Animal-Based Food Products - Nutritional Impact on the Quality and Safety of Animal Products

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2022) | Viewed by 22132

Special Issue Editors

Institute of Animal Nutrition and Bromatology, University of Life Sciences, 20-934 Lublin, Poland
Interests: nutrition; physiology; metabolism; meat quality; milk quality; feedstuffs; herbs; feed additives; oxidative stress
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Department of Bromatology and Nutrition Physiology, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Akademicka 13, 20-950 Lublin, Poland
Interests: nutrition; toxic elements; trace elements; oxidative stress; meat quality; feed additives; food safety
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The growing awareness of food consumers confronts us with new scientific challenges. Trends in food consumption show increased demand of high-quality food products, especially those of animal origin. Therefore, the main focus of food production is to create products that are not only the source of energy but first and foremost the safe source of nutrients and many bioactive compounds. This includes all strategies to enhance animal products quality, chemical composition and nutritional value as well as their functional properties, sensory properties and food safety.

The production of safe food of animal origin is based on the adequate nutrition of animals. There is no better way to improve the quality of milk, meat or eggs than through providing the animal with high-quality feed components in their diets. Years of experience has proved that nutritional interventions and their simultaneous impact with other factors, such as genetic selection, ensuring adequate hygienic and welfare conditions, affect the quality of animal food products.

This Special Issue aims to bring together the latest advances in improving the quality of animal food products. We kindly invite you to present the results of your work in improving the quality and safety of animal food products.

Dr. Edyta Kowalczuk-Vasilev
Prof. Dr. Anna Winiarska-Mieczan
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • animal nutrition
  • animal based foods products
  • milk quality
  • meat quality
  • eggs quality
  • nutritional value
  • food composition
  • food safety
  • functional properties

