PhD in Veterinary Sciences for Animal Health and Food Safety

Contacts

Supervisor

Manuela Renna

Curriculum vitae

Curriculum Vitae

Phd thesis

Project Title

Innovative feed ingredients in ruminant nutrition: digestibility, productive performance and animal-derived food products quality.

Scientific background

Alongside to the continuous growth of the worldwide population, also the demand for animal-derived food products is constantly increasing, leading to a severe competition between feed and food producers for natural resources. The most used protein source in ruminant nutrition is soybean meal; research has shown that soybean meal exerts negative environmental impacts, being also very sensitive to market prices fluctuations. Vegetable oils are included in ruminant rations to increase the energy density of diets, but also their production represents a major source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The increasing limited availability of conventional plant-based protein and energy feed sources has led researchers to look for innovative sustainable alternative feedstuffs which can help to keep up the high rate of food demand and reduce the environmental impact of livestock farming at a global level. Insect-derived products are among the most promising innovative feedstuffs to be used for the nutrition of ruminants. They are considered highly sustainable and, thanks to their ability to bioconvert organic waste into nutrient-rich feed, they well fit within the Circular Economy model advocated in many industrialized countries. Despite the great potential for application, to date research on the use of insect-derived products for ruminant nutrition is only at a very infant stage (Renna et al., 2023).

Aims

The few available published studies on the inclusion of insect-derived products in ruminant nutrition mainly focused on the in vitro evaluation of full-fat meals derived from few insect species. This PhD project aims at investigating, both in vitro and in vivo, how different insect-derived products (i.e., insect meals, both full-fat and defatted, and insect oils) can affect rumen fermentation and the quantitative and qualitative aspects of the productive performance of ruminant animals.

A first designed in vitro trial aims at evaluating how the defatting process (i.e., the residual ether extract – EE – content) of insect larvae from the two most promising insect species used for feed purposes, namely Hermetia illucens (HI) and Tenebrio molitor (TM), can impact rumen fermentation characteristics and lipid biohydrogenation.

A second designed in vivo trial aims at evaluating, in dairy cows, the effects of the dietary inclusion of insect oil from HI larvae on feed efficiency, milk yield, milk chemical (gross composition and fatty acid – FA – profile) and sensorial quality, as well as rumen microbiota, fermentation characteristics and lipid biohydrogenation.

A third designed in vivo trial aims at evaluating, in fattening lambs, the effects of the dietary inclusion of full-fat insect meal from TM larvae on the growth performance, nutrient intake, nitrogen balance and health of gastrointestinal tract.

Main Techniques 

In vitro trial: authorized by the French Ministry for research (no. 7138-20160922709177605v6). Five EE levels for HI and two EE levels for TM are evaluated. Rumen fluid is obtained from four cannulated sheep. Four series of 24-h incubations are performed using a batch technique (Theodoridou et al. 2011). After 24h of incubation, analysis of FA profile (gas-chromatography – GC), ammonia (Berthelot method), volatile FA and gaseous end products (GC) are performed, and the in vitro organic matter disappearance is calculated (Renna et al., 2022a).

In vivo trial with dairy cows: the Bioethical Committee of the University of Turin approved the trial with the protocol number 0059643. The trial lasts 50 days; 26 dairy cows, selected by body weight, parity, days in milk, milk yield and quality, are randomly allocated to two experimental groups and are fed isonitrogenous and isoenergetic diets containing a conventional lipid source (palm oil; CTRL group) or HI oil (HI group) at 3% diet dry matter. All parameters are evaluated at individual level, starting after a 14-d period of diet adaptation. Feed intake and milk yield are recorded daily. Every 10 days milk samples are analyzed for their gross composition (Fourier Transform Infrared Technology) and detailed FA profile (GC; Renna et al., 2022b). Rumen fluid is collected at the beginning and end of the trial and analyzed for its FA profile (GC, to evaluate lipid biohydrogenation) (Renna et al., 2022a), fermentation end products (volatile FA and gases, GC techniques) and microbiota composition (QIAmp DNA Stool Mini Kit). Body weight is measured at the beginning and end of the trial to evaluate feed efficiency (Hervás et al., 2021). Milk and derived butter are subjected to sensorial evaluation (affective tests with untrained assessors) (O'Callaghan et al., 2016).

