THE USE OF FORMER FOOD IN POST-WEANING PIG DIETS: EFFECTS ON GROWTH PERFORMANCE, APPARENT TOTAL TRAC DIGESTIBILITY, GUT HEALTH, FEED SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT.

The demand for livestock products is expected to increase as much as 50 percent by 2050. This increase in the consumption will demand enormous resources. Animal feed is the most challenging, because of the limited availability of natural resources, climatic changes and food-feed-fuel competition. The costs of conventional feed resources, such soymeal, fishmeal and standard cereals like corn, are very high and moreover their availability in the future will be limited. For this reason, scientific research is focusing on the study of alternative sources (e.g., by/co-products from cereals process, former food products, seaweeds, insects) to standard feed ingredients. The focus of this dissertation will be on the use of former food as an alternative ingredient in animal nutrition, especially for pigs. Various subjects will be addressed concerning effects of these materials on pig growth, health and performance as well as their safety and sustainability.