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Reuse of Agri-Food By-Products in Animal Nutrition and Their Effects on Livestock Performance and Product Quality

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 1136

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Departamento de Estadística, Universidad de Salamanca, 37007 Salamanca, Spain
Interests: avian production; meat quality; pork meat; sustainable production
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Estación Tecnológica de la Carne, Instituto Tecnológico Agrario de Castilla y León, 37770 Guijuelo, Salamanca, Spain
Interests: meat quality; meat products quality; meat shelf life; ruminant and pork performance
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue, ‘Reuse of Agri-Food By-Products in Animal Nutrition and Their Effects on Livestock Performance and Product Quality’. This research area is gaining increasing importance as the agri-food sector seeks innovative ways to promote sustainability while addressing the global challenge of food waste. By incorporating by-products into animal diets, producers can enhance resource efficiency, improve production sustainability, and maintain—or even improve—livestock performance and product quality.

This Special Issue aims to explore the novel applications of agri-food by-products in animal feeding strategies. Contributions will align with Animals’ mission to publish cutting-edge research in advancing animal welfare, sustainable production systems, and product quality. Our goal is to provide a comprehensive collection of studies highlighting the nutritional, physiological, and economic effects of by-product utilisation in animal production systems.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Nutritional characterisation of agri-food by-products;
  • Impacts on livestock health and performance;
  • Effects on meat, milk, or egg quality;
  • Environmental and economic assessments;
  • Innovations in by-product processing.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Ainhoa Sarmiento-García
Dr. Ceferina Vieira Aller
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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

  • agri-food by-products
  • animal nutrition
  • livestock performance
  • product quality
  • sustainability

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 273 KB  
Article
Effects of Lavender Flower Distillation Residue Powder on Performance, Egg Quality and Yolk Antioxidant Capacity in Laying Japanese Quail
by Osman Olgun, Gözde Kılınç and Ainhoa Sarmiento-García
Animals 2026, 16(6), 876; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16060876 - 11 Mar 2026
Viewed by 213
Abstract
This study evaluated the effects of lavender flower distillation residue powder (LRP) as a dietary supplement on performance, egg quality and yolk oxidative status in laying Japanese quail. Seventy-five 24-week-old hens were allocated to three dietary treatments (0, 1 or 2 g/kg residue [...] Read more.
This study evaluated the effects of lavender flower distillation residue powder (LRP) as a dietary supplement on performance, egg quality and yolk oxidative status in laying Japanese quail. Seventy-five 24-week-old hens were allocated to three dietary treatments (0, 1 or 2 g/kg residue powder) for 10 weeks, with five replicate cages per treatment and five birds per cage. Feed intake increased at the inclusion level of 1 g/kg but decreased at 2 g/kg compared with the control group (p < 0.01), whereas egg production, egg weight, egg mass and feed conversion ratio were not affected (p > 0.05). Dietary supplementation reduced the proportion of damaged eggs (p < 0.05) and increased eggshell breaking strength (p < 0.01) in a dose-dependent manner. Yolk redness (a*) and Roche color score were higher in birds fed 1 g/kg of LRP (p < 0.01). Yolk radical-scavenging capacity (DPPH) increased at 1 g/kg (p < 0.01), while yolk malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration decreased with increasing inclusion level (p < 0.01). Overall, LRP may be used as a natural feed additive to improve eggshell integrity, yolk color and yolk antioxidant status in laying quail; however, the inclusion level should be carefully considered due to its contrasting effects on feed intake. Full article

Review

Jump to: Research

19 pages, 533 KB  
Review
Functional Effects of Dietary Grape By-Products on Rabbit Health, Performance, and Meat Quality
by Emmanuel O. Oladejo, Olivier Munezero, Nathaniel F. Ogunkunle, Barbara Still, Adam Handy, Yinka O. Adeyemo and Mark W. Murphey
Animals 2026, 16(4), 676; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16040676 - 21 Feb 2026
Viewed by 453
Abstract
The increasing global demand for animal-source protein underscores the importance of sustainable livestock systems, including commercial rabbit production. Rabbits are valued for their short production cycle, high prolificacy, efficient feed utilization, and favorable meat quality. In parallel, agro-industrial by-products are being explored as [...] Read more.
The increasing global demand for animal-source protein underscores the importance of sustainable livestock systems, including commercial rabbit production. Rabbits are valued for their short production cycle, high prolificacy, efficient feed utilization, and favorable meat quality. In parallel, agro-industrial by-products are being explored as functional feed ingredients to improve efficiency and reduce environmental impact. Grape by-products (GBPs), including pomace, seeds, stalks, and derived extracts, are rich in polyphenols, dietary fiber, and lipid bioactives with potential physiological benefits. This scoping review synthesizes current evidence regarding the effects of GBPs on rabbit health, growth performance, nutrient digestibility, reproductive function, and meat quality. Available studies indicate that moderate dietary inclusion can enhance antioxidant status, support immune function, modulate gut fermentation, and improve meat oxidative stability without consistently compromising growth performance when appropriately formulated. Benefits appear particularly evident under environmental stress conditions. However, outcomes vary according to inclusion level, processing method, and physiological stage, and excessive inclusion may impair nutrient utilization due to fiber and tannin content. Overall, this synthesis identifies functional mechanisms, practical feeding considerations, and key knowledge gaps to inform evidence-based application of GBPs in sustainable rabbit nutrition. Full article
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