Quality of meat from young crossbred bulls frozen after 14 days of modified atmosphere storage

The quality of the longissimus lumborum muscle (Holstein-Friesian Black-and-White- HF BW x Belgian Blue - BB bulls) was determined after 14 days of storage under different modified atmospheres (MA) (vacuum; 40% CO2 + 60% N2; 30% CO2 + 70% Ar) and 6 months of frozen storage following 14 days of MA storage. Weight loss and cooking loss were smaller, and drip loss was greater after frozen storage compared with refrigerated storage. The pH of stored meat was typical of high-quality beef. TBARS values increased after refrigerated storage and after frozen storage. The changes in color parameters point to metmyoglobin formation in frozen meat. Both refrigerator and freezer storage had beneficial influence on tenderness, and shear force values decreased in frozen beef. The composition of MA during refrigerated storage had no effect on the analyzed parameters of beef. Frozen meat that was stored in a MA containing Ar prior to freezing was characterized by the lowest weight loss, and vacuum-packaged meat - by the lowest TBARS values

Effect of two feed additives - one multicomponent based on nanosilica and the second containing mycelium of lentinula edodes fortified with selenium - on production parameters and histological analysis of calves' duodenum and abdominal rumen

SIMPLE SUMMARY: In the current study, we investigated the effects of two different additives on calves’ production parameters (body weight, average daily gain, average daily feed intake, and feed conversion ratio), hematological and biochemical results; serum selenium level, and histology of duodenum and rumen. A total of 18 1-day-old male calves were randomly assigned to control and two experimental treatments for 70 days. The first additive contained nanosilica with pancreatic enzymes, a mixture of fat-coated organic acids (fumaric, malic, citric, and sorbic acids), and sodium butyrate, whereas the second was based on the mycelium of L. edodes enriched in selenium. At the end of the experiment, three animals from each group were sacrificed for histological analysis of the digestive tract (abdominal rumen and small intestine). The findings of this study indicate that supplementation had no influence on growth performance, nor hematological or biochemical parameters. The additives did not increase duodenal crypt depth, villi height or width, or rumen papillae height or width. In the study, we observed higher levels of serum selenium and lower average daily milk replacer intake at 35–42 d but higher levels from 42 to 70 d in the animals receiving the inclusion of modified L. edodes mycelium. ABSTRACT: With this study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of two multicomponent feed additives given to animals from 10 to 70 d with milk replacer on the production parameters of reared calves: serum selenium level and histology of duodenum and rumen. The first additive was based on nanosilica (3000 mg) containing pancreatic enzymes (protease (18 mg), lipase (45 mg)), a mixture of fat-coated organic acids (2000 mg) (fumaric, malic, citric, and sorbic acids), and sodium butyrate (10,000 mg) (nanosilica/E/OA/SB), whereas the second was based on the mycelium of L. edodes (7 g) enriched in selenium (0.058 mg/g d.w.) (L. edodes/Se). The study was conducted on 18 male crossbred Holstein dairy calves from birth to 70 days of age, which were randomly assigned to control and experimental groups (six animals in each). From each group, three animals were sacrificed at 70 days of age, and histological analysis of the digestive tract (abdominal rumen and small intestine) was performed. It was observed that the additives used did not have any effect on growth performance and hematological or biochemical parameters. However, higher levels of selenium were found in serum in the calves fed with modified L. edodes mycelium on days 35 and 70 (44.33 and 51.33 µg/L in the control group and 132 and 93 µg/L in the L. edodes/Se group, respectively; p < 0.001). Moreover, we noticed lower average daily milk replacer intake at 35–42 d, which increased significantly from 42 to 70 d in the animals receiving L. edodes/Se

Physicochemical Properties, Fatty Acid Composition, Volatile Compounds of Blueberries, Cranberries, Raspberries, and Cuckooflower Seeds Obtained Using Sonication Method

Every year, thousands of tons of fruit seeds are discarded as agro-industrial by-products around the world. Fruit seeds are an excellent source of oils, monounsaturated fatty acids, and n-6 and n-3 polyunsaturated essential fatty acids. This study aimed to develop a novel technology for extracting active substances from selected seeds that were obtained after pressing fruit juices. The proposed technology involved sonification with the use of ethyl alcohol at a low extraction temperature. Seeds of four species&mdash;blueberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.), raspberry (Rubus idaeus), cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon), and cuckooflower (Cardamine pratensis)&mdash;were used for extraction. Following alcohol evaporation under nitrogen, the antioxidant activity, chemical composition, and volatile compounds of the obtained extracts were analyzed using chromatographic methods, including gas chromatography (GC)&ndash;mass spectrometry (MS) (GC&ndash;MS/MS), and high-performance liquid chromatography&ndash;MS. We analyzed physicochemical properties, fatty acid, and volatile compounds composition, sterol and tocochromanol content of blueberry, cranberry, raspberry, and cuckooflower seed oils obtained by sonication. This method is safe and effective, and allows for obtaining valuable oils from the seeds