The world’s population is growing rapidly and consequently, there is an increasing demand for high-quality and safe food. At the same time, agricultural areas are diminishing due to industrialization, among other factors. Therefore, the efficiency of animal production needs to be improved. This book examines animal nutrition and ways to improve it. Topics covered include the use of feed additives in poultry nutrition, silage in dairy cattle nutrition, plant-origin feed additives in water buffalo nutrition, microbial inoculation in dairy cow nutrition, and more.

The science of animal nutrition has made significant advances in the past century. In looking back at the discoveries of the 20th century, we can appreciate the tremendous impact that animal nutrition has had on our lives. From the discovery of vitamins and the sweeping shift in the use of oilseeds to replace animal products as dietary protein sources for animals during the war times of the 1900s-to our integral understanding of nutrients as regulators of gene expression today-animal nutrition has been the cornerstone for scientific advances in many areas. At the milestone of their 70th year of service to the nation, the National Research Council's (NRC) Committee on Animal Nutrition (CAN) sought to gain a better understanding of the magnitude of recent discoveries and directions in animal nutrition for the new century we are embarking upon. With financial support from the NRC, the committee was able to organize and host a symposium that featured scientists from many backgrounds who were asked to share their ideas about the potential of animal nutrition to address current problems and future challenges.

Good animal health is of great importance for the efficient production of animal-derived foods at a low cost. The demand for solutions for animal health maintenance and disease prevention is a major global challenge in animal production, food safety, and public health. The animal body has a complete self-defense system, including oxidation and anti-oxidation balance, immune activation and suppression balance, pro- and anti-inflammatory balance, which can help the host against various factors that endanger normal life activities. Nowadays, the strategy of nutrition-based health has become an increasingly important solution for animal health maintenance and disease prevention. Nutrients (carbohydrates, fats, proteins, minerals, vitamins, et al.) and nutricines (carotenoids, enzymes, fatty acids, flavors, oligosaccharides, organic acids, phospholipids, polyphenols, et al.) are two major categories of components in feeds. Nutricines and some derivatives of nutrients (vitamin derivatives, amino acid derivatives, et al.) have been intensively studied in animal and cell culture models, and their roles in animal health maintenance and disease prevention are intimately known.

This book covers hot topics in the nutrition and metabolism of terrestrial and aquatic animals, including the interorgan transport and utilization of water, minerals, amino acids, glucose, and fructose; the development of alternatives to in-feed antibiotics for animals (e.g., swine and poultry); and metabolic disorders (or diseases) resulting from nutrient deficiencies. It enables readers to understand the crucial roles of nutrients in the nutrition, growth, development, and health of animals. Such knowledge has important implications for humans. Readers will also learn from well-written chapters about the use of new genome-editing biotechnologies to generate animals (e.g., cows and swine) as bioreactors that can produce large amounts of pharmaceutical proteins and other molecules to improve the health and well-being of humans and other animals, as well as the growth and productivity of farm animals. Furthermore, the book provides useful information on the use of animals (e.g., cattle, swine, sheep, chickens, and fish) as models in biomedical research to prevent and treat human diseases, develop infant formulas, and improve the cardiovascular and metabolic health of offspring with prenatal growth restriction. Editor of this book is an internationally recognized expert in nutrition and metabolisms. He has about 40 years of experience with research and teaching at world-class universities in the subject matters. He has published more than 660 papers in peer-reviewed journals, 90 chapters in books, and authored two text/reference books, with a very high H-index of 127 and more than 66,000 citations in Google Scholar. This publication is a useful reference for nutrition and biomedical professionals, as well as undergraduate and graduate students in animal science, aquaculture, zoology, wildlife, veterinary medicine, biology, biochemistry, food science, nutrition, pharmacology, physiology, toxicology, and other related disciplines. In addition, all chapters provide general and specific references to nutrition and metabolism for researchers and practitioners in animal agriculture (including aquaculture), dietitians, animal and human medicines, and for government policy makers.

Recent Advances in Animal Nutrition 1989 focuses on the compositions of animal feeds. The book first discusses legislation and its implication for the feed compounder, including marketing of feeds, medicated feeds, and feed additives. The text highlights residues of veterinary drugs in animal products. Licensing of veterinary products; assessment of the safety of veterinary medicines; and development of performance-enhancing drugs are discussed. The book also looks at the vitamin requirements and allowances for poultry; effect of pellet quality on the performance of meat birds; and nutrition of rabbits. The text then discusses the prediction of the nutritive value of silage. History of silage energy evaluation; energy prediction and energy prediction relationships; and nutrient response based systems of rationing are described. The book focuses also on the effect of silage additives and wilting on animal performance; optimizing compound feed use in dairy cows with high intakes of silage; and nutrition of lambs. The text then looks at amino acid nutrition of pigs and poultry and etiology of diarrhea in pigs and pre-ruminants. The selection is vital for readers interested in conducting studies on the compositions of animal feeds.