Sylvester Mutinda Position/Title: Graduate student email: smutinda@uoguelph.ca Phone: Office: ANNU 215 LinkedIn

Sylvester Mutinda is a graduate researcher in the Department of Animal Biosciences at the University of Guelph, focusing on sustainable poultry nutrition and developing practical feeding strategies that support efficient, environmentally responsible poultry production.

His MSc research focused on optimizing protein nutrition in broiler chickens, with particular emphasis on reduced-crude-protein diets and raised-without-antibiotics production systems. A key finding was that broilers managed under a raised-without-antibiotics gut health program could achieve feed efficiency comparable to birds receiving antibiotic growth promoters, including under reduced-crude-protein feeding strategies. This research contributed to a broader understanding of how nutritional approaches can support reduced antibiotic use while improving the sustainability of broiler production.

Building on this foundation, Sylvester’s PhD research focuses on further optimizing protein and amino acid utilization through the use of monocomponent protease in laying hens. His work will evaluate the efficacy of monocomponent protease in both simple and complex diet formulations, particularly diets formulated with reduced levels of digestible amino acids. The research will also investigate how dietary composition influences responses to protease supplementation and ultimately seek to establish an optimal monocomponent protease dosage for laying hens.

With the mentorship of Dr Elijah Kiarie, Sylvester aims to contribute to more precise protein nutrition strategies that improve nutrient utilization, reduce reliance on excess dietary protein and amino acids, and enhance the sustainability and economic efficiency of poultry production.