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Nutrients and Feed Additives in Ruminants
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Nutrients and Feed Additives in Ruminants

A special issue of Ruminants (ISSN 2673-933X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 May 2025 | Viewed by 4242

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Uchenna Y. Anele

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Guest Editor
Department of Animal Sciences, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Greensboro, NC 27411, USA
Interests: feed additives; feed evaluation; exogenous enzymes; greenhouse gas emissions; gut health and function; integrated crop-livestock systems; nutraceuticals; rumen fermentation; rumen microbiome; ruminants; metabolomics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Lydia K. Olagunju

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Guest Editor
Department of Animal Sciences, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Greensboro, NC 27411, USA
Interests: feed additives; feed evaluation; exogenous enzymes; greenhouse gas emissions; gut health and function; plant nutraceuticals; rumen fermentation; rumen microbiome; ruminants
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Ruminant production plays a critical role in food security worldwide. Sufficient levels of nutrients are necessary to meet requirements for maintenance, growth and lactation and thus guarantee animal well-being and performance. Feed additives have continued to play a significant role in diverse areas of animal production. This has expanded the intensity and scope of research into additive effects on dry matter intake, feed efficiency, metabolome, immune function, and the gut health of ruminant animals. However, inconsistent results have limited the use of several feed additives, thereby necessitating further research in order to validate results of research on animal species, product activity, application rate, product composition, stage of life, mode and time of delivery, ruminal activity, compound stability, and product–feed specificity.

This Issue will focus on research that can provide solutions to current and emerging challenges in the development of novel feed additives around the world. 

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Animals.

Dr. Uchenna Y. Anele
Dr. Lydia K. Olagunju
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. Ruminants is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly 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 1000 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

  • cattle
  • feed additives
  • feed evaluation
  • goat
  • greenhouse gases
  • gut health
  • nutrient metabolism
  • sheep
  • sustainability

