This book explains about amino acids (AAs) which are not only building blocks of protein, but are also signaling molecules as well as regulators of gene expression and the protein phosphorylation cascade. Additionally, AAs are key precursors for syntheses of hormones and low-molecular-weight nitrogenous substances with each having enormous biological importance. For example, physiological concentrations of AA metabolites (e.g., nitric oxide, polyamines, glutathione, taurine, thyroid hormones, and serotonin) are required for cell functions. Growing evidence shows that humans and animals have dietary requirements for all proteinogenic AAs. Mammals, birds, and fish also have species- and age-dependent needs for some AA-related substances. However, elevated levels of other products (e.g., ammonia, homocysteine, H2S, and asymmetric dimethylarginine) are pathogenic factors for neurological disorders, oxidative stress, and cardiovascular disease. Thus, optimal amounts of AAs and their ratios in diets and circulation are crucial for whole-body homeostasis and health. Adequate provision of one or a mixture of functional AAs or metabolites may be beneficial for ameliorating health problems at various stages of the life cycle (e.g., fetal growth restriction, neonatal morbidity and mortality, weaning-associated intestinal dysfunction and wasting syndrome, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, the metabolic syndrome, and infertility). Dietary supplementation of these nutrients can also optimize the efficiency of metabolic transformations to enhance muscle growth, milk production, and athletic performance, while preventing excess fat deposition and reducing adiposity. Therefore, functional AAs hold great promise in improving the growth, health, and well-being of individuals.

Following its predecessor, the second edition of Amino Acids: Biochemistry and Nutrition presents exhaustive coverage of amino acids in the nutrition, metabolism and health of humans and other animals. Substantially revised, expanded and updated to reflect scientific advances, this book introduces the basic principles of amino acid biochemistry and nutrition, while highlighting the current knowledge of the field and its future possibilities. The book begins with the basic chemical concepts of amnio acids, peptides and proteins, and their digestion and absorption. Subsequent chapters cover cell-, tissue-, and species-specific synthesis and catabolism of amino acids and related bioactive metabolites, and the use of isotopes to study amino acids metabolism in cells and the body. The book details protein turnover, physiological functions of amino acids, as well as both the regulation and inborn errors of amino acid metabolism. The book concludes with a presentation on human and animal dietary requirements of amino acids and evaluates dietary protein quality. Features: Encompasses a comprehensive coverage of basic to applied concepts in amino acid metabolism in humans and other animals. Highlights important roles of dietary amino acids and protein intake in growth, physical performance and health, including sarcopenia mitigation and immunity. Discusses concerns over the excess intakes of amino acids or protein in the development of diseases, including cardiovascular disorders, diabetes and cancers, as well as bone integrity Each chapter contains select references to provide comprehensive reviews and original experimental data on the topics discussed. Each chapter is backed by original experimental data on various topics discussed and contains select references to aid the reader further in research. Written by Distinguished Professor of Animal Nutrition, Guoyao Wu, Ph.D., this book is an authoritative reference for students and researchers in both biomedicine and agriculture.

Following its predecessor, the second edition of Amino Acids: Biochemistry and Nutrition presents exhaustive coverage of amino acids in the nutrition, metabolism and health of humans and other animals. Substantially revised, expanded and updated to reflect scientific advances, this book introduces the basic principles of amino acid biochemistry and nutrition, while highlighting the current knowledge of the field and its future possibilities. The book begins with the basic chemical concepts of amnio acids, peptides and proteins, and their digestion and absorption. Subsequent chapters cover cell-, tissue-, and species-specific synthesis and catabolism of amino acids and related bioactive metabolites, and the use of isotopes to study amino acids metabolism in cells and the body. The book details protein turnover, physiological functions of amino acids, as well as both the regulation and inborn errors of amino acid metabolism. The book concludes with a presentation on human and animal dietary requirements of amino acids and evaluates dietary protein quality. Features: Encompasses a comprehensive coverage of basic to applied concepts in amino acid metabolism in humans and other animals. Highlights important roles of dietary amino acids and protein intake in growth, physical performance and health, including sarcopenia mitigation and immunity. Discusses concerns over the excess intakes of amino acids or protein in the development of diseases, including cardiovascular disorders, diabetes and cancers, as well as bone integrity Each chapter contains select references to provide comprehensive reviews and original experimental data on the topics discussed. Each chapter is backed by original experimental data on various topics discussed and contains select references to aid the reader further in research. Written by Distinguished Professor of Animal Nutrition, Guoyao Wu, Ph.D., this book is an authoritative reference for students and researchers in both biomedicine and agriculture.

