Dr Elham Assadi Soumeh
Senior Lecturer
School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability
+61 7 54601 308
Building 8117A, Room 232, Gatton campus
Researcher biography
Dr Elham (Ellie) Assadi Soumeh is a Senior Lecturer in Animal Science and Production at the School of Agriculture and Food Science, University of Queensland. She holds a BSc in Animal Science, an MSc in Animal Nutrition, and a PhD in Animal Nutrition and Physiology, with a focus on monogastric species, particularly poultry and swine.
Dr Soumeh completed her PhD at Aarhus University in Denmark, where her research focused on the requirements and metabolism of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) in weaned pigs and the metabolic profiling of high-performing pigs fed optimal BCAA levels. Following her PhD, she worked as a Senior Scientist at Cargill BV in the Netherlands, leading customer-focused research in monogastric nutrition. Her work there spanned nutrient metabolism, gut health, and nutritional strategies aimed at improving production efficiency.
Her current research explores the role of nutrition in modulating gut microbiota composition and function, and how these microbial shifts influence host metabolism, health, and productivity. She is particularly interested in the interplay between dietary components, gut microbial ecology, and the physiological responses of monogastric animals.
Dr Soumeh's work addresses practical and emerging challenges in animal nutrition, with an emphasis on sustainable feeding practices and precision nutrition. Her research findings have been widely published in high-impact scientific journals and presented at leading international conferences and symposiums.
Journal Articles
Alafif, Mohammad S., Hoffman, Louwrens, Cozzolino, Daniel, Abdollahi, M. Reza, Roura, Eugeni, Nguyen, Ai Duc and Soumeh, Elham A. (2025). Assessment of Apparent Metabolizable Energy, and Ileal Amino Acid Digestibility of Full-Fat Black Soldier Fly Larvae (Hermetia illucens) in Broiler Chickens. Poultry Science, 104 (10) 105506, 105506-10. doi: 10.1016/j.psj.2025.105506
Soumeh, Elham Assadi, Nielsen, Tina Skau, Hedemann, Mette Skou and Curtasu, Mihai Victor (2025). Integrated faecal microbiota and blood metabolic changes following different dietary zinc oxide levels in weaned piglets. Scientific Reports, 15 (1) 18346, 1-15. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-03103-7
Soumeh, Elham Assadi, Hoffman, LC and Cozzolino, D (2025). Effect of the dietary ingredient composition and type of muscle on the classification of intact chicken muscles evaluated by near infrared spectroscopy. Journal of Near Infrared Spectroscopy, 33 (1-2), 20-25. doi: 10.1177/09670335251329542
Al-Wahid, Zainudin, Pradista, Luthfi Adya, Prastowo, Sigit, Soumeh, Elham Assadi and Ratriyanto, Adi (2025). 16s rRNA analysis revealed that betaine reduces pathogenic bacteria in growing pullets raised in a tropical environment. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 1490 (1), 012036. doi: 10.1088/1755-1315/1490/1/012036
Mohammadinejad, Fatemeh, Mohammadabadi, Mohammadreza, Roudbari, Zahra, Siahkouhi, Saeideh Eskandarynasab, Babenko, Olena, Klopenko, Nataliia, Borshch, Oleksandr, Starostenko, Iryna, Kalashnyk, Oleksandr and Soumeh, Elham Assadi (2024). Analysis of liver transcriptome data to identify the genes affecting lipid metabolism during the embryonic and hatching periods in ROSS breeder broilers. Journal of Livestock Science and Technologies, 12 (2), 61-67. doi: 10.22103/jlst.2024.23814.1554
Pierzchała-Koziec, Krystyna, Olukosi, Oluyinka, Selvaraj, Ramesh, Shanmugasundaram, Revithi, Assadi Soumeh, Elham and Scanes, Colin G. (2024). Editorial: Nutritional impacts the health and physiology of the avian gastro-intestinal tract. Frontiers in Physiology, 15 1470024, 1-3. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2024.1470024
