Ruminant nutrition and microbial metabolism

Responsible scientist: Veerle Fievez (short CV)

Link to a short introduction movie

Research of our group emphasizes on ruminant nutrition and microbial digestion in livestock to advance knowledge towards a more resource sustainable animal nutrition. As such we aim to contribute to a responsible food production and healthy productive animals.

Our research activities span all scales from in vitro simulations of anaerobic fermentation processes combined with detailed analysis of metabolites produced, across integration of (analytical) knowledge on metabolites into on-farm monitoring and optimization of nutrition to merging technical knowledge in a broader context of inter-disciplinary challenges facing animal husbandry.

To remain upfront within the international research scene, our research group specifically invests in continuously improving our in vitro simulation platform, which reproduces specific digestive processes and allows for detailed and reproducible high throughput studies.

Furthermore, we rely on a consolidated chemical orientation of the Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Animal Product Quality with well-equipped laboratories. Our research group particularly focuses on development and application of advanced methods in fatty acid analysis, given their vital role in numerous biological processes.