Animals are biological transformers of dietary matter and energy to produce high-quality foods and wools for human consumption and use. Mammals, birds, fish, and shrimp require nutrients to survive, grow, develop, and reproduce. As an interesting, dynamic, and challenging discipline in biological sciences, animal nutrition spans an immense range from chemistry, biochemistry, anatomy and physiology to reproduction, immunology, pathology, and cell biology. Thus, nutrition is a foundational subject in livestock, poultry and fish production, as well as the rearing and health of companion animals. This book entitled Principles of Animal Nutrition consists of 13 chapters. Recent advances in biochemistry, physiology and anatomy provide the foundation to understand how nutrients are utilized by ruminants and non-ruminants. The text begins with an overview of the physiological and biochemical bases of animal nutrition, followed by a detailed description of chemical properties of carbohydrates, lipids, protein, and amino acids. It advances to the coverage of the digestion, absorption, transport, and metabolism of macronutrients, energy, vitamins, and minerals in animals. To integrate the basic knowledge of nutrition with practical animal feeding, the book continues with discussion on nutritional requirements of animals for maintenance and production, as well as the regulation of food intake by animals. Finally, the book closes with feed additives, including those used to enhance animal growth and survival, improve feed efficiency for protein production, and replace feed antibiotics. While the classical and modern concepts of animal nutrition are emphasized throughout the book, every effort has been made to include the most recent progress in this ever-expanding field, so that readers in various biological disciplines can integrate biochemistry and physiology with nutrition, health, and disease in mammals, birds, and other animal species (e.g., fish and shrimp). All chapters clearly provide the essential literature related to the principles of animal nutrition, which should be useful for academic researchers, practitioners, beginners, and government policy makers. This book is an excellent reference for professionals and a comprehensive textbook for senior undergraduate and graduate students in animal science, biochemistry, biomedicine, biology, food science, nutrition, veterinary medicine, and related fields.

Animal Agriculture: Sustainability, Challenges and Innovations discusses the land-based production of high-quality protein by livestock and poultry and how it plays an important role in improving human nutrition, growth and health. With exponential growth of the global population and marked rises in meat consumption per capita, demands for animal-source protein are expected to increase 72% between 2013 and 2050. This raises concerns about the sustainability and environmental impacts of animal agriculture. An attractive solution to meeting increasing needs for animal products and mitigating undesirable effects of agricultural practices is to enhance the efficiency of animal growth, reproduction, and lactation. Currently, there is no resource that offers specific knowledge of both animal science and technology, including biotechnology for the sustainability of animal agriculture for the expanding global demand of food in the face of diminishing resources. This book fills that gap, giving readers all the necessary information on important issues facing modern animal agriculture, namely its sustainability, challenges and innovative solutions.

Animals are biological transformers of dietary matter and energy to produce high-quality foods and wools for human consumption and use. Mammals, birds, fish, and shrimp require nutrients to survive, grow, develop, and reproduce. As an interesting, dynamic, and challenging discipline in biological sciences, animal nutrition spans an immense range from chemistry, biochemistry, anatomy and physiology to reproduction, immunology, pathology, and cell biology. Thus, nutrition is a foundational subject in livestock, poultry and fish production, as well as the rearing and health of companion animals. This book entitled Principles of Animal Nutrition consists of 13 chapters. Recent advances in biochemistry, physiology and anatomy provide the foundation to understand how nutrients are utilized by ruminants and non-ruminants. The text begins with an overview of the physiological and biochemical bases of animal nutrition, followed by a detailed description of chemical properties of carbohydrates, lipids, protein, and amino acids. It advances to the coverage of the digestion, absorption, transport, and metabolism of macronutrients, energy, vitamins, and minerals in animals. To integrate the basic knowledge of nutrition with practical animal feeding, the book continues with discussion on nutritional requirements of animals for maintenance and production, as well as the regulation of food intake by animals. Finally, the book closes with feed additives, including those used to enhance animal growth and survival, improve feed efficiency for protein production, and replace feed antibiotics. While the classical and modern concepts of animal nutrition are emphasized throughout the book, every effort has been made to include the most recent progress in this ever-expanding field, so that readers in various biological disciplines can integrate biochemistry and physiology with nutrition, health, and disease in mammals, birds, and other animal species (e.g., fish and shrimp). All chapters clearly provide the essential literature related to the principles of animal nutrition, which should be useful for academic researchers, practitioners, beginners, and government policy makers. This book is an excellent reference for professionals and a comprehensive textbook for senior undergraduate and graduate students in animal science, biochemistry, biomedicine, biology, food science, nutrition, veterinary medicine, and related fields.

