed Efficiency in Monogastric Animals towards Environmental Sustainability"

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2021.

Special Issue Editors

Dr. María Cambra-López
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute for Animal Science and Technology, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain
Interests: animal production; feeding animals; animal nutrition; environment; precision poultry farming
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals
Dr. Juan José Pascual
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute for Animal Science and Technology, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain
Interests: rabbit reproductive biology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Monogastric animals only have the ability to address a small amount of ingested nutrients to meet their requirements. The rest is excreted and lost, which contributes to nutrient losses and air emissions. Sustainable intensification of livestock production requires increased productivity without adverse environmental impact. To achieve this goal, livestock production systems must necessarily improve their efficiency, namely feed efficiency through animal and feed management, and feed formulation. As an example, nutritional strategies than can enhance nutrient utilization, namely nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) utilization, can contribute to the reduction of N and P excretion and associated environmental issues.

Precision feeding applications and modeling approaches in poultry, pig and rabbit nutrition can contribute to increased knowledge in this field. Contributions on any related topics, including technical and nutritional aspects, feed management, feed additives and feed formulation applications, in the form of original research papers and literature reviews are welcome in this Special Issue.

Dr. María Cambra-López
Dr. Juan José Pascual
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

  • protein
  • feed additives
  • air quality
  • precision nutrition
  • mineral nutrition
  • sustainable intensification
  • feed efficiency
  • excretion
  • emission

