Science AI Journal
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Research topic

Open research questions in Animal Nutrition and Physiology

969 gap statements mined from Animal Nutrition and Physiology papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 5,040 papers on the topic — drawn mostly from each paper's own stated research gap, future-work, challenge and limitation notes, and its abstract. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one.

Choosing where to publish on Animal Nutrition and Physiology? See the ranked Biology journals.

What the literature leaves open

  • The need to develop sustainable alternatives to antibiotics in poultry production.

    Integrative probiotic-based organic growth promoters for sustainable poultry production in the Indian context: a one health approach · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of sustainable alternatives to antibiotics in poultry production. The need to mitigate antimicrobial resistance in poultry production. The potential of probiotics to promote gut health and reduce the need for antibiotics.

    Integrative probiotic-based organic growth promoters for sustainable poultry production in the Indian context: a one health approach · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of understanding of luteoloside's effects on broiler chickens. The need to explore the potential benefits of luteoloside in poultry production. The gap in current research on the impact of in ovo luteoloside injection on growth performance, serum biochemical indices, and gene expression.

    Effects of the in ovo injection of luteoloside on growth performance, serum biochemical indices, and gene expression in broiler chickens · 2026 · DOI

  • The need for non-antibiotic alternatives in poultry production due to the emergence of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens. The lack of research on the effects of Vitex agnus-castus L. essential oil on broiler performance, antioxidant status, immune function, and intestinal microbiota.

    Improving broiler performance, antioxidant status, immune function and intestinal microbiota with Vitex agnus-castus L. essential oil: a dose-response analysis · 2026 · DOI

  • The effects of baicalin on APEC-associated ileal injury are not well understood. There is a need to investigate the protective effects of baicalin on intestinal barrier function and inflammation. The study aims to fill the knowledge gap on the effects of baicalin on microbiota composition and neuro-immune-related transcriptional profiles.

    Baicalin alleviates APEC-induced ileal barrier injury in broiler chickens by modulating inflammatory responses, microbiota composition, and neuro-immune-related transcriptional profiles · 2026 · DOI

  • The gap is related to the limited understanding of the factors that influence weight gain during the acute and chronic phases.

    Machine Learning Analysis of a Harmonized Multi-Experiment Dataset Suggests Phase-Dependent Predictability of Weight Gain in Salmonella-Challenged Pigs · 2026 · DOI

  • The need to develop more accurate and complete definitions of nutrient requirements for humans.

    Contributions of animal nutrition to nutrition science · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of understanding of the importance of microbiota in human health. The need for a greater understanding of the similarities and differences between human and animal nutrition.

    Contributions of animal nutrition to nutrition science · 2026 · DOI

  • The relatively high cost of ILA limits the sample size of the study. The complexity of the gut-brain axis and the regulation of feeding behavior poses a challenge to understanding the mechanisms of ILA's effects. The need for a better understanding of the potential central regulatory mechanisms of ILA on feeding behavior.

    Indole-3-Lactic Acid Modulates Feeding Behavior and Appetite-Related Signals in Weaned Piglets · 2026 · DOI

  • The study faced challenges in quantifying individual milk intake, as the calves remained with their dams and suckled ad libitum. The study had to control for various factors, including environmental stressors and intestinal microbial dysbiosis, to evaluate the effects of IgY-LAB-MCs supplementation.

    Microencapsulated immunoglobulin Y and lactic acid bacteria improve intestinal health in Yanbian Yellow calves · 2026 · DOI

  • Manual gait score evaluation is laborious and may not be timely. There is a need for an automated system to evaluate broiler gait score. The current methods for evaluating broiler gait score may not be accurate or efficient.

    Automated Broiler Mobility Evaluation Through DL and ML Models: An Alternative Approach to Manual Gait Assessment · 2025 · DOI

  • There is a lack of technical and scientific comparisons between manual and automatic broiler weighing systems. The adoption of automatic systems faces resistance due to this lack of comparison.

    Efficiency and Reliability of Broiler Weighing Methods in Commercial Environments: A Comparative Evaluation · 2025 · DOI

  • The lack of effective, safe, and environmentally friendly antibiotic alternatives for controlling Escherichia coli infection in broiler chickens. The need to develop novel feed additives that improve growth performance and immune function in broiler chickens.

    Fermented Chive (Allium schoenoprasum) with Lactobacillus plantarum: A Potential Antibiotic Alternative Feed Additive for Broilers Challenged with Escherichia coli · 2025 · DOI

  • There is a need to explore alternative or non-conventional dietary ingredients for the poultry industry.

    Effect of Bio-Fermented Distillers Grain on Growth, Intestines, and Caecal Microbial Community in Broilers · 2025 · DOI

  • There is a need to investigate the effects of LP81-fermented feed on the growth and intestinal health of Muscovy ducks. The optimal dosage of LP81-fermented feed for improving growth performance and intestinal health in Muscovy ducks is unknown. The effects of LP81-fermented feed on the intestinal microbial community structure of Muscovy ducks are not well understood.

    Effects of Lactobacillus plantarum-81-Fermented Feed on Growth and Intestinal Health of Muscovy Ducks · 2025 · DOI

  • The research gap includes the need to assess the impact of heat stress on egg quality and laying performance.

    Effects of Heat Stress on the Laying Performance, Egg Quality, and Physiological Response of Laying Hens · 2024 · DOI

  • Most existing optoelectronic and machine vision systems have been calibrated for chicken eggs and cannot be directly used for duck eggs. The direct transfer of existing image processing techniques from chicken eggs to duck eggs is inadequate due to differences in geometric proportions, surface reflectance, and shell microstructure.