This book covers hot topics in the nutrition and metabolism of terrestrial and aquatic animals, including the interorgan transport and utilization of water, minerals, amino acids, glucose, and fructose; the development of alternatives to in-feed antibiotics for animals (e.g., swine and poultry); and metabolic disorders (or diseases) resulting from nutrient deficiencies. It enables readers to understand the crucial roles of nutrients in the nutrition, growth, development, and health of animals. Such knowledge has important implications for humans. Readers will also learn from well-written chapters about the use of new genome-editing biotechnologies to generate animals (e.g., cows and swine) as bioreactors that can produce large amounts of pharmaceutical proteins and other molecules to improve the health and well-being of humans and other animals, as well as the growth and productivity of farm animals. Furthermore, the book provides useful information on the use of animals (e.g., cattle, swine, sheep, chickens, and fish) as models in biomedical research to prevent and treat human diseases, develop infant formulas, and improve the cardiovascular and metabolic health of offspring with prenatal growth restriction. Editor of this book is an internationally recognized expert in nutrition and metabolisms. He has about 40 years of experience with research and teaching at world-class universities in the subject matters. He has published more than 660 papers in peer-reviewed journals, 90 chapters in books, and authored two text/reference books, with a very high H-index of 127 and more than 66,000 citations in Google Scholar. This publication is a useful reference for nutrition and biomedical professionals, as well as undergraduate and graduate students in animal science, aquaculture, zoology, wildlife, veterinary medicine, biology, biochemistry, food science, nutrition, pharmacology, physiology, toxicology, and other related disciplines. In addition, all chapters provide general and specific references to nutrition and metabolism for researchers and practitioners in animal agriculture (including aquaculture), dietitians, animal and human medicines, and for government policy makers.

This book explains about amino acids (AAs) which are not only building blocks of protein, but are also signaling molecules as well as regulators of gene expression and the protein phosphorylation cascade. Additionally, AAs are key precursors for syntheses of hormones and low-molecular-weight nitrogenous substances with each having enormous biological importance. For example, physiological concentrations of AA metabolites (e.g., nitric oxide, polyamines, glutathione, taurine, thyroid hormones, and serotonin) are required for cell functions. Growing evidence shows that humans and animals have dietary requirements for all proteinogenic AAs. Mammals, birds, and fish also have species- and age-dependent needs for some AA-related substances. However, elevated levels of other products (e.g., ammonia, homocysteine, H2S, and asymmetric dimethylarginine) are pathogenic factors for neurological disorders, oxidative stress, and cardiovascular disease. Thus, optimal amounts of AAs and their ratios in diets and circulation are crucial for whole-body homeostasis and health. Adequate provision of one or a mixture of functional AAs or metabolites may be beneficial for ameliorating health problems at various stages of the life cycle (e.g., fetal growth restriction, neonatal morbidity and mortality, weaning-associated intestinal dysfunction and wasting syndrome, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, the metabolic syndrome, and infertility). Dietary supplementation of these nutrients can also optimize the efficiency of metabolic transformations to enhance muscle growth, milk production, and athletic performance, while preventing excess fat deposition and reducing adiposity. Therefore, functional AAs hold great promise in improving the growth, health, and well-being of individuals.

This book provides developmental data regarding piglets (with a focus on the gastrointestinal tract), data related to amino acid metabolism in pigs, data related to nutritional and physiological functions of amino acids in pigs, nutritional requirements for amino acids in pigs, signaling roles of amino acids, methodological aspects in amino acid research and the pig model for studying amino acid-related human diseases.