Pub Date : 2025-11-05DOI: 10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105853
Daniela Costa Cotrim Campos , Adriane Lermen Zart , Cláudio Vaz Di Mambro Ribeiro
Pre-slaughter handling is a critical factor affecting animal welfare, carcass quality, and economic performance in beef production systems. This study evaluated the impact of a novel low-stress protocol, Hands-Free Handling (HFH), compared to Conventional Handling (CON), on operational efficiency, carcass bruising, and financial losses in feedlot cattle. A total of 715 Nellore steers were randomly allocated to the two handling treatments. Loading time, incidence and anatomical location of carcass injuries, amount of meat discarded due to bruises and meat pH were evaluated. Data were analyzed using generalized linear models. HFH significantly reduced loading time by 43 %, the incidence of bruising by 7.6 %, and meat discard by 61.7 % (P < 0.05), without affecting carcass yield or meat pH. Despite improvements, injuries remained a major source of financial loss. Economic modeling based on bruise discard data demonstrated that financial losses per carcass ranged from R$ 2.40 to R$ 2.83 for CON, and from R$ 1.48 to R$ 1.75 for HFH. Extrapolating to a slaughterhouse processing 1200 head per day, the estimated annual loss was R$ 978,781.05 for CON and R$ 604,116.36 for HFH, indicating a potential 38 % reduction in economic losses when adopting rational handling practices. In conclusion, the results highlight the relevance of rational handling strategies to improve animal welfare, reduce economic losses, and meet societal and market expectations for humane livestock practices.
{"title":"Impact of 'hands-free' rational handling on operational performance and economic losses in beef cattle","authors":"Daniela Costa Cotrim Campos , Adriane Lermen Zart , Cláudio Vaz Di Mambro Ribeiro","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105853","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105853","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Pre-slaughter handling is a critical factor affecting animal welfare, carcass quality, and economic performance in beef production systems. This study evaluated the impact of a novel low-stress protocol, Hands-Free Handling (HFH), compared to Conventional Handling (CON), on operational efficiency, carcass bruising, and financial losses in feedlot cattle. A total of 715 Nellore steers were randomly allocated to the two handling treatments. Loading time, incidence and anatomical location of carcass injuries, amount of meat discarded due to bruises and meat pH were evaluated. Data were analyzed using generalized linear models. HFH significantly reduced loading time by 43 %, the incidence of bruising by 7.6 %, and meat discard by 61.7 % (<em>P</em> < 0.05), without affecting carcass yield or meat pH. Despite improvements, injuries remained a major source of financial loss. Economic modeling based on bruise discard data demonstrated that financial losses per carcass ranged from R$ 2.40 to R$ 2.83 for CON, and from R$ 1.48 to R$ 1.75 for HFH. Extrapolating to a slaughterhouse processing 1200 head per day, the estimated annual loss was R$ 978,781.05 for CON and R$ 604,116.36 for HFH, indicating a potential 38 % reduction in economic losses when adopting rational handling practices. In conclusion, the results highlight the relevance of rational handling strategies to improve animal welfare, reduce economic losses, and meet societal and market expectations for humane livestock practices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 105853"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-11-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145517004","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Improving ewe reproductive success and lamb survivability is essential for enhancing flock productivity, farm profitability, and the self-sufficiency of sheep meat and milk production. This study aimed to identify the perceived challenges to improving ewe productivity, through efficient reproduction, gestation, and reducing lamb mortality and determine if these challenges differ between countries. A 22-question survey (14 closed, 8 open-ended) was conducted in 2017 across seven countries participating in the SheepNet project (France, Ireland, Italy, Romania, Spain, UK, and Turkey). A number of press releases were circulated in each of the seven SheepNet countries making stakeholders aware of the survey and asking them to identify their challenges to improving ewe productivity through efficient reproduction, gestation and reduced lamb mortality. The surveys were completed by stakeholders either on the website, by e-mail or written mail or during sheep stakeholder events. Key challenges to improving ewe fertility included ewe body condition, nutrition and grassland management, flock health, and ewe lamb management. Reducing lamb mortality was primarily hindered by challenges related to lambing preparation, shed management, nutrition, labour, and hygiene. The findings suggest that despite diverse production systems, common challenges exist across Europe and Turkey. Addressing these challenges through the dissemination of best management practices can significantly enhance flock productivity. This study provides valuable insights into shared farmer experiences and underscores the importance of knowledge exchange across regions.
