Joao Augusto Marques de Almeida
@iniav.pt
Scopus Publications
- Sociodemographic Factors Associated with EU Citizens’ Attitudes Toward Animal Welfare Standards in External Trade
Fernando Mata, Rosário Marques, João M. Almeida, José Araújo, Nuno Baptista, et al.
Sci, 2026
This study examines the impact of sociodemographic factors on the attitudes of EU citizens towards animal welfare and their implications for trade policy. Variations in animal welfare legislation across major commercial blocks create ethical and economic challenges, with the EU implementing stringent standards compared with other countries. Data were drawn from the Special Eurobarometer 533 survey, conducted between the 3rd and 26th March 2023, which employed a multistage, clustered sampling method across all 27 EU Member States, yielding a representative sample of 26,368 respondents. The survey collected detailed information on attitudes toward animal welfare alongside sociodemographic characteristics. The results revealed substantial public support for stricter regulations and informative labelling, with attitudes differing with age (p < 0.001), education (p < 0.001), income (p < 0.001), and political orientation (p < 0.001), according to the multinomial regression applied to each of the independent variables. These results emphasise the importance of these factors in shaping consumer expectations. The findings highlight the need for policymakers to integrate ethical and societal values into trade negotiations, ensuring that policies reflect public concerns, promote fair competition, and encourage higher animal welfare standards internationally. Additionally, understanding the perspectives and motivations of livestock industry stakeholders remains critical for implementing effective welfare strategies. By aligning EU trade policy with citizen values and stakeholder practices, it is possible to advance animal welfare globally while balancing economic and ethical considerations and promoting a fair trade. - Growth Performance, Carcass Characteristics, and Meat Quality of Lambs Fed a High-Forage, Low-Starch, High-Oil Diet
Eliana Jerónimo, Olinda Guerreiro, Andreia Silva, Patrícia Lage, Hélder Alves, et al.
Foods, 2026
This experiment evaluated whether a high-forage, low-starch, and high-oil diet (experimental) could improve lamb meat fatty acid composition without compromising growth performance or overall meat quality, compared with a high-cereal diet typically used in intensive fattening systems (control). Ninety lambs were randomly assigned to six pens (fifteen animals/pen), with each diet provided to three pens for 32 days. Feed intake was monitored daily, and animal weight was monitored weekly. The feeding cost was also assessed. Four lambs per pen were slaughtered to assess carcass and meat traits. Average daily gain was unaffected by diet, but the experimental diet increased the feed conversion ratio. Kidney knob channel fat was higher in the experimental diet, while other carcass traits were unchanged. Meat sensory attributes and most physicochemical properties, including colour and lipid stability during storage, did not differ between diets. However, the experimental diet reduced meat pH and increased the proportions of t11–18:1, c9,t11–18:2, 18:2n-6, and 18:3n-3 in intramuscular fat, while t10–18:1 remained unchanged, and n-6 PUFA/n-3 PUFA ratio increased. A low-starch, high-forage, high-oil diet can be effectively used in lamb feedlots to enhance the intramuscular fat content of healthy fatty acids without compromising animal growth or meat characteristics, although it results in higher feeding costs. - Effect of a Corn Silage-Based Finishing Diet on Growth, Carcass Composition, Meat Quality, Methane Emissions and Carbon Footprint of Crossbred Angus Young Bulls
Diana M. Soares, Sílvia Bernardino, Nuno Rodrigues, Ivo Gama, João M. Almeida, et al.
Sustainability Switzerland, 2025
Using locally produced forage and agro-industrial by-products can reduce dependence on imported feed and competition for human food sources, while improving meat quality. However, the overall effect of this feeding strategy on global greenhouse gas emissions must be evaluated to provide a comprehensive assessment of sustainability. This study aimed to test whether replacing the conventional concentrate finishing diet with a total mixed ration (TMR) diet based on maize silage and brewer’s spent grains (BSG) would improve meat quality without compromising productive performance, carcass composition, and the carbon footprint (CFp) of finishing beef cattle. Twenty crossbred young bulls were randomly distributed among 4 pens and randomly allocated to 2 treatments: Control—a conventional diet based on commercial concentrate and wheat straw or TMR—a maize silage-based diet with BSG, concentrate, and straw. Dry matter intake and average daily gain were 13% and 15%, respectively, lower in the TMR treatment than in the Control treatment. Daily methane emissions were 59% higher in the TMR treatment. However, life cycle assessment results revealed no differences in the CFp, and the beef from TMR treatment achieved higher meat quality. In conclusion, a maize silage-based diet offers a cost-effective alternative to conventional diets, with a lower environmental impact and improved beef quality. - Use of almond hulls in lamb diets – Effects on growth performance and carcass and meat quality
Liliana Cachucho, Susana P. Alves, Manuel Varregoso, Cláudia Costa, Kátia Paulos, et al.
