Biotechnological approaches to improve sustainable milk and meat yield in bovines

Abstract

In the near future, bovine livestock would need to keep pace with the projected demands from population growth and environmental concerns. It is clear that the advances in the bovine sector worldwide in a sustainable scenario will require the use of new technological tools (biological or not) with the engagement of a wide variety of disciplines ranging from veterinarians, agronomists, economists, biologists, geneticists, microbiologists, food-policy makers, engineers, bioinformaticians, and farmers. This article considers new biotechnological approaches that range from new sources in cattle nutrition (genetically modified crops or insects); genetic improvement (including the effect of epigenetic or rumen microbiota manipulation); meat and milk quality and safety (functional foods); improvements in waste disposal on farm, to the use of technology (nanotechnology and/or wearable and non-wearable devices).