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

Article
Effect of Dietary Mineral Content and Phytase Dose on Nutrient Utilization, Performance, Egg Traits and Bone Mineralization in Laying Hens from 22 to 31 Weeks of Age
Animals 2021, 11(6), 1495; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11061495 - 21 May 2021
Viewed by 620
Abstract
A total of 192 laying hens were used to evaluate the effect of dietary mineral content and phytase dose on nutrient utilization, egg production and quality and bone mineralization of young laying hens. Four dietary treatments were studied: PC, positive control with no [...] Read more.
A total of 192 laying hens were used to evaluate the effect of dietary mineral content and phytase dose on nutrient utilization, egg production and quality and bone mineralization of young laying hens. Four dietary treatments were studied: PC, positive control with no added phytase, 4.07% Ca and 0.61% P; NC, negative control with no added phytase, 2.97% Ca and 0.37% P; and P500 and P1000, where NC diet was supplemented with phytase at 500 and 1000 FTU/kg, respectively. Hens’ performance and egg traits were controlled from 22 to 31 weeks of age. Coefficients of total tract apparent digestibility (CTTAD) of nutrients were determined at 25 and 31 weeks of age. Apparent ileal digestibility (AID) and blood content of Ca and P, as well as bone traits, were determined at 31 weeks of age. Ca and P retention was higher in birds on PC diet at 25 weeks, but not at 31 weeks of age compared to those on NC diet (p < 0.05). P1000 birds had the highest CTTAD values for dry and organic matter at both ages (p < 0.001). CTTAD of Ca was significantly higher in P1000 diet than in NC diet at 31 weeks of age (p < 0.001). Birds fed with P500 diet at 25 weeks of age and P1000 at 31 weeks of age showed higher CTTAD and retention of P, but lower excretion of P than those fed NC diet (p < 0.05). Phytase inclusion linearly increased AID of dry matter and P (p < 0.001). P500 hens fed had the greatest body weight at the end of the trial (p < 0.05) and P1000 birds had the best feed conversion ratio (p < 0.05). Fowl fed a PC diet produced eggs with higher shell thickness and yolk color than those fed on NC diet (p < 0.05). Phytase inclusion linearly increased the yolk color (p < 0.05). Tibia of laying hens fed with PC had significantly higher ash content than those on NC diet (p < 0.05), and birds fed with P1000 presented intermediate values. It can be concluded that it would be advisable to increase the dose of phytase in the feed of laying hens to obtain long-term benefits. Full article
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Article
Do Growing Rabbits with a High Growth Rate Require Diets with High Levels of Essential Amino Acids? A Choice-Feeding Trial
Animals 2021, 11(3), 824; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11030824 - 15 Mar 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 525
Abstract
As a consequence of the genetic selection process in growing rabbits, there are currently fast-growing animals exhibiting an average daily gain that may exceed 45 g/d. The protein requirements of these animals, namely amino acid requirements, may differ from animals with low growth [...] Read more.
As a consequence of the genetic selection process in growing rabbits, there are currently fast-growing animals exhibiting an average daily gain that may exceed 45 g/d. The protein requirements of these animals, namely amino acid requirements, may differ from animals with low growth rates. The objective of this work was to evaluate growth performance, the coefficient of total tract apparent digestibility (CTTAD), the apparent ileal digestibility (AID) of amino acids and nutrient retention of fast-growing rabbits when they had access to a diet with high levels of amino acids and/or a diet formulated with current nutritional recommendations in a choice-feeding trial. To this end, two diets were formulated: the M diet following current nutritional recommendations for growing rabbits (including 8.1, 5.8 and 6.9 g/kg dry matter (DM) of total lysine, sulphur amino acids and threonine, respectively) and the H diet with higher levels of total lysine, sulphur amino acids and threonine (9.4, 6.6 and 7.8 g/kg DM, respectively). A total of 220 weaned rabbits, from a paternal line selected for the growth rate, had free access to the M diet, the H diet or both (MH) diets from 28 to 63 days of age. The CTTAD of DM, crude protein and gross energy from 49 to 53 days of age as well as the AID of amino acids of the diets at 63 days of age were determined. Protein, amino acids and energy retained in the empty body from 28 to 63 days of age were also registered. No significant differences in growth performance, CTTAD, AID and nutrient retention between dietary treatments were observed. However, animals fed the H diet showed a higher AID of cysteine (p < 0.05) and higher threonine retention (p < 0.05) compared to the M diet. As regards the choice-feeding trial, MH animals showed a higher feed intake of the M diet compared to the H diet (+8.61%; p < 0.001), and furthermore, more than 50% of the animals preferred the M diet throughout the experimental period (p < 0.05). Our results suggest that animals with high growth rates do not show significantly higher productive traits when fed the H diet compared to the M diet. As regards choice feeding, MH animals were capable of choosing their preferred diet, showing high intra-individual repeatability in preference for the M diet. It would be interesting to continue studying this behaviour of choice based on amino acid levels. Full article
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Article
Phytate Degradation, Transcellular Mineral Transporters, and Mineral Utilization by Two Strains of Laying Hens as Affected by Dietary Phosphorus and Calcium
Animals 2020, 10(10), 1736; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10101736 - 24 Sep 2020
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 821
Abstract
Laying hens require less phosphorus (P) but markedly more calcium (Ca) in their diet than broilers. These differences may cause more distinct interactions with phytate degradation and utilization of minerals in laying hens than those in broilers. The objective of the study was [...] Read more.
Laying hens require less phosphorus (P) but markedly more calcium (Ca) in their diet than broilers. These differences may cause more distinct interactions with phytate degradation and utilization of minerals in laying hens than those in broilers. The objective of the study was to characterize intestinal phytate degradation, ileal transcript copy numbers of transcellular Ca and P transporters, and mineral utilization by two laying hen strains fed with standard or reduced levels of dietary Ca and P at the laying peak. The strains showed differences regarding several traits driving Ca and P metabolism along the digestive tract. Thus, the two strains may use different mechanisms to meet their respective P demand, i.e., via effective phytate degradation and transcellular transport. Clear effects of the Ca level on myo-inositol concentrations and mineral utilization revealed the significance of this element for the measured traits. The absence of P-mediated effects confirmed the findings of several studies recommending that P concentrations used in laying hen feeds are too high. Differences were noted between individuals within one treatment. The next step would be to evaluate the data in individual birds to identify birds that better cope with a challenging diet. Full article
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Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.

1. Exploratory Study on the Association of Protein Deposition and Amino Acid Efficiency of Utilization: The among Animal Variability
 
Aline Remus and Cándido Pomar
 
 
2. Model to Predict Effects of Housing, Dietary and Management Measures on Ammonia Emission from Houses for Growing Pigs
 
André Aarnink
 
3. Precise Phosphorus Digestibility Evaluation of Mono Calcium and Dicalcium Phosphates in Broilers and Comparison between Prececal or Faecal Standard Methods
 
María Cambra López
 
4. Effect of  Diet Composition on Excreta Composition and Ammonia Emission from Growing-Finishing Pigs
 

Le Dinh, Phung.a,b, C.M.C. Van der Peet-Schweringa, N.W.M. Oginka, A.J.A. Aarninka

a Wageningen University and Research, 

b University of Agriculture and Forestry, Hue University

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