The effect of sex and age at slaughter on some carcass and meat quality traits of Boer kids

This study investigated some carcass and meat quality traits of Boer kids (17 male and 17 female) at two different average slaughter ages (83 and 139 days). Jointed cuts of half carcasses arranged from the greatest to the smallest were: hind leg (28.5%), rib and flank (21.2%), shoulder (19.3%), back (8.5%), loin (7.9%), neck (7.6%) and chuck (3.4%). Male kids had significantly higher percentage of the neck cuts (p≤0.001) while females had significantly higher percentage of rib and flank cuts (p≤0.05). At higher slaughter ages neck (p≤0.05) and chuck (p≤0.001) percentages significantly decreased and rib and flank (p≤0.001) percentage significantly increased. On average, hind leg had 72.2 % of muscle, 8.6 % of fat and 18.8 % of bone. Female kids had higher muscle and lower bone hind leg content than males (p≤0.01). Hind leg bone content significantly decreased at higher slaughter age (p≤0.01). Meat from male kids displayed significantly higher cie L*(p≤0.001) and b*(p≤0.05) values than females. At higher slaughter age L* values significantly decreased (p≤0.01) while a* and b* values significantly increased (p≤0.001; p≤0.01)

THE EFFECT OF PRODUCTION SYSTEM AND WEANING ON LAMB CARCASS TRAITS AND MEAT CHARACTERISTICS OF AUTOCHTHONOUS JEZERSKO-SOLČAVA BREED

Thirty-two Jezersko-Solčava lambs were used in a 2X2 factorial design to evaluate the effect of production system (fattening in stable with hay and cereals ad libitum or on the pasture) and weaning (suckling or weaned lambs) on carcass and meat traits of lambs. Suckling lambs were slaughtered at 125 days of age (30 kg of live weight) and weaned lambs were slaughtered at 165 days (38 kg of live weight). No significant differences in daily gain and dressing percentage compared to the production system or weaning were observed. Lambs from pasture had greater percentage of liver, heart and spleen. They had longer and wider carcasses and lower carcass fatness as indicated by lower percentage of kidney fat (1.16 vs. 1.99) and lower percentage of fat in leg than lambs from stable. They also had higher percentage of shoulder and leg and lower percentage of back, loin and rib with flank. Production system also affected meat color. Lambs from pasture had higher CIE L, a and b values of Longissimus dorsi muscle. Mostly, weaning influenced carcass fatness and related traits. Suckling lambs had lower fatness score (4.94 vs. 6.25), lower percentage of kidney fat and fat in leg (8.66 vs. 10.31) and lower percentage of rib with flank than weaned lambs. Meat from suckling lambs was also of lighter colour. There was no significant interaction between production system and weaning on studied carcass or meat traits

FATTY ACID PROFILE IN MILK OF BOVEC SHEEP FED IN THE STABLE OR GRAZED IN DIFFERENT PASTURES

The fatty acid profile in the milk of Bovec sheep fed total mixed ratio (TMR) and grazed natural pastures in the lowland (480 m altitude) supplemented with the second harvest (L) as well as grazed different altitude mountain pastures; M1 (1100- 1300 m altitude), M2 (1600-1700 m altitude), M3 (1800 m altitude), M4 (1900 m altitude), M5 (2200 m altitude) were determined. There was an important effect when ewes were turned from the stable to the pasture on all fatty acids. The percentage of α-linolenic acid (ALA), arachidonic acid (ARA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) increased significantly (P<0.001) with the diet. In the milk from M5 grazing the percentage of ALA was 2.5 times higher than in milk from L and 2.6 times higher than in milk from TMR. The percentage of ARA and DHA in milk was the highest when ewes were grazing on the M5 pasture (0.21±0.02 wt. %; 0.22±0.02 wt. %) respectively. Total n-3PUFA and n-6PUFA increased significantly (P<0.001) by the diet. Therefore, the n-6/n-3PUFA ratio was the best (1.2) in milk produced in the highest mountain pasture (M5), in terms of nutritional requirements

The Effect of Live Weight at Slaughter and Sex on Lambs Carcass Traits and Meat Characteristics

Twenty-eight (12 male and 16 female) of improved Jezersko-solèava lambs with Romanov (JSR) were used to evaluate the effect of live weight and sex on carcass traits and meat quality. Lambs were weaned at around 60 days of age. They were fed with commercial concentrate and hay ad libitum and slaughtered at 29 kg or 43 kg of average live weight at 105 or 126 days of age. Daily gain from birth to slaughter was higher than 300 g/day and was very similar for both groups. There were no differences between light and heavy lambs in carcass conformation and dressing percentage. Heavy lambs were longer, wider and fatter. The difference in lungs, head and pelt percentage were statistically significant. With increased live weight at slaughter the percentage of neck, back and rib with flank increased and chuck, shoulder and hindleg decreased. Muscle percentage in hindleg increased and bone percentage decreased as live weight increased. Considering meat quality, heavier lambs had lower lightness and higher redness. Lighter lambs had higher pH45 value. Differences between sexes were statistically significant for dressing percentage and carcass fatness with higher values for females. Males had higher percentage of liver and head, higher proportion of neck, chuck and shoulder and lower proportion of back and loin. Males tended to have higher values for muscle and bone proportion, and lower proportion of fat in hindleg. Males had lighter meat. Sex had no effect on pH values

