Determine the interrelationships between animal genetics and the environment to improve production. Next Generation of Foods Food Safety Integrated Pest Management Global Competitiveness Impact Consumers will benefit from research in this area by having desirable, high quality animal food products. Quality will be determined by nutritive value, relative composition of fat and lean, and freedom from microbial and chemical contamination. These efforts will provide additional knowledge of nutrient value of animal food products, provide a better understanding of quality improvement, and provide methods to preserve and enhance these products during production, processing, and storage. Southern Relevance Animal parasitism is a major cause of reduced quality of animal products.
Some parasites affecting animals are also transmissible to man.
The quality of aquatic food products such as shellfish must be improved through enhanced production and management methods. Goals include reducing or eliminating microbial contamination and off-flavors. Seasonal variation in nutrient availability and utilization affects composition of animal products. Research is needed on the interaction between feed availability and genetic characteristics which affect body composition with the goal of improving quality of animal products. Objectives Identify relative nutrient values and quality.