Welcome to the Animal Nutrition Research Group 

Our research group focuses primarily on the sustainable nutrition of livestock animals, with particular emphasis on ruminants, pigs, and poultry. At the core of our work is the development of feeding strategies that contribute to reducing competition for food and land, conserving natural resources, and promoting circular economy – for example, by maximizing the use of human-inedible biomass from permanent grasslands and/or by-products of food processing.

Another key research area is feed conservation, especially the conservation of alternative protein sources (e.g., insect protein). Our research also focuses on the development of innovative conservation approaches, such as the use of enzyme complexes derived from anaerobic rumen fungi to improve forage quality ‘post-harvest’, or the targeted increment of mineral bioavailability using organic acids.

In the context of climate change, we develop feeding strategies to adapt animal nutrition to the reduced availability of high-quality feed and water. We also investigate the impact of increasing stressors in livestock production, such as heat stress and the growing exposure to various feed contaminants. In this regard, we place a strong focus on feed safety, particularly the occurrence and effects of mycotoxins, in line with the One Health approach.

Our research combines a broad methodological spectrum of feed science, including both in vitro and in vivo models, and is embedded in interdisciplinary collaborations at the interface with different research disciplines – predominantly microbiology, agricultural engineering, animal breeding, veterinary medicine, as well as nutritional and food sciences.