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Animals
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New Developments in Livestock Production Systems: Improving Meat Production
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New Developments in Livestock Production Systems: Improving Meat Production

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 March 2025 | Viewed by 1814

Special Issue Editors

Dr. José Segura

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Departmental Section of Pharmaceutical Technology and Food Technology, Faculty of Veterinary, Complutense University, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Interests: meat science; food chemistry; metabolomics; NMR; future foods
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Luis Calvo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Incarlopsa, N-400, Km 95.4, 16400 Tarancón, Spain
Interests: meat science; pork; animal production; non-invasive technologies; NIR; NMR; applied technology
Dr. Stephanie Lam

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centre for Genetic Improvement of Livestock (CGIL), Animal Biosciences Department, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
Interests: meat science; functional genomics; systems biology; cattle; feed efficiency

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Extensive research has been conducted in livestock farming on genetics, breeding, physiology, nutrition, etc., to improve production parameters.

However, it should not be forgotten that the main objective of the agri-food sector in general, and livestock farming in particular, is to provide society with food of high quality and safety standards.

Is it possible to consume meat at an affordable price without macro-farms?

This Special Issue focuses on how meat production is affected by the wide variety of livestock farming practices.

The main factors in animal protein production have evolved from only considering economic objectives to including ethical, social and ecological aspects, such as animal welfare, environmental impacts and sustainability. Consumers now have information on animal farming practices and meat quality parameters alongside affordable prices.

This Special Issue focuses on meat production as the ultimate goal. Studies considering new technologies, novel production systems, etc., to improve the meat production of any species are welcome for submission.

Dr. José Segura
Dr. Luis Calvo
Dr. Stephanie Lam
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

  • livestock
  • meat
  • novel production systems
  • lean meat yield
  • retail cut yield
  • welfare
  • health

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

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 5182 KiB  
Article
Analysis of Growth Models in Galician × Nelore Crossbred Cattle in the First Year of Life
by Antonio Iglesias, Fernando Mata, Joaquim Lima Cerqueira, Alicja Kowalczyk, Jesús Cantalapiedra, José Ferreiro and José Araújo
Animals 2024, 14(24), 3698; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14243698 - 21 Dec 2024
Viewed by 717
Abstract
The veal niche market is gaining momentum in Brazil. Locally known as ‘Vitelão’, veal refers to the meat from calves slaughtered up to 12 months of age. In this study, we assessed the Galician Blond × Nelore cross as a candidate to produce [...] Read more.
The veal niche market is gaining momentum in Brazil. Locally known as ‘Vitelão’, veal refers to the meat from calves slaughtered up to 12 months of age. In this study, we assessed the Galician Blond × Nelore cross as a candidate to produce veal. The aim of this study was to establish criteria for selecting 12-month-old calves suitable for slaughter. To find the best fit, we adjusted various growth models for calves up to 12 months of age. Once the best fit was determined, the selected growth model was then used to calculate the relative and instantaneous growth rates to evaluate the slaughtering potential at 12 months. Our study reveals that, under present conditions, the Logistic model is the best fit for characterizing and functionally analyzing growth from birth to 12 months of age in Galician Blond crosses with Nelore. Calves resulting from this cross experience rapid growth in their first 12 months of life, making them an excellent choice for producing high-quality veal while maintaining rusticity and adaptability to extreme environments. The results of this study could contribute to enhancing the growth management systems of Galician Blond and Nelore crosses in Brazilian grazing production systems. Additionally, they can be incorporated into genetic improvement programs as a tool for selecting animals with greater precocious growth without altering adult weight. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Developments in Livestock Production Systems: Improving Meat Production)
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16 pages, 2447 KiB  
Article
Effects of Acorns on Fatty Acid Composition and Lipid Metabolism in Adipose Tissue of Yuxi Black Pigs
by Zhe Sun, Dongyang Liu, Siyuan An, Xuejia Wu, Jinzhou Zhang and Zhiguo Miao
Animals 2024, 14(22), 3271; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14223271 - 13 Nov 2024
Viewed by 805
Abstract
The objective of the present research was the examination of how varying proportions of an acorn diet affects the deposition of subcutaneous fat and the composition of fatty acids (FAs) in Yuxi black pigs. Ninety pigs (with a balanced sex ratio and a [...] Read more.
The objective of the present research was the examination of how varying proportions of an acorn diet affects the deposition of subcutaneous fat and the composition of fatty acids (FAs) in Yuxi black pigs. Ninety pigs (with a balanced sex ratio and a similar weight 99.60 ± 2.32 kg) were stochastically assigned to the control group (CON) and the dietary acorn experimental groups (AEG). The CON was fed basal diets and the AEG1, AEG2, AEG3, and AEG4 groups were provided with dietary regimens comprising twenty, thirty, forty, and fifty per cent acorns, respectively. Each group consisted of six pigs, with three replicates. The breeding cycle was four months. The results demonstrated that, in comparison with the CON group, the lean meat rate was significantly increased in all test groups (p < 0.05), while in backfat thickness, loin eye area, carcass weight and slaughter rate was no significant difference (p > 0.05). The serum TC/HDL (total cholesterol divided by high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol) and TG/HDL (Triglyceride divided by high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol) levels in the AEG1 and AEG2 groups were significantly lower than the CON group (p < 0.05). There was no significant effect on the composition of FAs (p > 0.05). The number of fat cells in subcutaneous back fat and subcutaneous abdominal fat was significantly increased, and the area of fat cells was decreased (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the levels of ATGL and HSL expression in the subcutaneous back fat, as well as ACC, FAS, ATGL, PPARγ, and HSL expression in the subcutaneous abdominal fat, were significantly increased in the AEG2 group compared to the CON group (p < 0.05). Additionally, the expression of ACC, FAS, FABP4, PPARγ, C/EBPα, and FAS/HSL in the subcutaneous back fat, as well as FABP4, C/EBPα, and FAS/HSL in the subcutaneous abdominal fat, were significantly lower in the AEG2 group compared to the CON group (p < 0.05). In conclusion, it has been found that a 30% acorn diet can inhibit subcutaneous fat deposition and enhance the nutritional value of pork and the health of Yuxi black pigs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Developments in Livestock Production Systems: Improving Meat Production)
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