This review explores the potential of Chlorella vulgaris (CLV) as an alternative supplement in animal feed. CLV is rich in essential nutrients including fatty acids, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals, as well as bioactive compounds such as antioxidants, which contribute to its health-promoting properties. The nutritional composition of CLV can vary depending on factors such as cultivation methods, nutrient availability, light intensity, temperature, water pH, strain, and processing techniques. The rigid cell wall of the microalga limits nutrient accessibility, particularly in monogastric animals. However, processing techniques such as enzymatic treatments can disrupt the cell wall, enhancing nutrient bioavailability and improving its utility as a feed ingredient. Research across livestock species has demonstrated the positive effects of CLV supplementation. For instance, CLV has improved milk production and composition in ruminants, modulated rumen microbiota, enhanced lamb growth, and elevated blood immunoglobulin levels. Moreover, the impact of CLV on ruminal fermentation is dose-dependent, with higher inclusion rates exhibiting more pronounced effects, and it may also play a role in mitigating methane emissions. In poultry, CLV supplementation leads to better growth, feed conversion ratios, immune responses, and meat and egg quality. Similarly, studies on pigs suggest that CLV can benefit immune response and fatty acid profiles, while in rabbits, CLV has been found to reduce oxidative stress and improve immune responses. Additionally, CLV has shown promise in aquaculture, improving feed utilization, immunity, and disease resistance in various fish species. While CLV shows considerable potential, the variability in animal responses and the need for optimized inclusion levels necessitate further species-specific research to elucidate the long-term implications of its inclusion in animal diets.

Aroma and flavor are central to consumer perception, product acceptance, and market positioning of animal-derived foods such as meat, milk, and eggs. These sensory traits arise from volatile organic compounds (VOCs) formed via lipid oxidation (e.g., hexanal, nonanal), Maillard/Strecker chemistry (e.g., pyrazines, furans), thiamine degradation (e.g., 2-methyl-3-furanthiol, thiazoles), and microbial metabolism, and are modulated by species, diet, husbandry, and post-harvest processing. Despite extensive research on food volatiles, there is still no unified framework spanning meat, milk, and eggs that connects production factors with VOC pathways and links them to sensory traits and consumer behavior. This review explores how production systems, feeding strategies, and processing shape VOC profiles, creating distinct aroma “fingerprints” in meat, milk, and eggs, and assesses their value as markers of quality, authenticity, and traceability. We have also summarized the advances in analytical techniques for aroma fingerprinting, with emphasis on GC–MS, GC–IMS, and electronic-nose approaches, and discuss links between key VOCs and sensory patterns (e.g., grassy, nutty, buttery, rancid) that influence consumer perception and willingness-to-pay. These patterns reflect differences in production and processing and can support regulatory claims, provenance verification, and label integrity. In practice, such markers can help producers tailor feeding and processing for flavor outcomes, assist regulators in verifying claims such as “organic” or “free-range,” and enable consumers to make informed choices. Integrating VOC profiling with production data and chemometric/machine learning pipelines can enable robust traceability tools and sensory-driven product differentiation, supporting transparent, value-added livestock products. Thus, this review integrates production variables, biochemical pathways, and analytical platforms to outline a research agenda toward standardized, transferable VOC-based tools for authentication and label integrity.

Black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens L.) larvae (BSFL) are a promising alternative to traditional animal feed sources due to their high nutritional value, including protein (8-60% DM), fat (18-40% DM), essential amino acids, minerals, and lauric acid, which has antimicrobial properties. The nutritional content of BSFL varies depending on the rearing substrate. Incorporating BSFL into the diets of various livestock species has led to improvements in growth performance, feed efficiency, product quality, and potentially animal welfare. The significance of BSFL in animal agriculture stems from the increasing demand for animal protein, which is expected to double by 2030, leading to a feed gap that BSFL can help address. BSFL farming offers a cost-effective and sustainable solution by converting organic waste into high-quality biomass, aligning with circular economy principles. However, further research is needed to better understand the effects of BSFL supplementation on animal responses, as a replacement for conventional feed sources like fish meal and soybean meal, which are costly, limited in supply, and environmentally impactful. This research will contribute to the development of more sustainable and efficient livestock production systems.