In vivo trial with fattening lambs: trial carried out in compliance with the guidelines established by the Professional Committee on Standardization of Experimental Animals of the Universidad Autonoma del Estado de México, under the approved ID project CAT2021-0070COMECyT. The trial lasts 30 days, including 23 days of feeding period and 7 days of samplings. A total of 24 male Suffolk lambs, selected by body weight and age, are randomly allocated to three experimental groups and fed isonitrogenous and isoenergetic diets containing either a conventional plant-nased protein source (soybean meal; SBM group), a conventional animal-based protein source (fishmeal; FM group) or an insect-based protein source (TM meal; TMM group). Individual feed intake is recorded daily. Body weight is measured at the beginning and end of the trial, and the average daily gain is calculated. During the 7 days of sampling, individual feces and urine are collected daily. The TMR, orts, and fecal samples are analysed for their proximate composition (AOAC, 1990; Van Soest et al., 1991). Nutrient intakes and digestibility coefficients are also calculated. The Nitrogen content of both faeces and urine samples is also determined to assess Nitrogen balance (Roblez Jimenez et al., 2021).

Expected results

High-fat diets cause feed intake reduction, impairment of rumen fermentation and occurrence of milk fat depression (Palmquist and Jenkins, 2017); therefore, ruminant diets are characterized by low amounts of lipids (Bionaz et al., 2020). Literature has shown that full-fat insect meals, being characterized by high EE contents, negatively affect nutrient digestibility at ruminal level (Renna et al., 2022a). In the first designed in vitro trial, we hypothesize that the use of defatting processes can simplify the inclusion of insect meals in ruminant diets by limiting the above-mentioned negative outcomes.

Methane (CH4) emission from enteric fermentation is a significant source of GHG emissions and a major concern for global warming (Ritchie et al. 2022). Enteric CH4 emissions are also associated with dietary energy losses, which sometimes result in reduced feed efficiency (Morgavi et al., 2023). The HI oil is rich in lauric acid, which is known for its potential to reduce ruminal CH4 production (Renna et al., 2023). In the in vivo trial, we hypothesize that, in dairy cows, the inclusion of dietary HI oil reduce CH4 production due to variations in rumen microbiota, consequently increasing feed efficiency, but may also negatively affect the nutraceutical quality of ruminant-derived food products.

References

• AOAC. (1990). Association of Official Analytical Chemists. Official Methods of Analysis, 15th ed. Washington, DC, USA: Association of Official Analytic Chemist.
• Bionaz M., Vargas-Bello-Pérez E., Busato S. (2020). Advances in fatty acids nutrition in dairy cows: From gut to cells and effects on performance. Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology, 11(1): 1-36.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40104-020-00512-8.
• Hervás G., Toral P.G., Fernández-Díez C., Badia A.D., Frutos P. (2021). Effect of dietary supplementation with lipids of different unsaturation degree on feed efficiency and milk fatty acid profile in dairy sheep. Animals, 11(8): 2476.
• Morgavi D.P., Cantalapiedra-Hijar G., Eugène M., Martin C., Noziere P., Popova M., Ortigues Marty I., Muñoz-Tamayo R., Ungerfeld E.M. (2023). Reducing enteric methane emissions improves energy metabolism in livestock: is the tenet right?. Animal, 17(3): 100830. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.animal.2023.100830.
• O'Callaghan T.F., Faulkner H., McAuliffe S., O'Sullivan M.G., Hennessy D., Dillon P., Kilcawley K.N., Stanton C., Ross, R.P. (2016). Quality characteristics, chemical composition, and sensory properties of butter from cows on pasture versus indoor feeding systems. Journal of Dairy Science, 99(12): 9441-9460.https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2016-11271.
• Palmquist D.L., Jenkins T.C. (2017). A 100-Year Review: Fat feeding of dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science, 100(12):10061–77. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2017-12924.
• Renna M., Rastello L., Veldkamp T., Toral P.G., Gonzalez-Ronquillo M., Jimenez L.E.R., Gasco, L. (2023). Are insects a solution for feeding ruminants? Legislation, scientific evidence, and future challenges. Animal Frontiers, 13(4): 102-111. https://doi.org/10.1093/af/vfad026.
• Renna M., Coppa M., Lussiana C., Le Morvan A., Gasco L., Maxin G. (2022a). Full-fat insect meals in ruminant nutrition: in vitro rumen fermentation characteristics and lipid biohydrogenation. Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology 13: 138. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40104-022-00792-2.
• Renna M., Lussiana C., Colonna L., Malfatto V.M., Mimosi A., Cornale P. (2022b). Inclusion of cocoa bean shell in the diet of dairy goats: effects on milk production performance and milk fatty acid profile. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 9: 848452. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2022.848452. ISSN: 2297-1769.
• Ritchie H., Rosado P., Roser M. (2022). Environmental Impacts of Food Production. Published online at OurWorldInData.org. (Available Online at https://ourworldindata.org/environmental-impacts-of-food).
• Robles Jimenez L.E., Zetina Sánchez A., Castelán Ortega O.A., Osorio Avalos J., Estrada Flores J.G., González-Ronquillo M., Vargas-Bello-Pérez E. (2021). Effect of different growth stages of rapeseed (brassica rapa L.) on nutrient intake and digestibility, nitrogen balance, and rumen fermentation kinetics in sheep diets. Italian Journal of Animal Science, 20(1): 698-706.https://doi.org/10.1080/1828051X.2021.1906168.
• Theodoridou K., Aufrère J., Niderkorn V., Andueza D., Le Morvan A., Picard F., Baumont, R. (2011). In vitro study of the effects of condensed tannins in sainfoin on the digestive process in the rumen at two vegetation cycles. Animal Feed Science and Technology 170(3-4): 147-159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2011.09.003.
• Van Soest P.V., Robertson J.B., Lewis B.A. (1991). Methods for dietary fiber, neutral detergent fiber, and nonstarch polysaccharides in relation to animal nutrition. Journal of Dairy Science 74(10): 3583-3597. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(91)78551-2.