Meat Science, 2025 - Silages of agro-industrial by-products in lamb diets – Effect on growth performance, carcass, meat quality and in vitro methane emissions
M.T.P. Dentinho, K. Paulos, C. Costa, J. Costa, L. Fialho, et al.
Animal Feed Science and Technology, 2023 - Forage based diet as an alternative to a high concentrate diet for finishing young bulls - Effects on growth performance, greenhouse gas emissions and meat quality
José Santos-Silva, Susana P. Alves, Alexandra Francisco, Ana Paula Portugal, Maria Teresa Dentinho, et al.
Meat Science, 2023 - Nannochloropsis oceanica microalga feeding increases long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in lamb meat
A.C.M. Vítor, M. Godinho, A.E. Francisco, J. Silva, J. Almeida, et al.
Meat Science, 2023 - Perception of cultured “meat” by Italian, Portuguese and Spanish consumers
Jingjing Liu, João M. Almeida, Nicola Rampado, Begoña Panea, Élise Hocquette, et al.
Frontiers in Nutrition, 2023
The aim of this study was to investigate how consumers (n = 2,171) originated from South-Western Europe (Italy, Portugal, and Spain) perceive cultured “meat” (CM) and if their demographic characteristics (origin, gender, age, education, occupation, and meat consumption) are related to their willingness to try (WTT), to regularly eat (WTE) and to pay (WTP) for CM. We found the current respondents had an initially positive attitude towards CM: 49% of them perceived CM as “promising and/or acceptable” and 23% “fun and/or intriguing” whereas 29% considered it as “absurd and/or disgusting”. In addition, 66 and 25% would be willing and not willing to try CM, respectively. However, 43% had no WTE for CM and, 94% would not pay more for CM compared to conventional meat. Age and especially occupation were good indicators of consumer acceptance of CM. Respondents of 18–30 years of age had the highest acceptance. Respondents outside the meat sector had the highest WTE and people working within the meat sector had the lowest WTE, scientists (within or outside the meat sector) had the highest WTT, people not scientists but within the meat sector had the lowest WTT. Additionally, we found that men are more likely to accept CM than women, Spanish-speaking consumers had the highest WTT and WTE, people with vegan and vegetarian diets may pay more for CM but generally no more than for conventional meat. The perceptions that CM may be more eco-friendly, ethical, safe and healthy than conventional meat, and to a lower extent, the perception that current meat production causes ethical and environmental problems are likely to be major motives for the current respondents to try, regularly eat and pay for CM. On the opposite, lower perceptions of CM benefits and of conventional meat weaknesses more generally, plus emotional resistance towards CM are main barriers to accept CM. - Effects of soybean meal replacement by Hermetia illucens larvae meal on growth performance, meat quality and gastrointestinal health in broilers
M. Machado, J. Catarino, J. Almeida, I. Lopes, A. Alvarado, et al.
Journal of Insects as Food and Feed, 2023
The growing demand for broilers production is related to environmental and economic impacts worldwide, increasing the urgency to find alternative feed ingredients. Recent studies indicated the productive potential of some insect species, which may serve as a protein and lipid source for animal feeding, as the case of black soldier fly (BSF) larvae (Hermetia illucens). This study aimed at assessing the effects of dietary replacement of soybean meal by BSF larvae meal in broiler diets, in growth parameters, liver and intestinal tract morphology, carcass and meat quality. Forty-eight 1-day old chicks (Ross 308) were randomly assigned to one of four feeding regimes, which consisted of a basal diet in which soybean meal was replaced BSF larvae meal, at levels of 0% (Hi0), 25% (Hi25), 50% (Hi50) and 75% (Hi75). The animals’ excreta were collected and registered daily, and half the animals were slaughtered at 28 days of age. The liver, caecum and other portions of the intestines were analysed, and the intestinal tract was collected for histopathological analysis. BSF larvae meal did not affect carcass weight, but it resulted in a lower weight of the right breast of birds when fed with a 75% inclusion level (P=0.049). In addition, all growth parameters, general meat quality and excreta production were similar among treatments, while excreta characteristics were significantly different (P<0.05). Dietary BSF meal resulted in lower liver weight (P=0.03) in comparison to the control. No histopathological lesions were found in the gastrointestinal tract and morphometric traits were similar among treatments. It was concluded that the dietary inclusion of BSF larvae meal for broilers did not significantly affect the animals’ growth and gut health. This alternative feed ingredient can be used as a more sustainable option for broilers at up to 75% of soybean meal replacement. - Effects of partial substitution of grain by agroindustrial byproducts and sunflower seed supplementation in beef haylage-based finisher diets on growth, in vitro methane production and carcass and meat quality
José Santos-Silva, Alexandra Francisco, Ana Paula Portugal, Kátia Paulos, Maria Teresa Dentinho, et al.