{"title":"Increasing ewe productivity - challenges of sheep stakeholders across Europe and Turkey","authors":"Bríd McClearn , Jean-Marc Gautier , Claire Morgan-Davies , Ignacia Beltrán de Heredia , Roberto Ruiz , Antonello Carta , Sezen Ocak Yetişgin , Dinu Gavojdian , Cathy M. Dwyer , Timothy W.J. Keady","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105852","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105852","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Improving ewe reproductive success and lamb survivability is essential for enhancing flock productivity, farm profitability, and the self-sufficiency of sheep meat and milk production. This study aimed to identify the perceived challenges to improving ewe productivity, through efficient reproduction, gestation, and reducing lamb mortality and determine if these challenges differ between countries. A 22-question survey (14 closed, 8 open-ended) was conducted in 2017 across seven countries participating in the SheepNet project (France, Ireland, Italy, Romania, Spain, UK, and Turkey). A number of press releases were circulated in each of the seven SheepNet countries making stakeholders aware of the survey and asking them to identify their challenges to improving ewe productivity through efficient reproduction, gestation and reduced lamb mortality. The surveys were completed by stakeholders either on the website, by e-mail or written mail or during sheep stakeholder events. Key challenges to improving ewe fertility included ewe body condition, nutrition and grassland management, flock health, and ewe lamb management. Reducing lamb mortality was primarily hindered by challenges related to lambing preparation, shed management, nutrition, labour, and hygiene. The findings suggest that despite diverse production systems, common challenges exist across Europe and Turkey. Addressing these challenges through the dissemination of best management practices can significantly enhance flock productivity. This study provides valuable insights into shared farmer experiences and underscores the importance of knowledge exchange across regions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 105852"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145517002","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-30DOI: 10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105844
Alice Markey , Anaïs Rodrigues , Pierre-Hugues Stefanuto , Jean-François Focant , Anne-Catherine Huet , José Wavreille , Katrien Wijnrocx , Nicolas Gengler
Meat quality traits are economically important in pig production. Breeding strategies can help prevent meat defects such as boar taint, usually characterized by quantified indole, skatole and androstenone (ISA) in back fat. This exploratory study investigated the genetic potential of a novel boar taint phenotype, pooling volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which were recently identified as phenotypically discriminant. Fat samples were collected from 1272 Pietrain × Landrace crossbred boars. Phenotypes for boar taint on these samples were: lab sensory score (LSS; n = 1269), ISA quantification (n = 308), and VOC profiles (n = 127). Given the limited amount of data, a selection index-based approach was used to pool traits in trait groups, ISA and VOC, considering LSS as reference trait. (Co)variance components were estimated with a full multi-trait model, and index equations were adjusted to account for uncertainty in estimated parameters. Index coefficients were then applied to ISA and VOC phenotypes to generate two pooled phenotypes, ISA and VOC indices. Estimates from the 3-trait model (LSS, ISA index and VOC index) confirmed high expected correlations with LSS. Genetic parameter estimates showed higher significance demonstrating the interest of pooling multiple partially informative traits together. Moreover, using the VOC index would generate a higher expected correlated genetic response in LSS (192 %) than the ISA index (160 %) compared to the direct response when using only LSS. Despite limited data, this exploratory study showed the potential of this novel broad phenotype based on pooled VOCs to improve genetic selection for reduced boar taint risk, although further validation in larger populations is required.
肉质性状在生猪生产中具有重要的经济意义。育种策略可以帮助预防猪肉缺陷，如公猪膻味，通常以背部脂肪中定量的吲哚、臭鼬素和雄烯酮（ISA）为特征。这项探索性研究调查了一种新型公猪污染表型的遗传潜力，汇集了最近被确定为表型区别的挥发性有机化合物（VOCs）。收集了1272头彼得兰×长白杂交公猪的脂肪样本。这些样品上公猪粪便的表型为：实验室感官评分（LSS, n = 1269）、ISA定量（n = 308）和VOC谱（n = 127）。由于数据量有限，本研究以LSS为参考性状，采用基于选择索引的方法，在性状组、ISA和VOC中进行性状汇总。采用全多性状模型估计Co方差分量，并对指标方程进行调整，以考虑估计参数的不确定性。然后将指数系数应用于ISA和VOC表型，得到ISA和VOC指数两个混合表型。从3性状模型（LSS、ISA指数和VOC指数）估计，与LSS有很高的预期相关性。遗传参数估计具有较高的显著性，这表明将多个部分信息性状集中在一起是有意义的。此外，与仅使用LSS时的直接响应相比，使用VOC指数在LSS中产生的预期相关遗传响应（192%）比ISA指数（160%）更高。尽管数据有限，但这项探索性研究表明，这种基于混合挥发性有机化合物的新型广泛表型具有改善遗传选择以降低公猪污染风险的潜力，尽管需要在更大的人群中进一步验证。
{"title":"Exploratory study of the potential use of a novel pooled phenotype to select against boar taint","authors":"Alice Markey , Anaïs Rodrigues , Pierre-Hugues Stefanuto , Jean-François Focant , Anne-Catherine Huet , José Wavreille , Katrien Wijnrocx , Nicolas Gengler","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105844","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105844","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Meat quality traits are economically important in pig production. Breeding strategies can help prevent meat defects such as boar taint, usually characterized by quantified indole, skatole and androstenone (ISA) in back fat. This exploratory study investigated the genetic potential of a novel boar taint phenotype, pooling volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which were recently identified as phenotypically discriminant. Fat samples were collected from 1272 Pietrain × Landrace crossbred boars. Phenotypes for boar taint on these samples were: lab sensory score (LSS; <em>n</em> = 1269), ISA quantification (<em>n</em> = 308), and VOC profiles (<em>n</em> = 127). Given the limited amount of data, a selection index-based approach was used to pool traits in trait groups, ISA and VOC, considering LSS as reference trait. (Co)variance components were estimated with a full multi-trait model, and index equations were adjusted to account for uncertainty in estimated parameters. Index coefficients were then applied to ISA and VOC phenotypes to generate two pooled phenotypes, ISA and VOC indices. Estimates from the 3-trait model (LSS, ISA index and VOC index) confirmed high expected correlations with LSS. Genetic parameter estimates showed higher significance demonstrating the interest of pooling multiple partially informative traits together. Moreover, using the VOC index would generate a higher expected correlated genetic response in LSS (192 %) than the ISA index (160 %) compared to the direct response when using only LSS. Despite limited data, this exploratory study showed the potential of this novel broad phenotype based on pooled VOCs to improve genetic selection for reduced boar taint risk, although further validation in larger populations is required.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 105844"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145517003","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-23DOI: 10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105843