Javadi, Akram, Ghahremanzadeh, Mohammad and Soumeh, Elham Assadi (2024). Investigating the price volatility spillover effects in the poultry industry inputs market and the egg market in Iran: using the multivariate DCC-GARCH model. Agriculture and Food Security, 13 (1) 23, 1-10. doi: 10.1186/s40066-024-00472-6
Ashayerizadeh, A., Jazi, V., Rezvani, M.R., Mohebodini, H., Soumeh, E. A. and Abdollahi, M. R. (2024). An investigation into the influence of fermented cottonseed meal on the productive performance, egg quality, and gut health in laying hens. Poultry Science, 103 (5) 103574, 1-13. doi: 10.1016/j.psj.2024.103574
Cozzolino, Daniel, Sanal, Pooja, Soumeh, Elham Assadi, Dekkers, Milou Helene, Anderson, Molly, Boisen, Sheree and Hoffman, Louwrens Christiaan (2024). Implications of the storage conditions and production system on the physical properties of eggs: a multivariate data analysis study. International Journal of Food Science and Technology, 59 (5), 3235-3244. doi: 10.1111/ijfs.17069
Cozzolino, Daniel, Sanal, Pooja, Schreuder, Jana, Williams, Paul James, Assadi Soumeh, Elham, Dekkers, Milou Helene, Anderson, Molly, Boisen, Sheree and Hoffman, Louwrens Christiaan (2024). Predicting egg storage time with a portable near-infrared instrument: effects of temperature and production system. Foods, 13 (2) 212, 1-11. doi: 10.3390/foods13020212
Soumeh, Elham A., Bottje, Walter G. and Hudson, Nicholas J. (2024). How low can you go? Broiler breast muscle possesses a mitochondrial content of just 2%. Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica A: Animal Sciences, 73 (1-2), 22-27. doi: 10.1080/09064702.2023.2262470
Ashayerizadeh, O., Dastar, B., Shams Shargh, M., A. Soumeh, E. and Jazi, V. (2023). Effects of black pepper and turmeric powder on growth performance, gut health, meat quality, and fatty acid profile of Japanese quail. Frontiers in Physiology, 14 1218850, 1-12. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1218850
Amirdahri, S., Janmohammadi, H., Taghizadeh, A., Lambert, W., Oliayi, M. and Assadi Soumeh, E. (2023). The optimum ratio of digestible leucine: lysine in wheat-based diets for female broiler chickens from 8 – 21 days of age. Journal of Applied Poultry Research, 32 (2) 100289, 1-12. doi: 10.1016/j.japr.2022.100289
Sharifi, Fatemeh, Jazi, Vahid and Assadi Soumeh, Elham (2023). Elecampane rhizome extract alleviates methotrexate-induced hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity in male rats. Advances in Traditional Medicine, 23 (4), 1255-1264. doi: 10.1007/s13596-023-00679-1
Huyan, Lingjun, Kumar, Arun, Manafi, Milad and Soumeh, Elham A. (2022). Effects of protease supplementation on growth performance, organ development, gut morphology, and microbial profile of broiler chicken. Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica, Section A — Animal Science, 71 (1-4), 1-11. doi: 10.1080/09064702.2022.2113121
Soumeh, Elham A., Cedeno, Astrid Del Rocio Coba, Niknafs, Shahram, Bromfield, Jacoba and Hoffman, Louwrens C. (2021). The efficiency of probiotics administrated via different routes and doses in enhancing production performance, meat auality, gut morphology, and microbial profile of broiler chickens. Animals, 11 (12) 3607, 3607. doi: 10.3390/ani11123607
Bromfield, Jacoba I., Hoffman, Louwrens C., Horyanto, Darwin and Soumeh, Elham A. (2021). Enhancing growth performance, organ development, meat auality, and bone mineralisation of broiler chickens through multi-enzyme super-dosing in reduced energy diets. Animals, 11 (10) 2791, 1-18. doi: 10.3390/ani11102791
Amirdahri, S., Janmohammadi, H., Taghizadeh, A., Soumeh, E. A. and Oliayi, M. (2021). Leucine Requirement of Female Cobb Broilers from 8 to 14 Days of Age. Iranian Journal of Applied Animal Science, 11 (2), 391-398.