    Using an Optoelectronic Method for the Non-Destructive Sorting of Hatching Duck Eggs · 2025 · DOI

  • The model's efficacy is constrained by its training on data from specific housing systems. The model may not be applicable to settings such as free-range or enriched cages. Limited datasets are due to fewer KB cases than normal broilers. A single class may introduce biases related to breed, age, or image quality.

    Automated Detection of Kinky Back in Broiler Chickens Using Optimized Deep Learning Techniques · 2025 · DOI

  • The current utilization rate of DGs remains suboptimal due to its high moisture, acidity, and alcohol content. The study only investigated the effect of FDG on laying hens. The study did not investigate the long-term effects of FDG on animal health.

    Production Technology of Fermented Distiller’s Grains and Its Effect on Production Performance and Egg Quality of Laying Hens · 2025 · DOI

  • Investigate the effects of baicalin on other types of intestinal injury, - Examine the effects of baicalin on intestinal health in other animal species, - Conduct further research on the mechanisms by which baicalin modulates inflammatory responses and microbiota…

    Baicalin alleviates APEC-induced ileal barrier injury in broiler chickens by modulating inflammatory responses, microbiota composition, and neuro-immune-related transcriptional profiles · 2026 · DOI

  • Further validation of the predictive associations and variable-ranking patterns, - Investigation of the cumulative consequences of immune activation and metabolic reallocation over time, - Exploration of the differences in body weight at the beginning of each period, - Analysis of the interindividual variation in pig growth under sanitary…

    Machine Learning Analysis of a Harmonized Multi-Experiment Dataset Suggests Phase-Dependent Predictability of Weight Gain in Salmonella-Challenged Pigs · 2026 · DOI

  • Investigate the long-term effects of betaine supplementation on piglet health, - Examine the effects of betaine supplementation on other aspects of piglet health, - Investigate the effects of betaine supplementation on different ages or breeds…

    Effects of betaine on growth performance and colonic microbiota in weaned piglets · 2026 · DOI

  • Evaluation of the efficiency of different weighing systems in various climates, - Comparison of the performance of automatic and manual weighing in different production systems, - Investigation of the impact of thermal stress on broiler…

    Efficiency and Reliability of Broiler Weighing Methods in Commercial Environments: A Comparative Evaluation · 2025 · DOI

  • Testing the system on other breeds of duck eggs, - Improving the accuracy of the system, - Exploring the application of the system in other areas…

    Using an Optoelectronic Method for the Non-Destructive Sorting of Hatching Duck Eggs · 2025 · DOI

  • Incorporating video data to capture dynamic movements and behavioral cues. Using more diverse and robust training samples to mitigate overfitting and enhance reliability. Exploring the application of the machine learning model in different settings such as free-range or enriched cages.

    Automated Detection of Kinky Back in Broiler Chickens Using Optimized Deep Learning Techniques · 2025 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Animal Nutrition and Physiology

Most recent work

Find a gap in your own Animal Nutrition and Physiology sub-topic

This page shows what the Animal Nutrition and Physiology literature already flags as unresolved. To narrow it to your specific question, search the Research Gap Finder: the search is free with a free account and lists the papers closest to your topic first. Unlocking that topic (50 credits, charged once) fills the comparison table from our 7.9M-paper local library and writes the gaps from its rows.

Open the Research Gap Finder →

Related topics in Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics
2,621 open questions
Smart Agriculture and AI
2,325 open questions
Plant-Microbe Interactions and Immunity
1,584 open questions
Plant Stress Responses and Tolerance
1,486 open questions
Plant Molecular Biology Research
1,308 open questions
Probiotics and Fermented Foods
1,284 open questions
Mycorrhizal Fungi and Plant Interactions
1,082 open questions
Animal Virus Infections Studies
916 open questions
Open questions raised by papers listed on this page include: (1) The lack of sustainable alternatives to antibiotics in poultry production (“Integrative probiotic-based organic growth promoters for sustainable poultry…”, 2026); (2) The lack of understanding of luteoloside's effects on broiler chickens (“Effects of the in ovo injection of luteoloside on growth performance, serum…”, 2026); (3) The lack of research on the effects of Vitex agnus-castus L. essential oil on broiler performance, antioxidant status, immune function, and intestinal microbiota (“Improving broiler performance, antioxidant status, immune function and…”, 2026); (4) The effects of baicalin on APEC-associated ileal injury are not well understood (“Baicalin alleviates APEC-induced ileal barrier injury in broiler chickens by…”, 2026); (5) The lack of understanding of the importance of microbiota in human health (“Contributions of animal nutrition to nutrition science”, 2026). 969 gap statements have been mined from Animal Nutrition and Physiology papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 5,040 papers on the topic; the gaps come from whichever of those papers state one. They are mostly the research gaps the authors state and the papers' abstracts, plus future-work, limitations and challenges passages. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one, so you can read the original claim in context.

Tools for your next paper

Gaps & Literature SearchFind open questions in any field — 1,100,000+ open gaps mined from our own library.Pre-CheckIs your paper ready? Acceptance odds for top, mid and open/emerging journals, in seconds.Journal FinderA ranked shortlist of target journals from a 17,500-venue index.Duplicate Publication CheckerCheck for prior publication across 7 sources and our local library.Citation GeneratorFreeA DOI or title → APA, MLA, Vancouver, Chicago, BibTeX, RIS. No signup.Graphical Abstract MakerFreeTurn your findings into a colorblind-safe graphical abstract.

How Pre-Check worksHow AI Review works

Compare the category — Honest roundups of the AI research tools, ours listed alongside the alternatives.

Command palette

Jump anywhere, run any action.