Iasmin Marques Rocha , Giovanna Maria dos Santos Câmara , Maria Victória Henrique Genuíno , Ayrton Fernandes de Oliveira Bessa , Roney Teixeira , Luis Artur Loyola Chardulo , Rogério Abdallah Curi , Welder Angelo Baldassini , Guilherme Luis Pereira , Daniela do Amaral Grossi , Marcos Eli Buzanskas
Swine production has focused on improving litter size and carcass traits to enhance productivity. Genetic progress in traits such as the number of piglets born alive (NBA), birth weight (BW), number of piglets weaned (NPW), total teat number (TN), number of days to reach 100 kg (AGE100), backfat thickness (BF), and loin depth (LD) is of great importance for breeding efficiency. The present study aimed to estimate genetic parameters, including heritability and genetic correlations, for the mentioned traits in Landrace and Yorkshire pigs. Genetic parameters were estimated using the restricted maximum likelihood method, considering an animal model. Heritability estimates ranged from 0.06 (NPW) to 0.41 (BW) in Landrace and 0.04 (NPW) to 0.40 (BW) in Yorkshire. Maternal heritability and permanent environmental effects were low, with values between 0.02 and 0.05. The maternal permanent environmental variance ranged between 0.03 and 0.09. Repeatability estimates for all traits ranged from 0.10 (NPW) to 0.49 (BW). All the traits studied showed sufficient additive genetic variability, enabling effective selection in Landrace and Yorkshire pigs. Greater relative responses are expected for BF, BW, NBA, LD, and TN. Selection for BW may yield favorable correlated responses with NPW, TN, and AGE100, while direct selection for TN may enhance sow reproductive performance. Genetic correlations between BF and LD indicated that both traits can be improved simultaneously without unfavorable effects. Although the correlation between NBA and BW was not high, caution is warranted regarding the increase in litter size due to potential negative consequences, such as reduced birth weight and higher piglet mortality. Despite previous investigations on these traits, this study provides updated and robust estimates from a large, consistent, and environmentally controlled population, representing a valuable case study for commercial swine breeding programs.
{"title":"Genetic parameters for litter and carcass traits in Landrace and Yorkshire pigs","authors":"Iasmin Marques Rocha , Giovanna Maria dos Santos Câmara , Maria Victória Henrique Genuíno , Ayrton Fernandes de Oliveira Bessa , Roney Teixeira , Luis Artur Loyola Chardulo , Rogério Abdallah Curi , Welder Angelo Baldassini , Guilherme Luis Pereira , Daniela do Amaral Grossi , Marcos Eli Buzanskas","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105843","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105843","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Swine production has focused on improving litter size and carcass traits to enhance productivity. Genetic progress in traits such as the number of piglets born alive (NBA), birth weight (BW), number of piglets weaned (NPW), total teat number (TN), number of days to reach 100 kg (AGE100), backfat thickness (BF), and loin depth (LD) is of great importance for breeding efficiency. The present study aimed to estimate genetic parameters, including heritability and genetic correlations, for the mentioned traits in Landrace and Yorkshire pigs. Genetic parameters were estimated using the restricted maximum likelihood method, considering an animal model. Heritability estimates ranged from 0.06 (NPW) to 0.41 (BW) in Landrace and 0.04 (NPW) to 0.40 (BW) in Yorkshire. Maternal heritability and permanent environmental effects were low, with values between 0.02 and 0.05. The maternal permanent environmental variance ranged between 0.03 and 0.09. Repeatability estimates for all traits ranged from 0.10 (NPW) to 0.49 (BW). All the traits studied showed sufficient additive genetic variability, enabling effective selection in Landrace and Yorkshire pigs. Greater relative responses are expected for BF, BW, NBA, LD, and TN. Selection for BW may yield favorable correlated responses with NPW, TN, and AGE100, while direct selection for TN may enhance sow reproductive performance. Genetic correlations between BF and LD indicated that both traits can be improved simultaneously without unfavorable effects. Although the correlation between NBA and BW was not high, caution is warranted regarding the increase in litter size due to potential negative consequences, such as reduced birth weight and higher piglet mortality. Despite previous investigations on these traits, this study provides updated and robust estimates from a large, consistent, and environmentally controlled population, representing a valuable case study for commercial swine breeding programs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 105843"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145418112","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-16DOI: 10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105841
Valérie Schumacher , Markus Rodehutscord , Karl-Heinz Südekum , Saskia Kehraus
Amino acids (AA) are essential nutrients for diverse processes in the pig’s body. The utilisation of AA depends on their digestibility and absorption. Therefore, methods to determine reliably the AA supply to pigs to sustain performance and animal health are critical for precise feed evaluation. The evaluation of AA supply has so far been based on in vivo determination of standardised precaecal digestible (pcd) AA (pcdAA) and in vitro estimates of pcdAA applying time-consuming and complex laboratory methods. The objective of this study was to develop and establish a rapid laboratory method for estimating pcdAA based on the determination of AA insoluble in neutral-detergent (ND) or acid-detergent (AD) (NDIAA, ADIAA). The laboratory method used the same procedure which was previously applied to estimate standardised pcd crude protein (pcdCP). The hypothesis was that the method was similarly suitable to estimate pcdAA. A sample pool of 74 feed ingredients (cereal grains, differently heat-treated legume grains) was available on which in vivo pcdAA were determined in cannulated pigs. Amino acids in feed ingredients and in ND or AD residues of feed ingredients were determined by an HPLC method. The concentrations (g/kg dry matter) of ND- and AD-soluble AA (NDSAA, ADSAA) were calculated by difference to total AA in feed. For the estimation of the concentrations of in vivo pcdAA for total AA and the entire dataset (n = 74), a linear relationship was established between the concentrations of NDSAA or ADSAA and the in vivo pcdAA: y = 0.823 (standard error [SE] 0.018) x + 10.52 (SE 4.420), where y represents the in vivo pcdAA (g/kg dry matter) and x represents the NDSAA (cereal grains) or ADSAA (protein feeds) value (g/kg dry matter). The coefficient of determination (R²) of this equation was 0.968 and ranged from 0.895 to 0.984 for the 17 individual AA. This study shows that in vivo pcdAA values can be estimated following the same standardised and rapid laboratory procedure previously established for pcdCP, based on chemical analyses, namely determination of NDIAA and ADIAA, from which NDSAA and ADSAA values are calculated.