Published Papers (8 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 2877 KiB  
Article
Feed Restriction Improves Lipid Metabolism by Changing the Structure of the Cecal Microbial Community and Enhances the Meat Quality and Flavor of Bearded Chickens
by Jinling Ye, Shouqun Jiang, Zhonggang Cheng, Fayuan Ding, Qiuli Fan, Xiajing Lin, Yibing Wang and Zhongyong Gou
Animals 2022, 12(8), 970; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ani12080970 - 08 Apr 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1638
Abstract
Excessive fat deposition in full-fed Bearded chickens does not only reduce carcass yield but also causes consumer rejection of meat. Feed restriction (FR) is an effective method to save on feed cost, reduce carcass fat deposition, and improve meat quality. A total of [...] Read more.
Excessive fat deposition in full-fed Bearded chickens does not only reduce carcass yield but also causes consumer rejection of meat. Feed restriction (FR) is an effective method to save on feed cost, reduce carcass fat deposition, and improve meat quality. A total of 560 150-d Bearded chickens were randomly divided into seven groups (each with eight replicates of ten birds) for 40 days. The control group was fed with the basal diet ad libitum (CON), and the other six groups were fed with 90% of the feed intake (90% FI), 80% FI, 70% FI, 90% metabolizable energy (90% ME), 80% ME, and 70% ME of the CON, respectively. Compared to the CON group, FR increased meat yield, but the total weight of the Bearded chickens was slighter; 80% FI and 70% ME improved the relative lipid metabolism indices of chickens, especially the levels of triglycerides and total cholesterol in the plasma and liver (p < 0.05), and decreased calpastatin activity in the breast muscle (p < 0.05). Additionally, 16S rRNA sequencing of cecal microbial community indicated that an increase in the abundance of Hydrogenoanaerobacterium and Bacteroides plebeius was observed in the 80% FI group (p < 0.05), and an enrichment in Olsenella, Catabacter, and Lachnospiraceae were observed in the 70% ME group (p < 0.05) compared to the CON group. Moreover, compared to the CON group, the L * value of the breast muscle significantly decreased, and a * value significantly increased in the 80% FI group (p < 0.05). Notably, the concentrations of threonine, lysine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, proline, and arginine and the activity of calpain in breast muscle increased in the 80% FI group more than in the CON group (p < 0.05), while valine, isoleucine, leucine, phenylalanine, lysine, alanine, tyrosine and proline decreased in ME restriction groups (p < 0.05). Taken together, our results indicated that 80% FI could improve lipid metabolism by changing the structure of the cecal microbial community, and the meat quality and flavor of the Bearded chickens in 80% FI group was improved with a promoted meat color score, flavor substances, and the calproteinase system. Full article
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10 pages, 262 KiB  
Communication
The Effect of L-Glutamine on Basal Albumen and Yolk Indices, and Albumen Amino Acids Composition
by Ewa Tomaszewska, Anna Arczewska-Włosek, Artur Burmańczuk, Renata Pyz-Łukasik, Janine Donaldson, Siemowit Muszyński and Sylwester Świątkiewicz
Animals 2021, 11(12), 3556; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ani11123556 - 14 Dec 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1969
Abstract
The current study tested the hypothesis that 1.0% dietary inclusion of L-glutamine (Gln), an non-essential amino acid that influences protein synthesis, can improve internal egg quality, including amino acids profile. Thirty-week-old Bovans Brown laying hens in their middle laying period were assigned to [...] Read more.
The current study tested the hypothesis that 1.0% dietary inclusion of L-glutamine (Gln), an non-essential amino acid that influences protein synthesis, can improve internal egg quality, including amino acids profile. Thirty-week-old Bovans Brown laying hens in their middle laying period were assigned to one of the two experimental groups (12 replicate cages, 2 hens/cage) with Gln in the form of alpha-ketoglutarate (10 g/kg) or without Gln inclusion. The experimental period lasted for 30 wks, from the 31st to the 60th week of age of hens, when eggs were collected and selected egg quality indices were determined. Gln supplementation had no effect on albumen and egg yolk share, albumen and yolk basal indices and composition, including yolk cholesterol content. However, Gln decreased the lipid content of the egg albumen (p < 0.001), and influenced albumen amino acid profile, increasing content of asparagine (p < 0.05), phenylalanine (p < 0.05), proline (p < 0.001), tryptophan (p < 0.01), and tyrosine (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the study shows a potential role of Gln supplementation for enhancing nutritional values of eggs by lower lipid content and higher amino acid profile. Full article
14 pages, 743 KiB  
Article
A Food-Safety Risk Assessment of Mercury, Lead and Cadmium in Fish Recreationally Caught from Three Lakes in Poland
by Agnieszka Chałabis-Mazurek, Jacek Rechulicz and Renata Pyz-Łukasik
Animals 2021, 11(12), 3507; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ani11123507 - 09 Dec 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2602
Abstract
Heavy metals are introduced into water due to anthropogenic activities and can significantly affect an entire ecosystem. Due to their close integration with the water environment, fish are a sensitive indicator of contamination. In addition, fish is an important element in human diets, [...] Read more.
Heavy metals are introduced into water due to anthropogenic activities and can significantly affect an entire ecosystem. Due to their close integration with the water environment, fish are a sensitive indicator of contamination. In addition, fish is an important element in human diets, therefore, monitoring the concentrations of metallic contaminants in their meat is particularly important for food safety. This study aimed to assess the pollution of water ecosystems with selected toxic heavy metals in lakes Dratów, Czarne Sosnowickie, and Syczyńskie. The concentration of Pb, Cd, and Hg in water, sediment, and freshwater fish muscle tissue was determined, and a food safety assessment was performed. The analysis of water and sediments showed that the sediments were characterised by a significantly higher concentration of heavy metals. Presumably, this ecosystem element plays an important role in the uptake of heavy metal contaminants by fish whose levels were higher in planktonophagous and benthophagous fish species as compared to predatory fish. The food safety assessment showed that amounts of heavy metals in the muscle tissue posed no threat to the health of consumers ingesting that fish species, neither individually (THQ) nor collectively (TTHQ). Full article
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17 pages, 310 KiB  
Article
Raw Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) as a Substitute of Soybean Meal in Compound Feed for Broiler Chickens: Effects on Growth Performance, Lipid Metabolism, Fatty Acid Profile, Antioxidant Status, and Dietary Value of Muscles
by Anna Danek-Majewska, Małgorzata Kwiecień, Anna Winiarska-Mieczan, Małgorzata Haliniarz and Agata Bielak
Animals 2021, 11(12), 3367; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ani11123367 - 24 Nov 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2375
Abstract
The aim of this study was to determine the effect of substitution of 50% of soybean meal protein with 310–350 g/kg diet of raw chickpea seed protein on the chemical composition, fatty acid profile, dietary value, and antioxidant status of breast and thigh [...] Read more.
