Feed processing has evolved from basic grinding and mixing toward integrated technologies capable of modifying the physical, chemical and biological properties of feed ingredients. Conventional particle-size reduction, pelleting, thermal conditioning, extrusion and ensiling remain fundamental because they improve handling, reduce segregation and waste, alter starch and protein structures, and can increase nutrient availability. However, increasing feed costs, variable ingredient quality, climate-related storage risks, mycotoxin contamination and the need for higher nutrient-use efficiency are accelerating the adoption of fermentation, enzyme-assisted processing, encapsulation, nano-enabled delivery and digital quality-control systems. This review examines the transition from conventional feed processing to next-generation platforms, with emphasis on how processing can be deliberately designed to control nutrient release, detoxify anti-nutritional factors, protect sensitive bioactives and improve animal responses. Particular attention is given to solid-state fermentation, precision fermentation, exogenous enzymes, microbial bioprocessing, microand nanoencapsulation, nano-minerals and rapid non-destructive quality assessment using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and machine learning. The review also discusses feed safety, mycotoxin mitigation, sustainability, energy and water requirements, and the translational issues surrounding scale-up and regulatory acceptance. Indian applications are highlighted because crop residues, agro-industrial by-products, variable forage quality and decentralized feeding systems create a strong need for low-cost, robust processing technologies. Recent evidence indicates that fermentation can upgrade underutilized substrates and generate functional metabolites, while modern NIR and AI approaches can shorten quality-assessment time. Nano-enabled delivery may improve stability and targeted availability of selected nutrients, but safety, residue, environmental and dose-response questions remain important. The future of feed technology is therefore not a single processing method but an integrated, data-informed manufacturing system that links ingredient characterization, processing conditions, nutrient delivery, animal response and feed safety.

Mineral and vitamin nutrition in Indian dairy cattle and buffaloes cannot be adequately described by a single national supplementation formula because nutrient supply is shaped by agro-climatic conditions, soil mineral status, water quality, crop choice, fodder species, preservation practices, animal genotype, physiological stage and the extent of concentrate feeding. Area-specific mineral mixture (ASMM) therefore provides a rational framework in which mineral supplementation is based on measured regional deficiencies and practical dietary supply rather than on indiscriminate addition of all nutrients at fixed levels. This review examines the scientific basis of area-specific mineral?vitamin nutrition, with particular emphasis on regional deficiency mapping, diagnostic approaches, trace-mineral bioavailability, mineral?mineral and vitamin?mineral interactions, organic mineral sources, antioxidant micronutrients and precision supplementation. Indian evidence demonstrates substantial heterogeneity: studies in Jharkhand, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Karnataka and Kashmir have identified different combinations of deficient or excessive minerals in feeds, fodders, soil and animal tissues. A recent study from the Pir Panjal region of Kashmir reported widespread deficiencies of Ca, Cu, Mn and Zn in plasma, whereas a 2025 field study in Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh documented improved plasma Ca, P, Cu and Zn and reproductive hormones after supplementation of a locally formulated ASMM. In 2025/2026, a controlled study in periparturient Murrah buffaloes further reported higher milk yield and better postpartum reproductive responses with ASMM than the unsupplemented control. The review argues that the next generation of ASMM should move from static regional recipes toward dynamic, biomarker-informed formulations that consider native dietary mineral supply, antagonists, source bioavailability, seasonal changes, heat stress, production stage and the risk of both deficiency and over-supplementation. Such an approach can improve animal health, fertility, milk production, resource efficiency and environmental sustainability in Indian dairy systems.

One-carbon metabolism (OCM) is an interconnected biochemical network that integrates methionine, choline, folate, vitamin B12 and related nutrients with transmethylation, remethylation, transsulfuration, phospholipid synthesis, nucleotide metabolism and cellular redox control. The system is especially relevant to dairy cattle during the transition from late gestation to early lactation, when dry matter intake often falls while requirements for glucose, amino acids, lipid transport, immune function and milk synthesis increase. Inadequate methyl-donor supply may constrain hepatic phosphatidylcholine synthesis and triglyceride export, while methionine availability also influences protein synthesis, antioxidant capacity and immune-cell function. The present review develops an Indian perspective by linking one-carbon nutrition with the diversity of cattle and buffalo production systems, fluctuating feed-resource availability, crop residues, oilseed cakes, agroindustrial by-products, seasonal heat stress and the metabolic risks observed around calving. Particular attention is given to the methionine and folate cycles, the choline-betaine pathway, transsulfuration, immunometabolism, liver lipid handling, reproduction and maternal-fetal programming. Recent mechanistic, metabolomic, molecular and metaanalytic evidence is integrated, including work published through 2026. Indian evidence from Kankrej cows, Surti buffaloes, Murrah buffaloes and Sahiwal transition cows is discussed alongside international dairy-cattle studies. The review argues that the next phase of research should move from single-nutrient supplementation toward systems-level assessment of bioavailable methyl-donor supply, rumen protection, metabolic phenotype, heat stress, breed or species effects and epigenetic outcomes. This framework could support more precise and context-specific methyl-donor nutrition for Indian dairy cattle and buffaloes.