氨基酸（AA）是猪体内各种过程的必需营养素。AA的利用取决于它们的消化率和吸收率。因此，确定可靠的AA供应以维持猪的生产性能和动物健康的方法对于精确的饲料评估至关重要。到目前为止，对AA供应的评估是基于标准化的粪前可消化（pcd） AA （pcdAA）的体内测定，以及采用耗时且复杂的实验室方法对pcdAA的体外估计。本研究的目的是在测定不溶于中性洗涤剂（ND）或酸性洗涤剂（AD）的AA （NDIAA， ADIAA）的基础上，建立一种快速测定pcdAA的实验室方法。实验室方法使用了先前用于估计标准化pcd粗蛋白（pcdCP）的相同程序。假设该方法同样适用于估计pcdAA。采用74种饲料原料（谷物、不同热处理的豆科谷物）作为样品池，对空心猪体内pcdAA进行了测定。采用高效液相色谱法测定饲料原料中的氨基酸和饲料原料中ND或AD残留量。通过与饲料中总AA的差值计算ND-和ad -可溶性AA （NDSAA、ADSAA）的浓度（g/kg干物质）。为了估计总AA和整个数据集（n = 74）的体内pcdAA浓度，NDSAA或ADSAA浓度与体内pcdAA之间建立了线性关系：y = 0.823（标准误差[SE] 0.018） x + 10.52 (SE 4.420)，其中y表示体内pcdAA （g/kg干物质），x表示NDSAA（谷物）或ADSAA（蛋白质饲料）值（g/kg干物质）。该方程的决定系数（R²）为0.968,17个AA的决定系数范围为0.895 ~ 0.984。本研究表明，体内pcdAA值可以根据先前为pcdCP建立的相同的标准化和快速实验室程序进行估计，基于化学分析，即测定NDIAA和ADIAA，由此计算NDSAA和ADSAA值。
{"title":"A rapid laboratory method for estimating the standardised precaecal digestible amino acids in pig feeds","authors":"Valérie Schumacher , Markus Rodehutscord , Karl-Heinz Südekum , Saskia Kehraus","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105841","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105841","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Amino acids (AA) are essential nutrients for diverse processes in the pig’s body. The utilisation of AA depends on their digestibility and absorption. Therefore, methods to determine reliably the AA supply to pigs to sustain performance and animal health are critical for precise feed evaluation. The evaluation of AA supply has so far been based on <em>in vivo</em> determination of standardised precaecal digestible (pcd) AA (pcdAA) and <em>in vitro</em> estimates of pcdAA applying time-consuming and complex laboratory methods. The objective of this study was to develop and establish a rapid laboratory method for estimating pcdAA based on the determination of AA insoluble in neutral-detergent (ND) or acid-detergent (AD) (NDIAA, ADIAA). The laboratory method used the same procedure which was previously applied to estimate standardised pcd crude protein (pcdCP). The hypothesis was that the method was similarly suitable to estimate pcdAA. A sample pool of 74 feed ingredients (cereal grains, differently heat-treated legume grains) was available on which <em>in vivo</em> pcdAA were determined in cannulated pigs. Amino acids in feed ingredients and in ND or AD residues of feed ingredients were determined by an HPLC method. The concentrations (g/kg dry matter) of ND- and AD-soluble AA (NDSAA, ADSAA) were calculated by difference to total AA in feed. For the estimation of the concentrations of <em>in vivo</em> pcdAA for total AA and the entire dataset (<em>n</em> = 74), a linear relationship was established between the concentrations of NDSAA or ADSAA and the <em>in vivo</em> pcdAA: y = 0.823 (standard error [SE] 0.018) x + 10.52 (SE 4.420), where y represents the <em>in vivo</em> pcdAA (g/kg dry matter) and x represents the NDSAA (cereal grains) or ADSAA (protein feeds) value (g/kg dry matter). The coefficient of determination (R²) of this equation was 0.968 and ranged from 0.895 to 0.984 for the 17 individual AA. This study shows that <em>in vivo</em> pcdAA values can be estimated following the same standardised and rapid laboratory procedure previously established for pcdCP, based on chemical analyses, namely determination of NDIAA and ADIAA, from which NDSAA and ADSAA values are calculated.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 105841"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145466250","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
In various animal species, the accumulation of carotenoids that are not completely metabolized leads to yellow fat pigmentation. In rabbits, the yellow-fat phenotype was described by classic genetic studies at the beginning of the last century to be determined by a simple Mendelian recessive allele at the Yellow locus, in linkage with the Albino coat colour locus. More recent studies reported that a deletion of three nucleotides at codon 248 of the beta-carotene oxygenase 2 (BCO2) gene (delAAT) is the causative mutation for the yellow-fat defect when in a homozygous state. In this study, we genotyped the BCO2 polymorphic site in 1041 rabbits from 41 breeds and populations, including albino rabbit breeds. Considering the overall genotyped population, the frequency of the delAAT allele was 11.96%. Homozygous delAAT/delAAT rabbits had a frequency of 3.55%, while the heterozygous rabbits had a frequency of 16.81%. In 12 out of 41 breeds/populations, all rabbits analysed were homozygous for the wild-type allele, while in 29 the mutated allele segregates. Only one breed, Lynx (with a pale silver-blue coat colour and yellow-red shades), was fixed for the delAAT allele, suggesting its potential functional role in determining the yellow-red secondary tint that characterises this breed. Comparing the molecular genetic results with the genetic information reported in earlier literature, the frequency of the mutated allele decreased over the last 80 years, probably due to culling of the carriers for the negative effect on carcass quality, due to the preference of consumers for white fat in rabbit meat.
