Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.
Adv Exp Med Biol. 2022;1354:1-24. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-85686-1_1.
Consumption of high-quality animal protein plays an important role in improving human nutrition, growth, development, and health. With an exponential growth of the global population, demands for animal-sourced protein are expected to increase by 60% between 2021 and 2050. In addition to the production of food protein and fiber (wool), animals are useful models for biomedical research to prevent and treat human diseases and serve as bioreactors to produce therapeutic proteins. For a high efficiency to transform low-quality feedstuffs and forages into high-quality protein and highly bioavailable essential minerals in diets of humans, farm animals have dietary requirements for energy, amino acids, lipids, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins, and water in their life cycles. All nutrients interact with each other to influence the growth, development, and health of mammals, birds, fish, and crustaceans, and adequate nutrition is crucial for preventing and treating their metabolic disorders (including metabolic diseases) and infectious diseases. At the organ level, the small intestine is not only the terminal site for nutrient digestion and absorption, but also intimately interacts with a diverse community of intestinal antigens and bacteria to influence gut and whole-body health. Understanding the species and metabolism of intestinal microbes, as well as their interactions with the intestinal immune systems and the host intestinal epithelium can help to mitigate antimicrobial resistance and develop prebiotic and probiotic alternatives to in-feed antibiotics in animal production. As abundant sources of amino acids, bioactive peptides, energy, and highly bioavailable minerals and vitamins, animal by-product feedstuffs are effective for improving the growth, development, health, feed efficiency, and survival of livestock and poultry, as well as companion and aquatic animals. The new knowledge covered in this and related volumes of Adv Exp Med Biol is essential to ensure sufficient provision of animal protein for humans, while helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions, minimize the urinary and fecal excretion of nitrogenous and other wastes to the environment, and sustain animal agriculture (including aquaculture).
优质动物蛋白的摄入对改善人类营养、生长、发育和健康起着重要作用。随着全球人口的指数级增长，预计 2021 年至 2050 年期间，动物源性蛋白质的需求将增长 60%。除了生产食物蛋白和纤维（羊毛）外，动物还是用于预防和治疗人类疾病的生物医学研究的有用模型，并可作为生物反应器来生产治疗性蛋白。为了提高将低质量饲料和粗饲料转化为人类饮食中高质量蛋白和高生物可利用必需矿物质的效率，农场动物在其生命周期中对能量、氨基酸、脂类、碳水化合物、矿物质、维生素和水都有饮食需求。所有营养素相互作用，影响哺乳动物、鸟类、鱼类和甲壳类动物的生长、发育和健康，充足的营养对预防和治疗其代谢紊乱（包括代谢疾病）和传染病至关重要。在器官水平上，小肠不仅是营养消化和吸收的终末部位，还与肠道内多样化的抗原和细菌群落密切相互作用，影响肠道和全身健康。了解肠道微生物的种类和代谢，以及它们与肠道免疫系统和宿主肠道上皮的相互作用，可以帮助减轻抗微生物药物耐药性，并开发替代饲料中抗生素的益生元和益生菌。动物副产品饲料作为氨基酸、生物活性肽、能量和高生物可利用矿物质和维生素的丰富来源，可有效改善牲畜和家禽以及伴侣动物和水产动物的生长、发育、健康、饲料效率和成活率。本卷及相关卷中涵盖的新知识对于确保为人类提供充足的动物蛋白，同时帮助减少温室气体排放、最大限度减少氮和其他废物在尿液和粪便中的排泄对环境的影响，以及维持动物农业（包括水产养殖）至关重要。
