As a non-renewable and expensive resource, phosphorus is essential for growth and bone health, closely interacting with calcium. An imbalance between these minerals can reduce performance, while excess phosphorus excreted leads to eutrophication in aquatic environments. Therefore, its use must be optimized.
Dr. Marie-Pierre Létourneau-Montminy is an associate professor in the Department of Animal Sciences at Université Laval in Québec (Canada).
A graduate of AgroParisTech and Université Laval, she completed a PhD in calcium and phosphorus metabolism in growing pigs and broiler chickens. Her work won her best thesis in animal science from the Association française de zootechnie (AFZ) in France. She then completed a postdoctoral internship at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, specializing in precision swine feeding. In 2025, she received the prestigious Gary L. Cromwell Award for her contributions to mineral nutrition.
Her research aims to foster the sustainable production of animal proteins by optimizing the use of phosphorus, calcium and nitrogen in swine and poultry. To that end, it seeks to better understand and quantify the influence of factors related to diet, livestock and its nutritional needs through experimental trials, meta-analyses and modelling. She holds the Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Sustainable Animal Protein Production.
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