 

 

Research activities

Co supervisor

Laura Gasco

Research activity: mainly concerns feeding and nutrition of ruminant animals with innovative feed ingredients, with special focus on animal digestibility, productive performance, and animal-derived food products quality.

Scientific articles:

Renna M., Rastello L., Veldkamp T., Toral P.G., Gonzalez-Ronquillo M., Jimenez L.E.R., Gasco, L. (2023). Are insects a solution for feeding ruminants? Legislation, scientific evidence, and future challenges. Animal Frontiers, 13(4): 102-111. https://doi.org/10.1093/af/vfad026.

Renna M., Rastello L., Gasco L. (2022). Can insects be used in the nutrition of ruminants? Journal of Insects as Food and Feed 8(10): 1041-1045. https://doi.org/10.3920/JIFF2022.x006.

Proceedings:

Rastello L., Gasco L., Lussiana C., Gerbelle M., Coppa M., Vernetti-Prot L., Galli A., Guidou C., Trespeuch C., Torsiello B, Renna M. (2024). Insect oil (Hermetia illucens) in dairy cow nutrition: effects on milk fatty acid profile. Submitted for the Congress of the European Society of veterinary & Comparative Nutrition (ESVCN) that will be held in Belfast (Northern Ireland) from 11^th to 13^th September 2024.

Toral P.G., Rastello L., Hervás G., Gasco L., Gerbelle M., Coppa M., Lussiana C., Galli A., Guidou C., Trespeuch C., Frutos P., Renna M. (2024). Black soldier fly oil in dairy cow diet: effects on fatty acids of rumen digesta. Submitted for the 75^th Annual Meeting of the European Federation of Animal Science (EAAP) that will be held in Florence (Italy) from 26^th August to 1^st September 2024.

Pauciullo A., Gaspa G., Genualdo V., Rossetti C., Perucatti A., Rastello L., Gerbelle M., Galli A., Guidou C., Trespeuch C., Gasco L., Renna M. (2024). Effect of dietary Hermetia illucens oil on bovine genome stability: a sister chromatid exchange (SCE) study. Submitted for the 25^th International Colloquium on Animal Cytogenetics and Genomics (ICACG) that will be held in Naples (Italy) from 26^th to 29^th June 2024.

Rastello L., Gasco L., Coppa M., Gerbelle M., Vernetti-Prot L., Galli A., Guidou C., Trespeuch C., Torsiello B., Malfatto V., Renna M. (2024). Hermetia illucens oil in the diet of dairy cows: does it affect feed intake, milk yield and milk main constituents? Accepted for the Insects to Feed the World (IFW) Congress that will be held in Singapore from 19^th to 22^nd June 2024. The proceedings will be published in the Journal of Insects as Food and Feed.