The aim of this study was to determine the effect of substitution of 50% of soybean meal protein with 310–350 g/kg diet of raw chickpea seed protein on the chemical composition, fatty acid profile, dietary value, and antioxidant status of breast and thigh muscles, as well as the antioxidant status of blood serum, in Ross 308 male broilers. In the 42-day experiment, one-day-old male broiler chicks were assigned to two nutritional groups (n = 100 in each, 20 birds in each group, and 5 replications). In the control group, 100% of protein in the feed was derived from soybean meal. In the experimental group, 310–350 g/kg protein from raw chickpea seeds was introduced. Data with a normal distribution were analyzed using the Student t-test, and the relationships between the traits were assessed with the use of Pearson’s correlation coefficients. p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The replacement with chickpea protein did not exert an impact on the final body weight, feed consumption, and feed conversion ratio compared to the control group. However, it induced changes in the color of the breast muscles (increased L* and b* values), and reduced the cholesterol content. The addition of chickpea seeds improved the fatty acid profile, mainly in the breast muscle. A decrease in the total SFA content and a higher level of unsaturated fatty acids (UFA), UFAs/saturated fatty acids (SFAs), polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), omega-3, and omega-6 were observed in the experimental group. Additionally, the chickpea-supplemented group exhibited better values of meat quality indicators (atherogenic index-AI; thrombogenic index–TI, ratio of saturated fatty acids to unsaturated fatty acids-S/P, n-6/n-3, hypocholesterolemic/Hypercholesterolemic ratio-h/H). It can be concluded that raw chickpea seeds are a good source of protein in broiler chicken nutrition, and can replace the traditionally used protein source (soybean meal), simultaneously exerting a positive effect on the dietary value of poultry meat and an expected enhancing impact on consumer health. Full article
15 pages, 316 KiB  
Article
The Impact of Zn, Cu and Fe Chelates on the Fatty-Acid Profile and Dietary Value of Broiler-Chicken Thigh Meat
by Anna Winiarska-Mieczan, Karolina Jachimowicz, Małgorzata Kwiecień, Svitlana Kislova, Ewa Baranowska-Wójcik, Zvenyslava Zasadna, Dmytro Yanovych and Edyta Kowalczuk-Vasilev
Animals 2021, 11(11), 3115; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ani11113115 - 30 Oct 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1636
Abstract
This study aimed to compare the effect of Zn, Cu and Fe glycine chelates on the proximate composition, cholesterol levels, fatty-acid profile and dietary value of the thigh meat of broiler chickens. The experiment involved three hundred and fifty Ross 308 chickens divided [...] Read more.
This study aimed to compare the effect of Zn, Cu and Fe glycine chelates on the proximate composition, cholesterol levels, fatty-acid profile and dietary value of the thigh meat of broiler chickens. The experiment involved three hundred and fifty Ross 308 chickens divided into seven groups. The chickens were administered Zn, Cu and Fe glycine chelates in an amount corresponding to 50% of the requirement or 25% of the requirement for 42 days. It was found that the use of Zn, Cu and Fe glycine chelates did affect the fatty acid profile and dietary value of meat. A positive impact was most frequently (p < 0.05) noted in chickens receiving Zn chelate in an amount covering 50% of the requirement: the lowest levels of SFA and atherogenic and thrombogenic indices, the highest content of PUFA n−3 and PUFA/SFA ratios and hypocholesterolemic/hypercholesterolemic indices. Positive effects were more often recorded for chickens receiving Zn in an amount corresponding to 50% of the requirement. The results did not show that the use of Cu and Fe glycine chelates can reduce the dietary value of thigh meat in broiler chickens since, generally, the outcomes were not worse than those in the control group. It should be highlighted that due to ambiguous results, it is impossible to determine a dose of Cu and Fe glycine chelate which would be more efficient for broiler chickens. However, chickens receiving chelates in amounts corresponding to 25% of the requirement showed far better results. Full article
11 pages, 270 KiB  
Article
The Effect of Hybrid Barley in the Diets of Fattening Pigs on Pork Oxidative Stability Related to the Fatty Acid Profile
by Anna Szuba-Trznadel, Małgorzata Korzeniowska, Tomasz Hikawczuk and Bogusław Fuchs
Animals 2021, 11(7), 2134; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ani11072134 - 19 Jul 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3140
Abstract
Feed determines the quality of pork meat, in which the composition of the fatty acid (FA) profile is one of the easiest to modify by the application of selected feed components. Barley grains are considered to have an impact on meat quality, including [...] Read more.
Feed determines the quality of pork meat, in which the composition of the fatty acid (FA) profile is one of the easiest to modify by the application of selected feed components. Barley grains are considered to have an impact on meat quality, including pork; however, there are still limited data on the use of hybrid barley in fattening pigs’ nutrition in relation to meat quality. The aim of this study was to determine the relation between meat quality, i.e., its oxidative stability, especially the FA profile, and fattening pigs’ diets with hybrid barley and/or wheat. In group I, hybrid barley (HB) composed 80% of the feed; in group II, a mixture of (40% each) wheat and barley was used; and in group III, wheat (W) composed 80% of the feed. Meat samples were taken from twelve randomly selected carcasses chosen from each group. The meat analyses covered the physicochemical and sensory traits. The results showed that the pork meat of fattening pigs fed fodder with 80% HB had decreased palmitic acid concentrations and increased oleic acid concentrations. The meat of these pigs was characterised by the best marbling, which was closely related to its juiciness after thermal processing and determined its final culinary quality. Moreover, the meat from these pigs exhibited a reddish colour, before and after thermal processing. In summary, the application of hybrid barley into pig nutrition improved the quality of the culinary meat. Full article
17 pages, 1634 KiB  
Article
Alterations of the Muscular Fatty Acid Composition and Serum Metabolome in Bama Xiang Mini-Pigs Exposed to Dietary Beta-Hydroxy Beta-Methyl Butyrate
by Changbing Zheng, Bo Song, Qiuping Guo, Jie Zheng, Fengna Li, Yehui Duan and Can Peng
Animals 2021, 11(5), 1190; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ani11051190 - 21 Apr 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2302
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the effects of dietary beta-hydroxy beta-methyl butyrate (HMB) supplementation on muscular lipid metabolism in Bama Xiang mini-pigs. Thirty-two piglets (8.58 ± 0.40 kg, barrow) were selected and fed a basal diet supplemented either with 0 (control), 0.13%, 0.64%, [...] Read more.
This study aimed to investigate the effects of dietary beta-hydroxy beta-methyl butyrate (HMB) supplementation on muscular lipid metabolism in Bama Xiang mini-pigs. Thirty-two piglets (8.58 ± 0.40 kg, barrow) were selected and fed a basal diet supplemented either with 0 (control), 0.13%, 0.64%, or 1.28% HMB for 60 days. Throughout the experiments, they had free access to clean drinking water and diets. Data of this study were analyzed by one-way ANOVA using the SAS 8.2 software package, followed by a Tukey’s studentized range test to explore treatment effects. The results showed that compared to the control, 0.13% HMB decreased the intramuscular fat (IMF) content and increased polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in Longissimus thoracis muscle (LTM), and increased the n3 PUFAs in soleus muscles (SM, p < 0.05). Moreover, HMB supplementation led to alterations in the mRNA expression of genes related to lipid metabolism. Serum metabolome profiling showed that in both LTM and SM of Bama Xiang mini-pigs, N-Methyl-l-glutamate was positively correlated with SFA and nummularine A was negatively correlated with C18:3n3 PUFA (p < 0.05). Therefore, N-Methyl-l-glutamate and nummularine A might be potential biomarkers of the HMB-supplemented group. These results suggested that dietary HMB supplementation could decrease the IMF content and increase n3 PUFAs as well as regulate the related metabolites (N-Methyl-l-glutamate and nummularine A) in the serum of pigs. Full article
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Review