Virtual fencing (VF) technology represents an innovative approach to livestock management, utilizing GPS-enabled collars to establish invisible boundaries through auditory and mild electrical stimuli. While VF offers potential benefits such as enhanced pasture management flexibility and reduced labor costs, its widespread adoption faces challenges including high initial investment costs, connectivity issues, GPS accuracy limitations, potential device durability concerns, and individual animal variability in learning and response. Furthermore, despite studies showing rapid learning and generally minimal long-term welfare impacts, questions remain regarding optimizing training protocols, addressing occasional short-term behavioral disruptions and collar abrasions, assessing long-term welfare effects across diverse systems (especially intensive and dairy), and improving scalability. To comprehensively assess the potential and limitations of this technology and guide its future development and implementation, a review integrating existing knowledge on the efficacy, welfare implications, and practical applications of VF in cattle production systems is essential. This review examines the efficacy, welfare implications, and practical applications of VF in cattle production systems. Studies demonstrate that cattle rapidly learn to associate auditory cues with electrical pulses, achieving high containment rates (≥90%) within days, with minimal long-term welfare impacts as indicated by stable cortisol levels. However, short-term behavioral disruptions and occasional collar-related abrasions have been reported, particularly in dairy cattle. While VF enhances pasture management flexibility and reduces labor costs, challenges such as connectivity issues, individual animal variability, and high initial investment costs limit its widespread adoption. The findings suggest that VF is a promising tool for precision livestock farming, though further research is needed to optimize training protocols, assess long-term welfare effects, and improve scalability across diverse farming systems.

Feeding a balanced diet such as total mixed ration (TMR) is a widely adopted feeding strategy providing a uniformly blended diet of roughages, concentrates, and supplements that enhances ruminant productivity by optimizing nutrient utilization, stabilizing rumen fermentation, and improving microbial activity. Scientific studies have confirmed that TMR increases dry matter intake (DMI), milk yield, and growth performance in dairy and beef cattle, as well as in sheep and goats. TMR’s advantages include consistent feed quality, reduced selective feeding, and improved feed efficiency. A key benefit of TMR is its ability to promote the production of volatile fatty acids (VFAs), which are the primary energy source for ruminants, particularly propionate. This enhances energy metabolism, resulting in higher carcass yields, increased milk production, and economic benefits compared to conventional or supplementary feeding systems. However, TMR feeding is also susceptible to mycotoxin contamination (e.g., aflatoxins, zearalenone), potential effects on methane emissions, and the need for precise formulation to maintain consistency and optimise profitability. Prevention and good practices, including routine inspection of feed for pathogens and vulnerable ingredients, as well as careful management of particle size and forage-to-concentrate ratios, are crucial in preventing subacute ruminal acidosis (SARA) and the development of other subclinical diseases. Mycotoxin binders, such as hydrated sodium calcium aluminosilicate, can also reduce mycotoxin absorption. Another advantage of practicing TMR is that it can support sustainable farming by integrating agro-industrial byproducts, which minimises environmental impact. In conclusion, TMR is a widely adopted feeding strategy that significantly enhances ruminant productivity by optimizing nutrient utilization, stabilizing rumen fermentation, and improving microbial activity, leading to increased dry matter intake, milk yield, and growth performance. It offers key benefits such as consistent feed quality, reduced selective feeding, improved feed efficiency, and enhanced energy metabolism, providing economic advantages and supporting sustainable farming through agro-industrial byproduct integration. However, its implementation requires careful management to mitigate risks, including mycotoxin contamination, potential impacts on methane emissions, and digestive issues like SARA if formulation is not precise. Therefore, for sustainable production, future research should focus on optimizing TMR formulations with alternative ingredients (e.g., agro-industrial byproducts) and precision feeding strategies to enhance livestock health and animal productivity while minimizing environmental impacts.