New faculty experts aim to improve animal nutrition and meat systems
Rudar and Belk-Rudar expand research in swine nutrition, human health, food safety and food waste
Marko Rudar, Ph.D., and Aeriel Belk-Rudar, Ph.D., have joined the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Animal Science, bringing research expertise spanning animal nutrition, human health, meat science and food microbiology.
Both affiliated with Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Rudar joins the department as an associate professor of animal nutrition and Belk-Rudar joins as a research assistant professor of meat science and food microbiology. Their research programs will address challenges to improved nutrient use in swine, reduced food waste and meat safety.
“The department is excited to welcome these two impactful researchers to our team,” said Clay Mathis, Ph.D., professor and head of the Department of Animal Science. “As we continue our vision of being global leaders in animal agriculture, it is important to have researchers like Drs. Rudar and Belk-Rudar who will help drive innovation and enrich lives through animal science.”
Rudar connects swine nutrition with metabolic health
Rudar’s research focuses on protein and amino acid nutrition and metabolism, primarily in young pigs. His work examines how pigs use dietary protein and how producers can formulate diets to improve nutrient efficiency while supporting growth and animal health.
“It’s about equipping producers with the right tools to make informed decisions about what low-protein diets can look like for them, whether that’s for cost or environmental reasons,” Rudar said.
Improving low-protein diets could help producers reduce feed costs and nitrogen excretion while maintaining animal growth and performance. Rudar also sees opportunities to connect his animal nutrition research with questions in human metabolic health.
Rudar earned his bachelor’s degree and doctorate in animal science from the University of Guelph, Canada. After completing his doctorate, he worked at the Children’s Nutrition Research Center in Houston, where he used neonatal pigs as models to study how nutritional interventions in premature infants may influence metabolic health later in life.
At Texas A&M, he plans to build research that connects agricultural production with biomedical nutrition.
“Coming here, there are opportunities to do more production and agricultural research,” Rudar said. “But also, to expand back into that biomedical world.”
Belk-Rudar targets food waste and meat safety
Belk-Rudar combines meat science, food safety and microbial ecology to understand how microbial communities influence meat quality, shelf life and safety.
A major focus of her research examines meat spoilage. Rather than focusing solely on bacterial counts or visible changes in meat quality, Belk-Rudar examines how entire microbial communities develop and interact.
Her long-term goal is to use the microbiome present during production to predict shelf life better. Those insights could give the meat industry better tools to evaluate product quality, extend shelf life and reduce food waste.
Belk-Rudar also studies microbial communities in meat-processing environments and their interactions with foodborne pathogens such as listeria.
“I like to summarize my research as understanding how the microbial ecology of meat systems supports or inhibits pathogen persistence,” Belk-Rudar said.
Belk-Rudar earned her bachelor’s degree in animal science and her doctorate from Colorado State University. She earned her master’s degree at Texas A&M. She said returning to Aggieland allows her to reconnect with the collaborative environment that helped shape her career.
“Here, you get to be part of something,” Belk-Rudar said. “I’m so excited for that, to be part of a team and a group.”
