Adegbola Adesogan, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Animal Sciences

Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences

2009 Awardee

Adegbola Adesogan is an internationally recognized ruminant nutritionist whose basic and applied research efforts have focused on using forages and feed additives to improve the quality, safety, and shelf life of animal feeds and the level and efficiency of livestock production.

His research has focused on using fibrolytic enzymes to improve the highly productive, poorly digested tropical grasses that abound in Florida and several tropical/subtropical countries. Adesogan showed that application of a certain fibrolytic enzyme to tropical grasses during haymaking improved their intake and digestion by beef cattle substantially. Furthermore, the enzyme treatment was as effective yet less hazardous and less environmentally harmful compared to ammoniation, the conventional treatment method.

A second major research area developed by Adesogan involves using bacterial inoculants to improve the fermentation, quality, and shelf life of fermented animal feeds (silages). Adesogan’s early work showed that Lactobacillus buchneri could be used to improve the shelf life of silages, and prevent the growth of mycotoxin-producing molds, but it also resulted in nutrient losses. Subsequent experiments showed that addition of homolactic bacteria to L. buchneri in inoculants prevented the nutrient losses whilst maintaining the beneficial effects on shelf life and mold inhibition. These studies culminated in the commercialization of different microbial inoculant preparations that are now marketed in US and Europe for preservation of fermented animal feeds.

Because of his work, he has been an invited speaker at various national and international conferences and over 10 researchers from Egypt, Jamaica, Nigeria, Peru, South Korea, and Guyana have visited his laboratory for short-term training in the last five years.

Adesogan’s research program on using fibrolytic enzymes and microbial inoculants to enhance the quality and shelf life of animal feeds was recognized by the American Dairy Science Association with his receipt of the 2007 American Dairy Science Association Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc. Forage Award for significant research contribution in the areas of forage production, processing, storage, and utilization.