Dr. Yan Lei, DDC's Director of R&D, was invited to deliver a keynote speech at the official VIV China 2018 Forum—International Feed Technology Forum.

On September 17, at the official VIV China 2018 Forum—International Feed Technology Forum, DDC's R&D Director Dr. Lei Yan Invited Hosted the special report session titled "Achieving Feed Safety Through a Robust Assurance System and Technological Innovation," and delivered a keynote presentation on "New Applications of Mechanisms for Regulating Animal Feed Intake."

Dr. Lei believes that whether a diet can meet an animal's nutritional needs depends on three key conditions: appropriate feed intake, a well-balanced formulation, and excellent digestibility and absorption rates. Among these, adequate feed intake serves as the foundation. However, with advancements in genetic breeding technologies, animals are increasingly showing a declining tendency in their maximum feed intake, leading to a mismatch between their feeding capacity and nutritional requirements. Feed intake levels are closely linked to an animal's production performance, significantly influencing growth, reproduction, and lactation. To regulate feed intake, there are three primary targets: first, olfaction and taste—animals' sensory perceptions of smell and taste differ markedly from those of humans; thus, it’s crucial to study the unique olfactory and gustatory characteristics of livestock and poultry, uncovering their specific scent and flavor preferences. Second, the satiety signals originating from the gastrointestinal tract; for instance, sweet-tasting substances can stimulate the gut to release satiety-related signals such as GLP-1. PYY ， CCK ), transmitted via the vagus nerve to the hypothalamus. By leveraging regulatory mechanisms involving nutrients and their metabolic products, identify inhibitors of satiety signals or modulate satiety signals by targeting specific metabolic pathways. Third, focus on the hypothalamic appetite center to uncover the mechanisms by which this central region controls feeding behavior in livestock and poultry, and screen various nutrients and exogenous regulators that can effectively modulate central appetite signaling.