As world population increases, demand for food and particularly animal products is expected to grow substantially. Because of limited area for expansion of animal agriculture and growing consumer concern for the environmental impact of animal production, gains in animal efficiency will have to be part of the solution. This book addresses key issues of how energy and protein are utilized and interact in farm animals from the molecular to the whole animal and even to the herd or group level of organization. It contains state-of-the-art research and reviews on several topics of nutrient...

Development in agricultural sciences, particularly in farm animal sciences, resulted in the increased productivity to meet the demand for high quality and relatively cheap protein sources for human nutrition. In parallel, this increased productivity challenges the adequate supply of nutrients, including protein and energy, needed to cover not only high performances, but also insure animal health and welfare, reproduction and quality of products in a sustainable environment. The precise understanding of the animal biology is crucial for animal health and welfare, sustainable animal production,...