{"title":"Frequency of the beta-carotene oxygenase 2 (BCO2) allele associated with the yellow fat phenotype in rabbits: insights into the spread of a genetic alteration in a wide variety of breeds and populations","authors":"Valeria Taurisano , Anisa Ribani , Samuele Bovo , Giuseppina Schiavo , Francesca Bertolini , Michele Schiavitto , Luca Fontanesi","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105842","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105842","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In various animal species, the accumulation of carotenoids that are not completely metabolized leads to yellow fat pigmentation. In rabbits, the yellow-fat phenotype was described by classic genetic studies at the beginning of the last century to be determined by a simple Mendelian recessive allele at the <em>Yellow</em> locus, in linkage with the <em>Albino</em> coat colour locus. More recent studies reported that a deletion of three nucleotides at codon 248 of the beta-carotene oxygenase 2 (<em>BCO2</em>) gene (delAAT) is the causative mutation for the yellow-fat defect when in a homozygous state. In this study, we genotyped the <em>BCO2</em> polymorphic site in 1041 rabbits from 41 breeds and populations, including albino rabbit breeds. Considering the overall genotyped population, the frequency of the delAAT allele was 11.96%. Homozygous delAAT/delAAT rabbits had a frequency of 3.55%, while the heterozygous rabbits had a frequency of 16.81%. In 12 out of 41 breeds/populations, all rabbits analysed were homozygous for the wild-type allele, while in 29 the mutated allele segregates. Only one breed, Lynx (with a pale silver-blue coat colour and yellow-red shades), was fixed for the delAAT allele, suggesting its potential functional role in determining the yellow-red secondary tint that characterises this breed. Comparing the molecular genetic results with the genetic information reported in earlier literature, the frequency of the mutated allele decreased over the last 80 years, probably due to culling of the carriers for the negative effect on carcass quality, due to the preference of consumers for white fat in rabbit meat.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 105842"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145364636","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-14DOI: 10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105840
Malene Hald , Thomas S. Bruun , Trine F. Pedersen , Mette S. Hedemann
Stimulating creep feed intake in piglets is increasingly important due to larger litter sizes, which raise piglet requirements to levels above the sow milk production. Although intake is typically low during the initial weeks, piglets show exploratory behavior (nosing, rooting, and chewing) from the first week of life. Supporting this behavior in conventional farrowing environments can promote early feed engagement. This review highlights strategies to enhance creep feed intake, including housing and creep feeder design, feeding practices, feed characteristics, and management. Creep feeder design and sow confinement (crated vs. loose) affect piglet interaction with feed. Introducing solid feed between 5 and 10 days after farrowing is recommended. The physical form of creep feed (e.g., meal, pellets, crumbles, thermally processed, or liquid) plays a key role. Pellet diameter is especially important; larger pellets (≥ 8 mm) stimulate feeding behavior. Sensory properties (taste, smell, texture) are less critical in attracting piglets. While dietary complexity can influence intake, high-complexity diets do not always outperform low complexity diets, even though these may contain less ingredients and less refined ingredients. Flavor additives, either in the sow’s diet or the creep feed, may improve palatability and familiarity. Increasing the weaning age is the most efficient tool to increase creep feed intake and reduce the proportion of non-eaters at weaning. In conclusion, a multifactorial approach integrating these elements may be most effective in optimizing early feed consumption and adapting to solid feed before weaning.
{"title":"Review: Strategies to stimulate piglet creep feed intake before weaning","authors":"Malene Hald , Thomas S. Bruun , Trine F. Pedersen , Mette S. Hedemann","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105840","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105840","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Stimulating creep feed intake in piglets is increasingly important due to larger litter sizes, which raise piglet requirements to levels above the sow milk production. Although intake is typically low during the initial weeks, piglets show exploratory behavior (nosing, rooting, and chewing) from the first week of life. Supporting this behavior in conventional farrowing environments can promote early feed engagement. This review highlights strategies to enhance creep feed intake, including housing and creep feeder design, feeding practices, feed characteristics, and management. Creep feeder design and sow confinement (crated vs. loose) affect piglet interaction with feed. Introducing solid feed between 5 and 10 days after farrowing is recommended. The physical form of creep feed (e.g., meal, pellets, crumbles, thermally processed, or liquid) plays a key role. Pellet diameter is especially important; larger pellets (≥ 8 mm) stimulate feeding behavior. Sensory properties (taste, smell, texture) are less critical in attracting piglets. While dietary complexity can influence intake, high-complexity diets do not always outperform low complexity diets, even though these may contain less ingredients and less refined ingredients. Flavor additives, either in the sow’s diet or the creep feed, may improve palatability and familiarity. Increasing the weaning age is the most efficient tool to increase creep feed intake and reduce the proportion of non-eaters at weaning. In conclusion, a multifactorial approach integrating these elements may be most effective in optimizing early feed consumption and adapting to solid feed before weaning.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 105840"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145363932","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-14DOI: 10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105839
Flávia Cristina Bis , Eduarda da Silva Oliveira , Caroline Assis Almeida , Elisângela Chicaroni de Mattos Oliveira , Letícia Pereira , Rafael Espigolan , Joanir Pereira Eler , Luís Telo Da Gama , Rafael Nuñez Dominguez , José Bento Sterman Ferraz , Fernando Baldi
