Principles of Animal Nutrition

The second edition of Principles of Animal Nutrition presents comprehensive coverage of nutrition and metabolism in ruminants, nonruminant mammals (e.g., swine and horses), and poultry, as well as aquatic and companion animals. Substantially revised, expanded, and updated to reflect scientific advances (including the use of artificial intelligence in diet formulations and feeding), this book highlights the foundational aspects of nutrition that are essential to animal growth, development, reproduction, lactation, health, and survival.

The book contains 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. The text also covers 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 a discussion of the nutritional requirements of animals for maintenance, production, and health, as well as the regulation of food intake by animals. Finally, the chapters explain feed additives, including those used to enhance animal growth and survival (e.g., enzymes, amino acids, organic acids, and animal co-products), improve feed efficiency for protein production, replace feed antibiotics, and promote circular bio-economies.

Written by a distinguished professor of animal nutrition, Guoyao Wu, PhD, Principles of Animal Nutrition, Second Edition is the authoritative reference for academic researchers, practitioners, and beginners in the fields of animal and human nutrition, biomedicine, and allied health, as well as institutional and government policymakers.

Dr. Guoyao Wu is a University Distinguished Professor, University Faculty Fellow, and Texas A&M AgriLife Research Senior Faculty Fellow at Texas A&M University. He received a B.S. in Animal Science from South China Agricultural University at Guangzhou, China (1978-1982); an M.S. in Animal Nutrition from China Agricultural University at Beijing, China (1982-1984); and an M.Sc. (1984-1986) and Ph.D. (1986-1989) in Animal Biochemistry from the University of Alberta at Edmonton, Canada. Dr. Wu completed his postdoctoral training in diabetes, nutrition and biochemistry at McGill University Faculty of Medicine at Montreal, Canada (1989-1991) and Memorial University of Newfoundland Faculty of Medicine at St. John’s, Canada (1991). He joined the Texas A&M University faculty in October 1991. Dr. Wu’s sabbatical leave was to study human obesity at the University of Maryland School of Medicine at Baltimore, USA (2005).

Dr. Wu has taught graduate (Experimental Nutrition, General Animal Nutrition, Protein Metabolism, and Nutritional Biochemistry) and undergraduate (Problems in Animal Science, Nutrition, and Biochemistry) courses at Texas A&M University over the past 34 years. He has given numerous lectures at other institutions in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Europe, and Asia. His research focuses on the biochemistry, nutrition and physiology of amino acids (AAs) and related nutrients in animals at genetic, molecular, cellular, and whole-body levels. Research interests include: (1) functions of AAs in gene expression (including epigenetics) and cell signaling; (2) mechanisms that regulate intracellular synthesis and catabolism of proteins and AAs; (3) hormonal and nutritional regulation of homeostasis of metabolic fuels; (4) biology and pathobiology of nitric oxide and polyamines; (5) key roles of AAs in preventing metabolic diseases (including diabetes, obesity and intrauterine growth restriction) and associated cardiovascular complications; (6) essential roles of AAs in survival, growth and development of embryos, fetuses, and neonates; (7) dietary requirements of AAs and proteins in the life cycle; and (8) animal models (e.g., pigs, rats, and sheep) for studying human metabolic diseases.

Dr. Wu has published more than 780 papers in peer-reviewed journals, including Advances in Nutrition, Alcohol, Amino Acids, American Journal of Physiology, Annals of New York Academy of Sciences, Animal Frontiers, Animal Reproduction, Animals, Annual Review of Animal Biosciences, Annual Review of Nutrition, Antioxidants & Redox Signaling, Biochemical Journal, Bioessays, Biology of Reproduction, Biometrics, British Journal of Nutrition, Cancer Research, Cell Death & Disease, Clinical and Experimental Immunology, Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, Diabetes, Diabetologia, Endocrinology, Experimental Biology and Medicine, FASEB Journal, Food & Function, Frontiers in Bioscience, Frontiers in Immunology, Frontiers in Microbiology, Gut, International Journal of Biochemistry, International Journal of Molecular Sciences, Journal of Animal Science, Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, Journal of Biological Chemistry, Journal of Chromatography, Journal of Gerontology, Journal of Nutrition, Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, Journal of Pediatrics, Journal of Physiology (London), Livestock Science, Methods in Molecular Biology, Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology, Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, Molecular Reproduction and Development, Placenta, Proceedings of National Academy of Science USA, Reproduction, Reproductive Toxicology, Scientific Reports, Theriogenology, and Trends in Pharmacological Sciences. In addition, he has published two text/reference books ＂Principles of Animal Nutrition＂ and ＂Amino Acids: Biochemistry and Nutrition＂, as well as 99 chapters in books. Dr. Wu’s work has been extensively cited over 105,00 times in Google Scholar, with an H-index of 151. Five of his papers have each been cited more than 3,300 times. Thus, he has been recognized as a Most Cited Author and a Most Influential Scientific Mind in the Web of Science and among the 10 most cited scientists in the field of agricultural sciences worldwide. Recently, Dr. Wu has been ranked No. 2 worldwide in Animal and Veterinary Sciences (2024) by Research.com.

Dr. Wu has received numerous prestigious awards from China, Canada, and the United States, which include China National Scholarship for Graduate Studies Abroad (1984), The University of Alberta Andrew Stewart Graduate Prize (1989), Medical Research Council of Canada Postdoctoral Fellowship (1989), American Heart Association Established Investigator Award (1998), Texas A&M AgriLife Faculty Fellow (2001), Texas A&M University Faculty Fellow (2002), Nonruminant Nutrition Research Award from the American Society of Animal Science (2004), Texas A&M Agriculture Program Vice Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Team (2006) and Individual (2008) Research, and in Diversity (2011), Texas A&M University Distinguished Research Achievement Award (2008), Texas A&M Agrilife Research Senior Faculty Fellow Award (2008), FASS-AFIA New Frontiers in Animal Nutrition Research Award from the Federation of Animal Science Societies and American Feed Industry Association (2009), the Samburu Collaboration Award from the International Association of Giraffe Care Professionals (2010), Distinguished Scientist of Sigma Xi Honor Society-Texas A&M University Chapter (2013), the Morrison Award from American Society of Animal Science (2018), Lead Scientist Award in Animal Science and Veterinary Science in United States and the world in 2022-2024 (www.research.com), and the Top Agri-Food Pioneer Award from World Food Prize Foundation (2024).

Dr. Wu is a member and an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, as well as a member of the American Heart Association, American Society of Animal Science, American Society of Nutrition, and Society for the Study of Reproduction. He has served on Editorial Advisory Boards for Biochemical Journal (1993-2005), Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology (2010-Present), Journal of Nutrition (1997-2003), Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry (2006-Present), Journal of Poultry Science (2019-Present), and Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition (2024-Present). In addition, Dr. Wu has served as an Editor and a Consulting Editor of Amino Acids (2008-Present), an Editor of Journal of Amino Acids (2008-2017), Editor-in-Chief of SpringerPlus-Amino Acids Collections (2012-2017), a managing Editor (2009-2016) and an Editor (2017-2023) of Frontiers in Bioscience, an Editor for five volumes of papers on amino acids and animal nutrition in Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology (2018-2024), an Editor of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2020-2023), an Editor of Animal Agriculture: Challenges, Innovations, and Sustainability (Elsevier, 2020), an Editor of Encyclopedia of Animal Nutrition, 2nd edition (CABI, 2020-2023), and an Editor of Animals (2025-Present).