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22 pages, 636 KiB  
Review
The Impact of Herbal Additives for Poultry Feed on the Fatty Acid Profile of Meat
by Karolina Jachimowicz, Anna Winiarska-Mieczan and Ewa Tomaszewska
Animals 2022, 12(9), 1054; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ani12091054 - 19 Apr 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 4579
Abstract
Researchers often found that herbal additives to chicken feed can favorably alter the fatty acid profile of the meat. The most desirable effects of diet modification comprise an increased content of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and a reduced [...] Read more.
Researchers often found that herbal additives to chicken feed can favorably alter the fatty acid profile of the meat. The most desirable effects of diet modification comprise an increased content of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and a reduced content of saturated fatty acids (SFA) in the breast and thigh muscles. A modified fatty acid profile contributes to improvement in the quality of poultry meat, which is reflected in its increased consumption. However, it may be problematic that PUFAs are oxidized easier than other lipids, which can have a negative impact on the sensory traits of meat. By contrast, herbs and herbal products contain antioxidants that can prevent the oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids and cholesterol present in animal-origin products and increase the antioxidant potential of the consumer’s body. This paper aims to review the influence of herbal additives for broiler chicken diets on the fatty acid profile of poultry meat. Special attention was paid to changes in the content of SFAs, MUFAs, and PUFAs, but also alterations in the omega-6:omega-3 ratio. The presented reference literature supports the statement that herbs and bioactive components of herbs added to chicken diets can improve the quality of broiler chicken meat by altering the content of fatty acids. Full article
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