This study assessed the impact of breed effects, heterosis, and recombination on genomic predictions for growth, reproduction, and body composition traits in Montana® cattle. The database included 124,547 records for Birth Weight (BW), 111,103 for Weaning Weight (WW), 87,740 for Weight at 12 months (W12), 49,249 for Post-weaning Weight Gain (WG), 87,740 for Scrotal Circumference (SC), and 44,873 for Muscularity (MUSC), with 3911 genotyped animals from the Montana® composite program. Models M1 to M5 included fixed effects of contemporary group, embryo transfer, and cow age at calving (linear and quadratic). The effects of direct and maternal breed composition, heterozygosity, and recombination varied across models. From model M2 onward, covariates for biological type, heterosis (direct, maternal, specific), and recombination (direct, maternal, specific) were added. All genomic analyses used the ssGBLUP method, and the LR (Linear Regression) validation method was used to assess predictive ability and model effect influence. Heritability estimates ranged from 0.19 to 0.22 for WW, 0.15 to 0.20 for WG, 0.36 to 0.37 for BW, 0.23 to 0.29 for W12, 0.28 to 0.29 for SC, and 0.17 to 0.19 for MUSC. The most parameterized models showed the best fit by AIC, with M5 best for WW, W12, WG, and SC; M4 for BW; and M3 for MUSC. Model M1 showed the best prediction ability for WW and W12, with the highest accuracies (0.407 and 0.456), best dispersions (1.01 and 0.897), and lowest biases (0.098 and 0.068), respectively. For WG, M1 had the highest accuracy (0.452), M5 the best dispersion (0.940), and M4 the lowest bias (0.028). For BW, M5 showed the highest accuracy (0.452), M4 the best dispersion (1.001), and M3 the lowest bias (-0.006). For SC, M1 had the highest accuracy (0.501), M3 the best dispersion (1.004), and M4 the lowest bias (0.092). For MUSC, M4 had the highest accuracy (0.415) and lowest bias (0.057), while M2 showed the best dispersion (0.979). More parameterized models provided a better fit for variance component estimation. In general, genomic predictions with M1 displayed the highest accuracies for WW, W12, WG, and SC, and lower bias for most traits.
{"title":"Genetic parameters and genomic predictions for economically important traits in Montana® composite cattle using different models","authors":"Flávia Cristina Bis , Eduarda da Silva Oliveira , Caroline Assis Almeida , Elisângela Chicaroni de Mattos Oliveira , Letícia Pereira , Rafael Espigolan , Joanir Pereira Eler , Luís Telo Da Gama , Rafael Nuñez Dominguez , José Bento Sterman Ferraz , Fernando Baldi","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105839","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105839","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study assessed the impact of breed effects, heterosis, and recombination on genomic predictions for growth, reproduction, and body composition traits in Montana® cattle. The database included 124,547 records for Birth Weight (BW), 111,103 for Weaning Weight (WW), 87,740 for Weight at 12 months (W12), 49,249 for Post-weaning Weight Gain (WG), 87,740 for Scrotal Circumference (SC), and 44,873 for Muscularity (MUSC), with 3911 genotyped animals from the Montana® composite program. Models M1 to M5 included fixed effects of contemporary group, embryo transfer, and cow age at calving (linear and quadratic). The effects of direct and maternal breed composition, heterozygosity, and recombination varied across models. From model M2 onward, covariates for biological type, heterosis (direct, maternal, specific), and recombination (direct, maternal, specific) were added. All genomic analyses used the ssGBLUP method, and the LR (Linear Regression) validation method was used to assess predictive ability and model effect influence. Heritability estimates ranged from 0.19 to 0.22 for WW, 0.15 to 0.20 for WG, 0.36 to 0.37 for BW, 0.23 to 0.29 for W12, 0.28 to 0.29 for SC, and 0.17 to 0.19 for MUSC. The most parameterized models showed the best fit by AIC, with M5 best for WW, W12, WG, and SC; M4 for BW; and M3 for MUSC. Model M1 showed the best prediction ability for WW and W12, with the highest accuracies (0.407 and 0.456), best dispersions (1.01 and 0.897), and lowest biases (0.098 and 0.068), respectively. For WG, M1 had the highest accuracy (0.452), M5 the best dispersion (0.940), and M4 the lowest bias (0.028). For BW, M5 showed the highest accuracy (0.452), M4 the best dispersion (1.001), and M3 the lowest bias (-0.006). For SC, M1 had the highest accuracy (0.501), M3 the best dispersion (1.004), and M4 the lowest bias (0.092). For MUSC, M4 had the highest accuracy (0.415) and lowest bias (0.057), while M2 showed the best dispersion (0.979). More parameterized models provided a better fit for variance component estimation. In general, genomic predictions with M1 displayed the highest accuracies for WW, W12, WG, and SC, and lower bias for most traits.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 105839"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145364637","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-14DOI: 10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105838
Ewelina Semik-Gurgul , Klaudia Pawlina-Tyszko , Artur Gurgul , Tomasz Szmatoła , Justyna Rybińska , Iwona Furgał-Dzierżuk , Barbara Niwińska
Dairy calves require a balanced diet that ensures adequate nutrient intake to support optimal growth and physiological development, which may subsequently influence future lactational performance and reproductive capacity through favourable epigenetic modifications in body tissues. This study aimed to investigate the impact of pre-weaning nutritional strategies on the epigenome and transcriptome of the mammary gland tissues in Holstein heifers. Twelve Holstein-Friesian heifer calves were included in the experiment. During their first two weeks of life, all calves received a milk replacer (MR) that met their nutritional requirements, along with unlimited access to concentrate feed and water. At 14 ± 1 days of age, the calves were randomly assigned to one of two feeding treatments. The applied diets involved restricted milk replacer intake (R, n = 6) and ad libitum milk replacer intake (AL, n = 6). Feeding treatments lasted for 48 days, after which all calves were euthanised at 62 ± 1 days of age. Mammary parenchyma (PAR) and mammary fat pad (MFP) tissues were collected and analysed using RRBS, miRNA-seq, and RNA-seq approaches. When comparing two diets, 268 differentially methylated sites (DMSs) were identified in the PAR, and 288 DMSs were found in MFP tissue. The obtained data allowed identification of four differentially expressed miRNAs (DE miRNAs) in PAR and 35 DE miRNAs in MPF tissue. Furthermore, transcriptomic analysis revealed that mammary fat pad tissue reacted to varying diets with a higher number of differentially expressed genes, indicating that parenchyma tissue is less responsive to nutritional changes. Based on integrative omics analysis, specific genes were identified in MFP tissue, whose expression levels were correlated with the level of CpG methylation and miRNA expression, revealing enriched biological processes. However, several important limitations should be considered when interpreting these results, including the relatively small sample size and the absence of long-term follow-up. These findings suggest that pre-weaning feeding strategies have a significant influence on the epigenetic regulation of gene expression, potentially determining the future lactation potential of dairy heifers.