Teymouri, Pouya, Jafari Khorshidi, Kaveh, Rezaeipour, Vahid and Assadi Soumeh, Elham (2021). Efficacy of natural alternatives to antibiotic on the growth performance, gut microbial population, intestinal morphology, and serum biochemical metabolites of broiler chickens. Italian Journal of Animal Science, 20 (1), 1801-1809. doi: 10.1080/1828051x.2021.1954558
Madigan-Stretton, Jacoba, Mikkelsen, Deirdre and Soumeh, Elham Assadi (2020). Multienzyme super-dosing in broiler chicken diets: the implications for gut morphology, microbial profile, nutrient digestibility, and bone mineralization. Animals, 11 (1) 1, 1-17. doi: 10.3390/ani11010001
Amirdahri, S., Janmohammadi, H., Lambert, W., Soumeh, E. A. and Oliayi, M. (2020). Valine Requirement of Female Cobb Broilers from 8 to 21 Days of Age. Journal of Applied Poultry Research, 29 (4), 775-785. doi: 10.1016/j.japr.2020.04.005
Jazi, Vahid, Farahi, Majid, Khajali, Fariborz, Abousaad, Shaymma, Ferket, Peter and Assadi Soumeh, Elham (2020). Effect of dietary supplementation of whey powder and Bacillus subtilis on growth performance, gut and hepatic function, and muscle antioxidant capacity of Japanese quail. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition, 104 (3) jpn.13323, 886-897. doi: 10.1111/jpn.13323
Soumeh, E. A., Mohebodini, H., Toghyani, M., Shabani, A., Ashayerizadeh, A. and Jazi, V. (2019). Synergistic effects of fermented soybean meal and mannan-oligosaccharide on growth performance, digestive functions, and hepatic gene expression in broiler chickens. Poultry Science, 98 (12), 6797-6807. doi: 10.3382/ps/pez409
Khanipour, Sousan, Mehri, Mehran, Bagherzadeh‐Kasmani, Farzad, Maghsoudi, Ali and Assadi Soumeh, Elham (2019). Excess dietary tryptophan mitigates aflatoxicosis in growing quails. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition, 103 (5) jpn.13167, 1462-1473. doi: 10.1111/jpn.13167
Nørgaard, J. V. , Soumeh, E. A. , Curtasu, M. , Corrent, E. , van Milgen, J. and Hedemann, M. S. (2017). Use of metabolic profile in short-term studies for estimating optimum dietary isoleucine, leucine, and valine for pigs. Animal Feed Science and Technology, 228, 39-47. doi: 10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2017.04.002
Soumeh, Elham A., Hedemann, Mette S., Poulsen, Hanne D., Corrent, Etienne, van Milgen, Jacob and Norgaard, Jan V. (2016). Nontargeted LC-MS metabolomics approach for metabolic profiling of plasma and urine from pigs fed branched chain amino acids for maximum growth performance. Journal of Proteome Research, 15 (12), 4195-4207. doi: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.6b00184
Norgaard, J. V., Canibe, N., Soumeh, E. A., Jensen, B. B., Nielsen, B., Derkx, P., Cantor, M. D., Blaabjerg, K. and Poulsen, H. D. (2016). Evaluation of in situ valine production by Bacillus subtilis in young pigs. Animal, 10 (11), 1796-1802. doi: 10.1017/S1751731116000781
Norgaard, J. V., Canibe, N., Soumeh, E. A., Jensen, B. B., Nielsen, B., Derkx, P., Cantor, M. D., Blaabjerg, K. and Poulsen, H. D. (2016). Effect of bacillus subtilis mutants on growth performance of piglets fed tryptophan- and valine-deficient diets. Journal of Animal Science, 94 (Supp. 3), 66-69. doi: 10.2527/jas.2015-9773
Soumeh, E. A., van Milgen, J., Sloth, N. M., Corrent, E., Poulsen, H. D. and Norgaard, J. V. (2015). Requirement of standardized ileal digestible valine to lysine ratio for 8- to 14-kg pigs. Animal, 9 (8), 1312-1318. doi: 10.1017/S1751731115000695
Soumeh, E. A., Van Milgen, J., Sloth, N. M., Corrent, E., Poulsen, H. D. and Norgaard, J. V. (2015). The optimum ratio of standardized ileal digestible leucine to lysine for 8 to 12 kg female pigs. Journal of Animal Science, 93 (5), 2218-2224. doi: 10.2527/jas.2014-8699
Norgaard, J. V., Pedersen, T. F., Soumeh, E. A., Blaabjerg, K., Canibe, N., Jensen, B. B. and Poulsen, H. D. (2015). Optimum standardized ileal digestible tryptophan to lysine ratio for pigs weighing 7-14kg. Livestock Science, 175, 90-95. doi: 10.1016/j.livsci.2015.02.012
