Recent Advances in Animal Nutrition 2003

Food safety and quality assurance schemes are considered in the initial chapters; these subjects are of vital importance to the supply chain of animal products to the consumer. The chapters dealing with non-ruminants cover the rate of starch digestion in broilers and the importance this may have on both metabolism and performance, the role of dietary lipids on reproductive performance in pigs and altering the colour of egg yolks through dietary supplementation with carotenoid pigments. The implications for the UK industry of the globalisation of animal production covered issues including the influence of climate, land, human resources and the importance of product quality, safety and cost. There have been major recent advances in reproductive technologies, including sex determination through semen sexing, in vitro embryo production, cryopreservation, cloning and genetic modification. These were reviewed in the context of implications for livestock production. Four chapters cover developments in ruminant nutrition. In addition to phosphorus requirements for both maintenance and production, subjects considered include absorption and environmental impact. Phosphorus excretion is potentially a source of some concern in terms of pollution potential and increased efficiency of its utilisation will reduce these risks. The relationship of conjugated linoleic acid with milk fat depression together with influences on reproductive performance and metabolism of the dairy cow in early lactation is discussed in the next chapter and the final chapter considers feeding and management of the Jersey cow.Garnsworthy, P. C. is the author of 'Recent Advances in Animal Nutrition 2003' with ISBN 9781897676103 and ISBN 1897676107.