Nutritional Interventions for Promoting Animal Health and Welfare.
The increasing demand for food and energy has highlighted the need for sustainable solutions in animal production.
My research focuses on integrating biodiesel co-products into the feed industry, following the principles of the circular bioeconomy.
This approach aims to transform low value industrial co-products into high value nutritional resources that promote animal health, welfare, and environmental sustainability.
My doctoral project aims to valorise co-products from the biodiesel industry, specifically short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) and medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA) derived from sunflower biodiesel as functional feed additives for monogastric animals.
Rather than being treated as low value waste, these compounds can be harnessed to improve gut health, immune function, feed efficiency and welfare under production conditions.
Specific objectives include:
1. Sow trial:
To determine whether dietary supplementation with SCFA and MCFA during late gestation and lactation can improve reproductive performance, milk quality, and passive immune transfer to offspring, thereby enhancing piglet growth and early life health.
2. Weaned piglet trial:
To evaluate how SCFA and MCFA affect growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and intestinal morphology.
3. Broiler chicken trial:
To assess the influence of SCFA and MCFA on growth performance, feed efficiency, intestinal health, and carcass quality, exploring their potential as natural alternatives to antibiotics in poultry production.
By linking renewable energy co-products with animal nutrition strategies, this research will provide a science based foundation for the functional integration of biodiesel co-products into monogastric diets.
The expected outcomes include healthier animals, improved welfare, higher quality animal products and a step forward for circular bioeconomy in livestock systems.
Master Degree: MA in Animal Husbandry at Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), with a research focus on piglet nutrition and gut health.
Master thesis on the effects of duckweed powder supplementation in diets on growth performance and intestinal health of weaned piglets.
My main research interests include monogastric animal nutrition, gut health, and nutritional Interventions.
Publications: Orcid
Supervisor Prof. Raffaella Rebucci
Co-supervisor Prof. Valentino Bontempo ; Prof. Jiang Xianren