Soumeh, E. A., van Milgen, J., Sloth, N. M., Corrent, E., Poulsen, H. D. and Norgaard, J. V. (2014). The optimum ratio of standardized ileal digestible isoleucine to lysine for 8-15kg pigs. Animal Feed Science and Technology, 198, 158-165. doi: 10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2014.09.013
Norgaard, J. V., Hansen, M. J., Soumeh, E. A., Adamsen, A. P. S. and Poulsen, H. D. (2014). Effect of protein level on performance, nitrogen utilisation and carcass composition in finisher pigs. Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica Section A-Animal Science, 64 (2), 123-129. doi: 10.1080/09064702.2014.943280
Assadi, E., Janmohammadi, H., Taghizadeh, A. and Alijani, S. (2011). Nutrient composition of different varieties of full-fat canola seed and nitrogen-corrected true metabolizable energy of full-fat canola seed with or without enzyme addition and thermal processing. Journal of Applied Poultry Research, 20 (1), 95-101. doi: 10.3382/japr.2010-00201
Conference Papers
van der Heide, Marleen Elise, Soumeh, Elham Assadi, Curtasu, Mihai, Nørgaard, Jan Værum and Madsen, Johannes Gulmann (2024). Low and high feed efficiency grower-finisher pigs fed three different levels of dietary crude protein showed no immediate difference in blood metabolomics profile. 2024 ASAS Midwest Section Meeting, Madison, WI United States, 10-13 March 2024. Champaign, IL United States: American Society of Animal Science. doi: 10.1093/jas/skae102.363
Coba, A., Müller, M., Navarro, M., Soumeh, E.A., Pluske, J.R., van Wettere, W.H.E.J., Cottrell, J.J., Dunshea, F.R., Gaughan, J.B. and Roura, E. (2023). 39. Physiological responses related to acute heat stress decrease over time as lactating sows become acclimated to a hyperthermic environment. Manipulating Pig Production XIX, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, 13 - 16 November 2023. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier BV. doi: 10.1016/j.anscip.2023.09.040
Coba, A., Müller, M., Navarro, M., Soumeh, E.A., Pluske, J.R., van Wettere, W.H.E.J., Cottrell, J.J., Dunshea, F.R., Gaughan, J.B. and Roura, E. (2023). 34. Low crude protein diets improve heat stress indicators in lactating sows under cyclic hyperthermal temperatures. Manipulating Pig Production XIX, Brisbane, QLD Australia, 13-16 November 2023. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/j.anscip.2023.09.035
Soumeh, E.A., Nastasi, J., James, S.E., Staveley, L.M., Plush, K.J. and Nowland, T.L. (2023). Blood metabolic profile of sows fed high and low fibre diets prior to farrowing. Manipulating Pig Production XIX, Brisbane, QLD Australia, 13-16 November 2023. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/j.anscip.2023.09.036
Soumeh, Elham A., Curtasu, Mihai, Nielsen, Tina S., Gorji, Sara G. and Hedemann, Mette S. (2022). Blood metabolic profile of pigs fed different dietary zinc levels after weaning. 15th International Symposium on Digestive Physiology of Pigs (DPP2022), Rotterdam, Netherlands, 17–20 May 2022. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/j.anscip.2022.04.028
Soumeh, E. A., Jazi, Mohebodini, H., Toghyani, M., Shabani, A. and Ashayerizadeh, A. (2019). Fermented soybean meal with or without mannan-oligosaccharides for broiler chickens. 6th EAAP International Symposium on Energy and Protein Metabolism and Nutrition, Belo Horizonte, Brazil, 9-12 September 2019. Wageningen, Netherlands: Wageningen Academic Publishers. doi: 10.3920/978-90-8686-891-9_87
Ashayerizadeh, A., Dastar, B., Shargh, M. Shams, Shabani, A., Jazi, V. and Soumeh, E. A. (2019). Effect of feeding fermented rapeseed meal on nutrients digestibility and digestive enzymes activity in broiler chickens. 6th EAAP International Symposium on Energy and Protein Metabolism and Nutrition, Belo Horizonte, Brazil, 9-12 September 2019. Wageningen, Netherlands: Wageningen Academic Publishers. doi: 10.3920/978-90-8686-891-9_85