奶牛需要均衡的饮食，以确保足够的营养摄入，以支持最佳的生长和生理发育，这可能随后通过有利的身体组织表观遗传修饰影响未来的泌乳性能和繁殖能力。本研究旨在探讨断奶前营养策略对荷斯坦小母牛乳腺组织表观基因组和转录组的影响。试验选用12头荷斯坦-弗里西亚小母牛犊牛。在出生后的前两周，所有小牛都接受了符合其营养需求的代乳剂（MR），并无限制地获得浓缩饲料和水。在14±1日龄时，将犊牛随机分为两组饲喂。应用日粮包括限制代乳品摄入量（R, n = 6）和随意代乳品摄入量（AL, n = 6）。饲喂48 d，于62±1日龄安乐死。收集乳腺实质组织（PAR）和乳腺脂肪垫组织（MFP），采用RRBS、miRNA-seq和RNA-seq方法进行分析。对比两种饲料，在PAR中鉴定出268个差异甲基化位点（dms），在MFP组织中发现288个差异甲基化位点。获得的数据可以鉴定PAR组织中的4个差异表达mirna （DE mirna）和MPF组织中的35个差异表达mirna。此外，转录组学分析显示，乳腺脂肪垫组织对不同的饮食有更多的差异表达基因，这表明薄壁组织对营养变化的反应较小。基于整合组学分析，在MFP组织中鉴定出特异性基因，其表达水平与CpG甲基化水平和miRNA表达水平相关，揭示了丰富的生物学过程。然而，在解释这些结果时应考虑几个重要的局限性，包括相对较小的样本量和缺乏长期随访。这些结果表明，断奶前饲养策略对基因表达的表观遗传调控有显著影响，可能决定奶牛未来的泌乳潜力。
{"title":"Effect of pre-weaning nutrition on the epigenetic and transcriptomic regulation of mammary gland development in Holstein heifers","authors":"Ewelina Semik-Gurgul , Klaudia Pawlina-Tyszko , Artur Gurgul , Tomasz Szmatoła , Justyna Rybińska , Iwona Furgał-Dzierżuk , Barbara Niwińska","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105838","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105838","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Dairy calves require a balanced diet that ensures adequate nutrient intake to support optimal growth and physiological development, which may subsequently influence future lactational performance and reproductive capacity through favourable epigenetic modifications in body tissues. This study aimed to investigate the impact of pre-weaning nutritional strategies on the epigenome and transcriptome of the mammary gland tissues in Holstein heifers. Twelve Holstein-Friesian heifer calves were included in the experiment. During their first two weeks of life, all calves received a milk replacer (MR) that met their nutritional requirements, along with unlimited access to concentrate feed and water. At 14 ± 1 days of age, the calves were randomly assigned to one of two feeding treatments. The applied diets involved restricted milk replacer intake (R, <em>n</em> = 6) and ad libitum milk replacer intake (AL, <em>n</em> = 6). Feeding treatments lasted for 48 days, after which all calves were euthanised at 62 ± 1 days of age. Mammary parenchyma (PAR) and mammary fat pad (MFP) tissues were collected and analysed using RRBS, miRNA-seq, and RNA-seq approaches. When comparing two diets, 268 differentially methylated sites (DMSs) were identified in the PAR, and 288 DMSs were found in MFP tissue. The obtained data allowed identification of four differentially expressed miRNAs (DE miRNAs) in PAR and 35 DE miRNAs in MPF tissue. Furthermore, transcriptomic analysis revealed that mammary fat pad tissue reacted to varying diets with a higher number of differentially expressed genes, indicating that parenchyma tissue is less responsive to nutritional changes. Based on integrative omics analysis, specific genes were identified in MFP tissue, whose expression levels were correlated with the level of CpG methylation and miRNA expression, revealing enriched biological processes. However, several important limitations should be considered when interpreting these results, including the relatively small sample size and the absence of long-term follow-up. These findings suggest that pre-weaning feeding strategies have a significant influence on the epigenetic regulation of gene expression, potentially determining the future lactation potential of dairy heifers.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 105838"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145321710","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-12DOI: 10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105835
Özgün C Onarman Umu , Henning Sørum , Anne Stine Ekker , Peng Lei , Purushothaman Kathiresan , Charles McLean Press , Kari Ljøkjel , Liv Torunn Mydland , Nils Petter Kjos , Margareth Øverland
The increasing demand for sustainable protein sources in livestock production necessitates the evaluation of novel feed ingredients that can reduce environmental impact while maintaining animal health and performance. The effects of replacing soybean meal with Cyberlindnera jadinii, a locally produced microbial yeast protein, in the diet of post-weaning piglets under commercial production conditions were analyzed. A total of 840 piglets were enrolled in a field experiment conducted over 3 consecutive production periods. Piglets were allocated to 2 dietary treatments: a control diet containing soybean meal, formic acid products and a probiotic, and an experimental diet where C. jadinii yeast replaced 45% of the dietary protein. Growth performance, fecal consistency, and gut microbiota composition were evaluated over a 4 wk post-weaning period. Piglets fed the yeast-based diet exhibited an overall lower average daily gain (ADG; P < 0.01) and average daily feed intake (ADFI; P < 0.01) compared to those on the control diet, while feed conversion ratio (FCR) remained similar between groups. No differences in fecal consistency or clinical signs of diarrhea were observed, indicating maintained gut health despite reduced feed intake. Microbiota profiling revealed dietary effects on microbial diversity and composition in both the ileum and colon. Notably, the yeast-fed piglets showed greater relative abundances of Lactobacillus johnsonii, Streptococcus gallolyticus, and members of the Prevotellaceae family, while the control-fed piglets had greater abundances of Lactobacillus amylovorus and Blautia hansenii. These findings indicate that C. jadinii yeast can partially replace soybean meal and formic acid in weaner pig diets without compromising health status, although some reduction in growth performance was observed. The altered gut microbiota, including enrichment of beneficial taxa such as L. johnsonii, suggests functional modulation of gut health, supporting the potential of yeast-based proteins as a sustainable feed strategy in pig production systems.