Renna M., Coppa M., Lussiana C., Le Morvan A., Gasco L., Rastello L., Maxin G. (2023). In vitro rumen fermentation characteristics of defatted insect meals as compared to conventional plant-based meals. Proceeding of the 27^th Congress of the European Society of Veterinary and Comparative Nutrition (ESVCN), 7^th-9^th September 2023, Vila Real, Portugal; p. 173.

Renna M., Coppa M., Lussiana C., Le Morvan A., Gasco L., Rastello L., Clayes J., Maxin G. (2023). Processing temperature of full-fat insect meals has limited effects on in vitro rumen fermentation characteristics. Proceeding of the 27^th Congress of the European Society of Veterinary and Comparative Nutrition (ESVCN), 7^th-9^th September 2023, Vila Real, Portugal; p. 192.

Renna M., Coppa M., Lussiana C., Le Morvan A., Gasco L., Rastello L., Maxin G. (2023). Defatted insect meals: impact on in vitro ruminal fermentation and lipid biohydrogenation. Proceedings of the 74^th Annual Meeting of the European Federation of Animal Science (EAAP), 26^th of August-1^st September 2023, Lyon, France; p. 221.

Battaglini L.M., Miretti I., Giammarino M., Rastello L., Audisio A., Renna M. (2023). Effect of the feeding system on the growth performance of Holstein Friesian calves in the pre-weaning period. Proceedings of the 25^th Congress of the Animal Science and Production Association (ASPA), 13^th-16^th June 2023, Monopoli (BA), Italy; p. 202.

Renna M., Coppa M., Lussiana C., Le Morvan A., Rastello L., Gasco L., Maxin G. (2023). Rumen lipid biohydrogenation of insect meals: results of an in vitro study. Proceedings of the 25^th Congress of the Animal Science and Production Association (ASPA), 13^th-16^th June 2023, Monopoli (BA), Italy; p. 121.

Oral presentations:

Rastello L., Renna M., Schettino-Bermúdez B., Gutiérrez-Tolentino R., Castelán Ortega O.A., Robles-Jimenez L.E., González Ronquillo M. (2023). Composición química en leche y queso de ovejas suplementadas con insectos (Notonectidae spp.). Proceedings of the Primer Congreso UAM: Calidad e Inocuidad de los alimentos, 9^th-10^th November 2023, Mexico City, Mexico; in press. 9^th-10^th November, 2023.

Rastello L., Renna M., Coppa M., Lussiana C., Le Morvan A., Gasco L., Maxin G. (2022). Defatted insect meals in ruminant nutrition: in vitro rumen fermentation characteristics and lipid biohydrogenation. In: Game of Research 2^nd Edition, 16^th December 2022, Grugliasco (TO), Italy. Winner of: Best oral presentation voted by the audience.

Co-supervisor of Master Degree Theses

• Degree course: Animal Science (curriculum: Livestock supply chains and product quality)
  Thesis: "Effects of dietary Hermetia illucens oil on production parameters and feed efficiency in dairy cow”.
  Candidate: Mattia De Lillo, graduated on 23^rd April 2024. 
  First Supervisor: Prof. Manuela Renna
  Second Supervisor: Prof. Laura Gasco
  First Co-Supervisor: Dr. Lara Rastello
  Second Co-Supervisor: Dr. Mathieu Gerbelle
  
  
• Degree course: Animal Science (curriculum: Animal Nutrition and Feed Safety)
  Thesis: "Effect of dietary Hermetia illucens oil on blood oxidative status and serum protein profile in lactating Valdostana Pezzata Rossa cows".
  Candidate: Erica Maccone, graduated on 27^th November 2023.
  First Supervisor: Prof. Paola Badino
  Second Supervisor: Prof. Manuela Renna
  First Co-Supervisor: Dr. Lara Rastello
  Second Co-Supervisor: Dr. Mathieu Gerbelle
• Degree course: Animal Science (curriculum: Animal Nutrition and Feed Safety)
  Thesis: "Effect of Processing Temperatures of Full-Fat Black Soldier Fly and Yellow Mealworm Meals on in Vitro Rumen Fermentation Parameters and Lipid Biohydrogenation".
  Candidate: Erika Mattoni, graduated on 20^th September 2023. 
  First Supervisor: Prof. Manuela Renna
  Second Supervisor: Prof. Laura Gasco
  First Co-Supervisor: Dr. Gaëlle Maxin
  Second Co-Supervisor: Dr. Lara Rastello
  