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 268 KiB  
Article
Effects of Capsicum oleoresin on the Growth Performance, Nutrient Digestibility and Meat Quality of Fattening Beef Cattle
by Zihua Wang, Wei You, Xin Hu, Haijian Cheng, Enliang Song, Zhiyong Hu and Fugui Jiang
Ruminants 2025, 5(1), 5; https://doi.org/10.3390/ruminants5010005 - 21 Jan 2025
Viewed by 455
Abstract
This study investigated the effects of Capsicum oleoresin (CAP) on the growth performance, nutrient digestibility and meat quality of fattening beef cattle. A total of 48 Simmental crossbred cattle, selected based on body weight (484.7 ± 48.4 kg), were randomly assigned to four [...] Read more.
This study investigated the effects of Capsicum oleoresin (CAP) on the growth performance, nutrient digestibility and meat quality of fattening beef cattle. A total of 48 Simmental crossbred cattle, selected based on body weight (484.7 ± 48.4 kg), were randomly assigned to four treatment groups (each with 12 animals) in a randomized complete block design. In each group, the basal diet was supplemented with 0 g/d CAP (control), 4 g/d, 8 g/d and 12 g/d. The results showed that adding CAP linearly increased the dry matter intake (DMI; p = 0.023), led to a quadratic increase in the average daily gain (ADG; p = 0.035) and linearly decreased the feed-to-gain ratio (F/G; p = 0.018). The apparent digestibility of CP also linearly increased with increasing CAP dosage (p = 0.023), while the apparent digestibility of ADF showed a decreasing trend (p = 0.054). Additionally, the slaughter performance index and nutritional composition of beef were not affected by the amount of CAP added (p > 0.05), while the pH value of beef decreased linearly with increasing CAP addition (p = 0.016). Among all groups, the 8 g/d one exhibited the highest DMI, ADG, F/G, apparent digestibility of CP and water-holding capacity, as well as the lowest cooking loss. In conclusion, CAP can be used as a potential novel feed additive in the diet of beef cattle to improve growth performance and nutrient digestibility. Under the conditions applied in this study, a CAP amount of 8 g/d per cattle was found to be optimum for fattening beef cattle. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrients and Feed Additives in Ruminants)
15 pages, 653 KiB  
Article
Effect of Calcium Propionate and Chromium-Methionine Supplementation: Growth Performance, Body Fat Reserves, and Blood Parameters of High-Risk Beef Calves
by Oliver Yaotzin Sánchez-Barbosa, Octavio Carrillo-Muro, Pedro Hernández-Briano, Daniel Rodríguez-Cordero, Alejandro Rivera-Villegas, Alfredo Estrada-Angulo, Alejandro Plascencia and Rosalba Lazalde-Cruz
Ruminants 2025, 5(1), 3; https://doi.org/10.3390/ruminants5010003 - 17 Jan 2025
Viewed by 392
Abstract
Energy availability is a critical point in newly received calves. This study was conducted to examine the effect of daily calcium propionate (CaPr), chromium-methionine (Cr-Met), or CaPr plus Cr-Met (CaPr + Cr-Met) supplementation on growth performance, dietary energetics, body fat reserves, serum metabolites, [...] Read more.
Energy availability is a critical point in newly received calves. This study was conducted to examine the effect of daily calcium propionate (CaPr), chromium-methionine (Cr-Met), or CaPr plus Cr-Met (CaPr + Cr-Met) supplementation on growth performance, dietary energetics, body fat reserves, serum metabolites, and hematological responses in high-risk beef calves. Forty-eight crossbred bull calves (148.7 ± 2.05 kg body weight) were involved in a fully randomized experimental design. Calves which were individually pen allocated (12 repetitions/treatment) were subjected to one of the following treatments daily over 56 d: (1) Control, no additives; (2) CaPr, 19 g CaPr; (3) Cr-Met, 4 g Cr-Met; and (4) CaPr + Cr-Met, 19 g CaPr plus 4 g Cr-Met. Compared to controls, feed additive supplementation alone or in combination did not modify dry matter intake (DMI), but increased average daily gain (ADG), improving the ADG/DMI ratio. However, no synergistic effect on dietary energy utilization efficiency was observed with the combination of CaPr and Cr-Met; individual supplementation proved more effective. Because of the magnitude of the effects of Cr-Met on the efficiency of dietary energy utilization, this resulted in an increase (p < 0.05) in rump fat thickness (RFT). The supplementation of CaPr + Cr-Met decreased ALB/GLO ratio, MPV, and RBC, but increased TCHO, GLU, and MCH (p > 0.05). It is concluded that supplementation with CaPr or Cr-Met independently is an effective strategy to improve growth performance, energy utilization and retention, and body fat reserves, without adverse effects on health among high-risk beef calves. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrients and Feed Additives in Ruminants)
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10 pages, 623 KiB  
Article
Supplementing Forage with Traditional Chinese Medicine Can Increase Microbial Protein Synthesis in Sheep
by Xi Liang, Xue Bi, Hiroaki Sano and Jin Jin
Ruminants 2024, 4(4), 613-622; https://doi.org/10.3390/ruminants4040042 - 19 Dec 2024
Viewed by 933
Abstract
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) encompasses a wide range of natural herbs and plants that are used to treat or prevent diseases or promote health. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of feeding a TCM formula extract on nitrogen (N) balance, microbial nitrogen [...] Read more.
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) encompasses a wide range of natural herbs and plants that are used to treat or prevent diseases or promote health. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of feeding a TCM formula extract on nitrogen (N) balance, microbial nitrogen supply (MNS), and plasma leucine kinetics in sheep. Six sheep were fed with mixed hay (Hay-diet) only or supplemented with 2% TCM (mixture of Astragalus root, Angelica root, and Atractylodes rhizome; TCM-diet) in a crossover design over two 21-day periods. An isotope dilution of [1-13C]leucine was used to measure the rate of plasma leucine turnover. Purine derivative (PD) excretion in urine was determined to estimate the MNS. The TCM-diet significantly increased N intake (p < 0.01) and N digestibility (p = 0.02) compared to the Hay-diet, with less N excretion (p = 0.02) in feces, while no significant difference was observed between diets in terms of N excretion in urine and N retention. Total PD excretion and MNS were higher (p < 0.01), as well as the turnover rate of plasma leucine tended to be higher (p = 0.06) with the supplementation of TCM. The present results suggested that the TCM formula could be considered as a potential feed additive for ruminant production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrients and Feed Additives in Ruminants)
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13 pages, 1464 KiB  
Article
Effect of Dietary Hempseed Meal on Growth Performance, Feed Efficiency and Blood Parameters in Yearling Rough Stock Bulls
by Samantha L. McGovern, Jeff A. Brady, Cheyenne L. Runyan, Thomas W. Schwertner, Kimberly A. Guay, Lane A. Smith, Ryon W. Springer and Kimberly B. Wellmann
Ruminants 2024, 4(3), 362-374; https://doi.org/10.3390/ruminants4030026 - 1 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1572
Abstract
Yearling rough-stock bulls (n = 38) were utilized in a randomized complete block design to evaluate dietary hempseed meal (HSM) inclusion on growth (ADG), intake (DMI), and efficiency (F:G). Bulls were blocked by body weight (BW), grouped into 10 pens (n [...] Read more.
Yearling rough-stock bulls (n = 38) were utilized in a randomized complete block design to evaluate dietary hempseed meal (HSM) inclusion on growth (ADG), intake (DMI), and efficiency (F:G). Bulls were blocked by body weight (BW), grouped into 10 pens (n = 3–4 bulls/pen), and randomly assigned to an HSM or control supplement treatment (CON; 72.5% cottonseed meal, 14.5% soy hulls, 13% fat). Treatments were offered at 10%, while 90% was fed as a mixed ration [50% Bermuda grass hay, 40% textured commercial feed (10% CP)]. Diet samples were dried and DMI was calculated. F:G was evaluated using DMI and ADG. Blood for plasma analysis and BW were obtained on sample days, prior to feed delivery. Data were analyzed using the GLIMMIX procedure in SAS version 9.4. The results were considered significant when p ≤ 0.050. There was no treatment × time interaction, or treatment effect for interim BW, ADG, or F:G (p ≥ 0.100). A treatment × time interaction occurred for DMI (p < 0.01), and BW (p = 0.01) increased in all bulls over time, while ADG decreased (p = 0.005), suggesting that interim live performance was not affected by HSM. Plasma urea nitrogen increased over time (p < 0.001) in all bulls, with greater concentrations observed in HSM bulls (p = 0.043). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrients and Feed Additives in Ruminants)
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