畜牧业生产对可持续蛋白质来源的需求日益增加，因此必须评估能够在保持动物健康和生产性能的同时减少对环境影响的新型饲料成分。在商业化生产条件下，研究了用本地生产的微生物酵母蛋白Cyberlindnera jadinii代替豆粕对断奶仔猪日粮的影响。共有840头仔猪参加了连续3个生产期的田间试验。将仔猪分为2种饲粮处理：对照组饲粮中添加豆粕、甲酸产品和益生菌，试验组饲粮中添加贾氏酵母替代45%的饲粮蛋白质。在断奶后4周内评估生长性能、粪便稠度和肠道微生物群组成。总体而言，酵母基础饲粮的平均日增重（ADG; P < 0.01）和平均日采食量（ADFI; P < 0.01）低于对照组，但各组间饲料系数（FCR）基本一致。粪便稠度和腹泻临床症状均无差异，表明尽管采食量减少，但肠道健康仍保持正常。微生物群分析揭示了饮食对回肠和结肠微生物多样性和组成的影响。值得注意的是，酵母喂养的仔猪具有较高的约氏乳杆菌、溶食链球菌和普氏菌科成员的相对丰度，而对照喂养的仔猪具有较高的淀粉样乳杆菌和汉斯蓝杆菌的相对丰度。上述结果表明，jadinii酵母可以部分替代断奶猪饲粮中的豆粕和甲酸，而不会影响仔猪的健康状况，但会降低仔猪的生长性能。肠道微生物群的改变，包括有益类群如约氏乳杆菌的富集，表明肠道健康的功能调节，支持酵母蛋白作为猪生产系统中可持续饲料策略的潜力。
{"title":"A diet containing Cyberlindnera jadinii yeast as a protein source demonstrates comparable benefits to a formic acid and probiotic supplemented diet in post-weaning piglets","authors":"Özgün C Onarman Umu , Henning Sørum , Anne Stine Ekker , Peng Lei , Purushothaman Kathiresan , Charles McLean Press , Kari Ljøkjel , Liv Torunn Mydland , Nils Petter Kjos , Margareth Øverland","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105835","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105835","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The increasing demand for sustainable protein sources in livestock production necessitates the evaluation of novel feed ingredients that can reduce environmental impact while maintaining animal health and performance. The effects of replacing soybean meal with <em>Cyberlindnera jadinii</em>, a locally produced microbial yeast protein, in the diet of post-weaning piglets under commercial production conditions were analyzed. A total of 840 piglets were enrolled in a field experiment conducted over 3 consecutive production periods. Piglets were allocated to 2 dietary treatments: a control diet containing soybean meal, formic acid products and a probiotic, and an experimental diet where <em>C. jadinii</em> yeast replaced 45% of the dietary protein. Growth performance, fecal consistency, and gut microbiota composition were evaluated over a 4 wk post-weaning period. Piglets fed the yeast-based diet exhibited an overall lower average daily gain (ADG; <em>P</em> < 0.01) and average daily feed intake (ADFI; <em>P</em> < 0.01) compared to those on the control diet, while feed conversion ratio (FCR) remained similar between groups. No differences in fecal consistency or clinical signs of diarrhea were observed, indicating maintained gut health despite reduced feed intake. Microbiota profiling revealed dietary effects on microbial diversity and composition in both the ileum and colon. Notably, the yeast-fed piglets showed greater relative abundances of <em>Lactobacillus johnsonii, Streptococcus gallolyticus</em>, and members of the Prevotellaceae family, while the control-fed piglets had greater abundances of <em>Lactobacillus amylovorus</em> and <em>Blautia hansenii</em>. These findings indicate that <em>C. jadinii</em> yeast can partially replace soybean meal and formic acid in weaner pig diets without compromising health status, although some reduction in growth performance was observed. The altered gut microbiota, including enrichment of beneficial taxa such as <em>L. johnsonii</em>, suggests functional modulation of gut health, supporting the potential of yeast-based proteins as a sustainable feed strategy in pig production systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 105835"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145321715","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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