This study aimed to evaluate the long-term dietary effects of dried olive pulp (OP) on production performance, fatty acid profile and health lipid indices and quality characteristics of produced eggs, health and welfare indicators of laying hens. It was carried out in a commercial poultry farm using 300 Isa Brown layers at 23 weeks of age. The hens were randomly and equally divided in six dietary groups CON, OP2, OP3, OP4, OP5 and OP6, according to the inclusion rate of OP in the ration (0%, 2%, 3%, 4%, 5% and 6%, respectively). OP feeding increased the percentage of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in eggs, decreased that of saturated fatty acids (SFA) and improved the PUFA to SFA ratio and health lipid indices, as indicated by the decrease of AI and TI and the increase in the h/H ratio of produced eggs, in a dose-dependent way. OP-fed layers presented a lower percentage of broken eggshells compared to controls. No adverse effects on birds’ performance, egg quality traits, health and welfare parameters were observed but a positive impact on Keel Bone Damage (KBD) incidence and belly plumage damage was recorded. OP feeding at the rates of 5% and 6% seems to be beneficial in improving egg nutrition quality.

This study evaluated the nutritional effect of dried olive pulp (OP), on broilers’ thermal comfort, growth parameters and welfare in a commercial poultry farm during the hot season. A number of 108 Cobb male broilers, 19 d olds were allocated into three dietary groups: controls (CON), OP3 and OP6, based on the level of OP added to their diet (0%, 3% and 6%). The thermal comfort of broilers was assessed using the temperature–humidity index (THI). Broilers’ body temperature (BT) was determined weekly. OP beneficially affected the growth performance of broilers undergoing very severe heat stress, as indicated by the increased body weight gain (BWG) recorded in OP groups compared to CON during the first week of the experiment and the higher body weight (BW) of OP fed chickens at 26 d of age (p < 0.05). At 26 d of age, OP6 broilers had lower BT (40.55 ± 0.06 °C) than CON (40.78 ± 0.09 °C) (p < 0.05). A positive dietary effect of OP in welfare parameters like feather cleanliness and panting behaviour of chickens fed 6% OP was also recorded. Using OP as feedstuff is a promising feeding strategy for alleviating the adverse effects of heat stress; it also offers the potential to recycle olive by-products, leading to an efficient waste-based circular economy.

The present study investigated the dietary impact of dried olive pulp (OP) on growth performance, gut health and some welfare and behavior characteristics of broilers. It was conducted in a commercial poultry farm using 108 13 day-old Ross male broilers. Chickens were equally and randomly assigned to 3 dietary treatments, CON, OP3 and OP6, based on the incorporation rate of OP in the ration (0%, 3%, and 6%, respectively). A beneficial impact on foot pad dermatitis (FPD) and feather cleanliness of OP-fed broilers was recorded. No adverse effects on qualitative behavior characteristics evaluated and on the overall growth performance of chickens were observed. No significant differences in the fecal microbiota population were observed among the groups. Changes of β-diversity in an age-dependent way were only observed. The feces of chickens across all age and dietary groups were mainly dominated by the phylum Firmicutes (62.3 to 95.1%), mainly represented by the genus Lactobacillus (32.9 to 78.2%), Proteobacteria (2.0 to 35.6%), and Actinobacteria (1.5 to 11.4%). Supplementing broilers’ diets with 3% and 6% OP beneficially affected chickens’ health and welfare without compromising their growth performance and gut health.

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of different levels (15% and 20% w.w⁻¹) of bakery meal (BM) inclusion on growth performance, welfare and behavior indicators in post-weaning piglets. Sixty post-weaning castrated male piglets were selected and divided in 3 feeding treatments: standard post-weaning diet with no BM added (CON), standard post-weaning diet with 15% w.w⁻¹ BM added (BM 15) and standard post-weaning diet with 20% w.w⁻¹ BM added (BM 20). Body weight (BW), average daily gain (ADG), feed intake (FI) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were recorded individually on a weekly basis. Additionally, welfare, quality behavior indicators, wounds and tail-biting incidence were assessed. The supplementation with BM in piglets’ diet had a significant impact on ADG and FCR during certain periods of the trial. BM 15 piglets showed higher ADG and lower FCR in the last week of the experiment compared to CON piglets (1278.57 ± 7.14 g vs. 905.00 ± 47.86 g and 1.69 ± 0.04 g vs. 2.35 ± 0.08 g, respectively). Overall, BM inclusion had no significant effect on performance, quality behavior characteristics and welfare (p > 0.05). The inclusion of BM at either 15% or 20% w.w⁻¹ illustrated no detrimental effects on the overall growth parameters, welfare and behavior indicators for post-weaned piglets.

Food systems and, to an extent, the pig sector are major contributors of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions globally. At the same time, significant amounts of waste are produced from the food sector. The aim of this study is to examine the implementation of circular bio-economy practices in the Greek pig sector to improve its environmental performance. More specifically, in collaboration with a pig farm in Northern Greece and a waste management company, the collection and processing of bakery by-products was organized to produce bakery meal (BM) to integrate it in the diets of fattening and growing pigs. Using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology, the environmental performance of 20% BM inclusion in pig diets was examined in comparison with the conventional feedstock. BM experimentally replaced corn, wheat, barley, and soya bean from conventional feedstock. The Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) was based on the yearly average values of feed and energy consumption to produce 1 kg of living weight of pig on the pig farm. Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) was conducted with SimaPro v3.5, using Recipe Midpoint Hierarchical v1.6. The LCIA calculations exhibited that BM inclusion in pig diets can lead to significant land occupation decrease, approximately 30%, which is mostly related to reduced wheat and soya beans. The reduction of cultivated croplands also led to reduced fertilizer and pesticide application, which improved marine eutrophication and freshwater ecotoxicity impact by 20% while it significantly reduced risks of human carcinogenic toxicity by 25%. Moreover, the Greek pig sector exhibited a 5% capacity for overall improvement of its environmental performance, which relies on minimizing logistics when the pig farm conducted collection and processing of by-products. A basic assumption of this study is the assessment of bakery by-product quantities in the wider region of the pig farm. The availability of by-products, based on the reported experience, was limited, and the reliability of the supply was frequently disrupted. As such, the supply chain model of the central hub for the collection and processing of bakery by-products is proposed as more efficient for regulating logistic challenges and availability.

This study investigated the dietary impact of dried Yarrowia lipolytica yeast (YLP) on the growth performance, meat quality, welfare and behavior indicators of broilers. It was performed in a commercial poultry farm using 108 13 day-old Ross 308 male broilers. The chicks were randomly and equally divided into three dietary groups CON, YLP3 and YLP5, according to the incorporation rate of YLP in the feed (0%, 3%, and 5%, respectively). A positive effect on foot pad dermatitis (FPD) of YLP-fed broilers was observed without any adverse effects on welfare, behavior, meat quality and the overall growth performance of the broilers. YLP significantly decreased the malondialdehyde (MDA) values in breast and thigh meat. YLP3 birds presented a superior nutrient quality of breast meat, as indicated by the increased concentration of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), decreased levels of saturated fatty acids (SFAs), a better PUFA/SFA ratio and improved health lipid indices. A significant elevation of n-3 PUFAs was observed in the thigh meat of YLP-fed groups, compared to the CON groups. A positive effect on the overall sensory acceptance of thigh meat was detected in the YLP5 group. YLP feeding, at the rate of 3%, seems to be beneficial for improving the meat nutrition quality.