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Improving efficiency in meat production

Brameld, John M.; Parr, Tim

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Authors

Profile image of JOHN BRAMELD

JOHN BRAMELD JOHN.BRAMELD@NOTTINGHAM.AC.UK
Professor of Nutritional Biochemistry

TIM PARR TIM.PARR@NOTTINGHAM.AC.UK
Professor of Nutritional Biochemistry



Abstract

Selective breeding and improved nutritional management over the past 20–30 years has resulted in dramatic improvements in growth efficiency for pigs and poultry, particularly lean tissue growth. However, this has been achieved using high-quality feed ingredients, such as wheat and soya that are also used for human consumption and more recently biofuels production. Ruminants on the other hand are less efficient, but are normally fed poorer quality ingredients that cannot be digested by human subjects, such as grass or silage. The challenges therefore are to: (i) maintain the current efficiency of growth of pigs and poultry, but using more ingredients not needed to feed the increasing human population or for the production of biofuels; (ii) improve the efficiency of growth in ruminants; (iii) at the same time produce animal products (meat, milk and eggs) of equal or improved quality. This review will describe the use of: (a) enzyme additives for animal feeds, to improve feed digestibility;(b) known growth promoting agents, such as growth hormone, β-agonists and anabolic steroids, currently banned in the European Union but used in other parts of the world; (c) recent transcriptomic studies into molecular mechanisms for improved growth efficiency via low residual feed intake. In doing so, the use of genetic manipulation in animals will also be discussed.

Citation

Brameld, J. M., & Parr, T. (in press). Improving efficiency in meat production. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0029665116000161

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Mar 18, 2016
Online Publication Date Apr 18, 2016
Deposit Date May 23, 2016
Publicly Available Date May 23, 2016
Journal Proceedings of the Nutrition Society
Print ISSN 0029-6651
Electronic ISSN 1475-2719
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Peer Reviewed Not Peer Reviewed
DOI https://doi.org/10.1017/S0029665116000161
Keywords Feed efficiency; Meat; Enzymes; Growth promoters
Public URL https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/784709
Publisher URL http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=10287170&fileId=S0029665116000161
Contract Date May 23, 2016

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