Smart feed additives for livestock

Proper nutrition of farm animals in the context of sustainable agriculture should be strictly adapted to their living and production needs. This is particularly important in the face of increasing demand for animal protein. The scale of animal production will increase in proportion to the growth of the human population, especially in developing countries. Therefore, this chapter discusses sustainable animal nutrition through the use of “smart feed additives,” that is, additives that due to their functionality, can stimulate the digestive tract of animals to work more effectively. “Smart feed additives” can reduce the content of antinutritional and toxic ingredients in feed mixtures, thus improving the use of feed and consequently reducing the impact of animal production on the environment. These additives include: probiotics, prebiotics, symbiotics, phytoncides, various forms of minerals, and sorbents.