Institute for Nutrition

Research in this institute is focused on the problems of animal nutrition and feeding, the production of feeds and feed additives, the utilisation of nutrients by animals, and nutrient transformation into high-quality animal products in an economically and ecologically sustainable, high-performing, multifunctional agriculture.

Investigation deals with the nutritional value and conservation of structural and non-structural saccharides, crude proteins and amino acids as well as their degradability and digestibility in ruminants, poultry, pigs, rabbits, red deer and roe deer.

The results obtained are used to update feed evaluation systems and to amend recommendations for the nutrient needs of cattle. The possibilities of using unconventional, GM and alternative feeds are investigated in selected species of farm animals and hoofed game, as well as in experiments with laboratory animals.

A considerable proportion of the research programme is carried out in close co-operation with partners both in Slovakia and abroad. The Department is one of the constituent members of the "Central European Institute of Game Ecology", which has its headquarters in Vienna.

Scientific and research priorities of the institute:

  • Studies into the digestive processes and utilization of energy, crude protein and amino acids, and their inter-relationships in the composition of feeding rations, feed mixtures and the intensity and quality of feeding, in order to specify the requirements and effective utilisation of nutrients needed by the animal for milk and meat production.
  • Innovation in the systems and parameters for establishing the nutritional value of feeds, specification of nutrient requirements, and feed evaluation methods.
  • Investigation of the effects of selected protein feeds and GM crops in feed mixtures upon live weight gain, feed conversion, nutrient digestibility and health of model animals and pigs.
  • Collection of objective data on the nutritional value of new varieties and hybrids of leguminous plants, cereals and GM crops that could lead to a more effective use of these crops in the nutrition of farm animals.
  • Determination of nutrient levels, utilisation and degradation of crude protein at different levels, and quality of non-starch saccharides in the foregut; determination of digestibility in the post-ruminal part of the digestive tract of cattle.
  • Formulation of the maintenance requirement of essential amino acids in pigs, actual digestibility of lysine in growing pigs, and the effects of exogenous phytase on the utilization of amino acids.
  • Optimisation of the methods of surgical cannulation of the foregut and the intestinal tract as well as of digesta sampling methods in experimental animals.
  • Optimisation of the development of absorption tissue in the digestive tract of young animals by supplementing milk mixtures with different protein sources, improvement of feed nutrient transformation, decrease in the occurrence of allergies, and elimination of digestive disorders.
  • Demonstration of the efficiency of the new generation of probiotics ( potentiated probiotics) and selected microelements in the prevention of diseases, by stimulating resistance through optimised nutrition in the period of most intensive physiological and morphological development of young farm animals.
  • Improvement of the quality of ensiled feeds by more efficient conservation and storage methods, determination of the effects of additives, and verification of the possibilities of fermentation control through the use of lactic acid bacteria and inorganic compounds, thus decreasing nutrient losses and increasing the nutritional value and efficiency of silages.
  • Improvement of knowledge on the physiology of nutrition of free-living red and roe deer, determination and verification of the principles of upplementation and of the suitability of different supplements in feeding systems in order to improve the nutrition and health status of free-living hoofed game; modulation of the composition of complex feed mixtures in accordance with the physiological state of the animals and the season of the year.