• Degree course: Animal Science (curriculum: Animal Nutrition and Feed Safety)
  Thesis: "In vitro evaluation of defatted insect meals as potential feed ingredients for ruminants".
  Candidate: Marianna Bolognesi, graduated on 28^th April 2023. 
  First Supervisor: Prof. Manuela Renna
  Second Supervisor: Prof. Laura Gasco
  First Co-Supervisor: Dr. Gaëlle Maxin
  Second Co-Supervisor: Dr. Lara Rastello
  
  

Professional trainings:

1)   Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell’Emilia-Romagna (IZSLER): LEGISLAZIONE NAZIONALE ED ETICA LIVELLO 1, MODULI 1 E 2; DM 5 agosto 2021.

2)   Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell’Emilia-Romagna (IZSLER): ETICA E CONCEZIONE DEI PROGETTI, MODULI 9, 10, 11, DM 5 agosto 2021.

3)   Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell’Emilia-Romagna (IZSLER): BIOLOGIA E GESTIONE DEGLI ANIMALI DA LABORATORIO, MODULI 3.1, 4, 5, 6.1, 7. DM 5 AGOSTO 2021 RODITORI E LAGOMORFI.

4)   Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell’Emilia-Romagna (IZSLER): OPBA: FORMAZIONE PER I COMPITI, MODULI 25, 50, 51.

5)   Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell’Emilia-Romagna (IZSLER): UTILIZZO DEI PESCI NELLA RICERCA - 1 "ZEBRAFISH, PEOCILIIDAE, ALTRI PESCI (MEDAKA, NOTHOBRANCHIUS, ECC.), MODULI 3.1, 4, 5 E 7 DM 5 AGOSTO 2021".

6)   Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell’Emilia-Romagna (IZSLER): UTILIZZO DEGLI UNGULATI NELLA RICERCA -"SUINI, PICCOLI RUMINANTI E CAMELIDI. MODULI 3.1, 4, 5 E 7 DM 5 AGOSTO 2021".

7)   Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell’Emilia-Romagna (IZSLER): UTILIZZO DEGLI UNGULATI NELLA RICERCA - 2 "BOVINI ED EQUINI MODULI 3.1, 4, 5 E 7 DM 5 AGOSTO 2021".

Third Mission:

Co-author of 3 blogs in the Animal Science and Production Association (ASPA) website, titled:

Renna M., Rastello L., Gasco L. (2022). Use of insects in ruminant nutrition: characteristics of the in vitro rumen fermentation and lipid biohydrogenation. In the Animal Science and Production Association blog; https://www.assaspa.org/post/insetti-alimentazione-ruminanti-caratteristiche.

Renna M., Rastello L., Gasco L. (2022). Pig manure for protein production. In the Animal Science and Production Association blog; https://www.assaspa.org/post/allevamenti-sostenibili-liquame-suino.

Renna M., Rastello L., Gasco L. (2022). Protein biomass from fungi. In the Animal Science and Production Association blog; https://www.assaspa.org/post/amido-patate-mangime-innovativo.

Co-author of 1 blog in Ruminantia website, titled:

Renna M., Rastello L., Gasco L. (2023). Insect meal, evaluation of use in ruminant feed. In: Ruminantia. https://www.ruminantia.it/farine-a-base-di-insetto-valutazione-dellutilizzo-nellalimentazione-dei-ruminanti/.

Co-author of 1 article for Unitogether (www.unitogether.unito.it/), titled:

Renna M., Rastello L., Gasco L. (2022). Is the use of insects in ruminant feeding possible?. Unitogether (under evaluation).

One of the selected 10 UNITO candidates for the local competition of the UNITA call "My 3-minute PhD Thesis".

Periods abroad:

France: under the supervision of Dr. Mathieu Silverberg at INRAE (French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment), Saint-Genès-Champanelle-Theix from 11/04/23 to 14/04/23.

Activity: Performing protozoal count in ruminal samples.

Spain: under the supervision of Dr. Pablo Gutiérrez Toral at IGM (Instituto de Ganadería de Montaña), León from 05/05/23 to 14/07/23.

Activity: Gas-chromatographic analysis of fatty acids in ruminal samples and feed efficiency calculations.

Mexico: under the supervision of Prof. Manuel Gonzalez Ronquillo at Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Toluca from 14/08/23 to 05/02/2024.

Activity: In vivo and in vitro evaluations of the dietary inclusion of insect meals and agro-industrial by-products in the ovine species.