Meat Science, 2022 - Impact of Chlorella vulgaris as feed ingredient and carbohydrases on the health status and hepatic lipid metabolism of finishing pigs
Diogo Coelho, Cristina M. Alfaia, Paula A. Lopes, José M. Pestana, Mónica M. Costa, et al.
Research in Veterinary Science, 2022 - Effect of dietary incorporation of Chlorella vulgaris and CAZyme supplementation on the hepatic proteome of finishing pigs
David M. Ribeiro, Diogo Coelho, Hugo Osório, Cátia Martins, João P. Bengala Freire, et al.
Journal of Proteomics, 2022 - Consumer evaluation of meat quality from barrows, immunocastrates and boars in six countries
M. Aluwé, E. Heyrman, E. Kostyra, S. Żakowska-Biemans, J. Almeida, et al.
Animal, 2022 - The impact of genetic groups (Alentejano and F1 Landrace x Large White pigs) and body weight (90, 120 and 160kg) on blood metabolites
Maria Cristina Bressan, Ana Teresa Belo, Andreia Amaral, Daniela Cordeiro, Cleube Andrade Boari, et al.
Livestock Science, 2022 - A high dietary incorporation level of Chlorella vulgaris improves the nutritional value of pork fat without impairing the performance of finishing pigs
Diogo Coelho, José Pestana, João M. Almeida, Cristina M. Alfaia, Carlos M. G. A. Fontes, et al.
Animals, 2020 - Erratum: Aluwé, M. et al. exploratory survey on European consumer and stakeholder attitudes towards alternatives for surgical castration of piglets. (Animals 2020, 10, 1758)
Marijke Aluwé, Evert Heyrman, João Almeida, Jakub Babol, Gianni Battacone, et al.
Animals, 2020 - Genetics of carcass and meat quality traits in Iberian pigs
M. C. Bressan, J. Almeida, A. Amaral, C. Bettencourt, J. Santos-Silva, et al.
Advances in Animal Health Medicine and Production A Research Portrait of the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health Ciisa University of Lisbon Portugal, 2020 - Effects of a high-fibre and low-starch diet in growth performance, carcass and meat quality of young Alentejana breed bulls
José Santos-Silva, Susana P. Alves, Alexandra Francisco, Ana Paula Portugal, João Almeida, et al.
Meat Science, 2020 - Exploratory survey on european consumer and stakeholder attitudes towards alternatives for surgical castration of piglets
Marijke Aluwé, Evert Heyrman, João Almeida, Jakub Babol, Gianni Battacone, et al.
Animals, 2020 - Effect of soybean meal treatment with Cistus ladanifer condensed tannins in growth performance, carcass and meat quality of lambs
M.T.P. Dentinho, K. Paulos, A. Francisco, A.T. Belo, E. Jerónimo, et al.
Livestock Science, 2020 - Effects of alfalfa particle size and starch content in diets on feeding behaviour, intake, rumen parameters, animal performance and meat quality of growing lambs
Alexandra E. Francisco, Martin Janíček, Teresa Dentinho, Ana P.V. Portugal, João M. Almeida, et al.
Meat Science, 2020 - Inclusion of the aerial part and condensed tannin extract from Cistus ladanifer L. in lamb diets – Effects on growth performance, carcass and meat quality and fatty acid composition of intramuscular and subcutaneous fat
Olinda Guerreiro, Susana P. Alves, David Soldado, Liliana Cachucho, João M. Almeida, et al.
Meat Science, 2020 - Body weight and ultrasound measurements over the finishing period in Iberian and F1 Large White × Landrace pigs raised intensively or in free-range conditions
J.M. Almeida, M.C. Bressan, A.J. Amaral, C. Bettencourt, J. Santos-Silva, et al.
Livestock Science, 2019 - Combining genome-wide association analyses and gene interaction networks to reveal new genes associated with carcass traits, meat quality and fatty acid profiles in pigs
Andreia J. Amaral, Maria Cristina Bressan, João Almeida, Carlos Bettencourt, Olga Moreira, et al.
Livestock Science, 2019 - Effect of dietary neutral detergent fibre source on lambs growth, meat quality and biohydrogenation intermediates
José Santos-Silva, Alexandra Francisco, Susana P. Alves, Paula Portugal, Teresa Dentinho, et al.
Meat Science, 2019