The Effect of the Body Condition Score at Artificial Insemination on Prolificacy Traits in Slovenian Alpine Goats

In this study, the body condition score (BCS) of 55 Slovenian Alpine goats at artificial insemination was recorded over a period of two years. The effect of the doe BCS at insemination on the litter size at birth, the number of weaned kids, the birth weight of the kids, and the interval between parities was studied. The BCS at artificial insemination significantly affected the litter size at birth (P < 0.001) and, the number of weaned kids (P < 0.05). The number of kids born and weaned per doe was the highest in does with a BCS of 2.0 and 2.5 compared to does with a BCS of 1.5, 3.0 or 3.5. The results suggest an optimum BCS between 2.0 and 2.5 at insemination or mating to achieve a higher litter size per female. The birth weight of the kids differed significantly depending on the BCS of the does (P < 0.05) with the highest birth weight occurring in the kids of does with a BCS of 3.5, 3.0 and 1.5. Considering all these results, body condition scoring could be an effective method for the goat breeders to optimally manage body reserves and thus increase the production efficiency in terms of prolificacy in their flocks

Kobilje mlijeko: sastav i frakcije proteina u usporedbi s drugim vrstama mlijeka

The usage of the mare’s milk as functional food especial for children intolerant to cow’s milk, with neurodermitis, allergies and similar disorders desiring to improve the quality of life is fiercely debated for last decades but there were no scientific studies to suggest such use of mare’s milk based on scientific research. The objectives of this study were to determine similarities of mare’s milk in comparison with milk of ruminants (cattle, sheep and goat) and human milk in terms of milk composition and protein fraction as whey proteins, caseins and micelles size. All differences were discussed regarding usage of mare’s milk in human diet and compared to milk which is usually used in human nutrition. Regarding composition, the mare’s milk is similar to human milk in of crude protein, salt and lactose content, but it has significantly lower content of fat. Fractions of main proteins are similar between human and mare’s milk, except nitrogen casein (casein N) which has twice lower content in human than in mare’s milk. Content of casein N from all ruminants’ milk differ much more. Just for true whey N and non-protein nitrogen (NPN) similar content as human and mare’s milk has also goat milk. The casein content is the lowest in human milk; this content is three times greater in mare’s milk and six to seven times greater in goat’s and cow’s milk, while in sheep’s milk it is more than 10 times grater. In many components and fractions mare’s milk is more similar to human milk than milk of ruminants. A detail comparison of protein fraction shows quite large differences between milk of different species. More study and clinical research are needed that can recommend usage of mare’s milk in human diet as functional food on scientific bases.Upotreba kobiljeg mlijeka kao funkcionalne hrane, s ciljem poboljšanja kvalitete života, osobito djeci netolerantnoj na kravlje mlijeko s utvrđenim neurodermatitisima, alergijama te sličnim poremećajima, tema je mnogih rasprava posljednjih godina. No, nedovoljno je znanstvenih studija koje bi predlagale upotrebu kobiljeg mlijeka baziranu na znanstvenim činjenicama. Ciljevi ovoga rada bili su utvrđivanje sličnosti između kobiljeg mlijeka i mlijeka preživača (goveda, ovce i koze) te humanog mlijeka, obzirom na kemijski sastav mlijeka te proteinske frakcije odnosno proteine sirutke, kazeine te veličinu micela. Utvrđene razlike analizirane su s aspekta upotrebe kobiljeg mlijeka u prehrani ljudi te komparirane s kravljim mlijekom. Obzirom na sastav, kobilje mlijeko slično je humanom glede sadržaja sirovih proteina, minerala i laktoze, no sadrži značajno manji udio mliječne masti. Obzirom na glavne proteinske frakcije, kobilje je mlijeko slično humanom uz izuzetak kazeinaskog N, čiji je sadržaj u humanom dvostruko niži, dok su u mlijeku preživača utvrđene znatno veće razlike. Sadržaj ukupnih proteina sirutke i neproteinskog dušika (NPN) sličan onome u humanom i kobiljem utvrđen je i u kozjem mlijeku. Sadržaj kazeina u mlijeku najniži je u humanom mlijeku, tri puta je viši u kobiljem, šest do sedam puta viši u kozjem i kravljem, te više od deset puta u mlijeku ovaca. Obzirom na mnoge uspoređene komponente i frakcije, kobilje je mlijeko sličnije humanom u odnosu na mlijeko preživača. Detaljna usporedba proteinskih frakcija ukazuje na vrlo veliku razliku između mlijeka različitih vrsta domaćih životinja. Prije znanstveno utemeljene preporuke upotrebe kobiljeg mlijeka kao funkcionalne hrane u prehrani ljudi potrebne su dodatne znanstvene studije te klinička istraživanja

Influence of two feed supplements on technological properties of goat’s milk

Hranidba koza na dnevnoj bazi sastoji se od ispaše, sijena i/ili suplemenata. Suplementi su neophodni u hranidbi visokoproduktivnih pasmina koza u svrhu postizanja genetskog potencijala i uzgajivači moraju odabrati režim hranidbe koji osigurava proizvodnju velikih količina mlijeka bez neželjenih promjena u tehnološkoj kvaliteti mlijeka. U ovom istraživanju određivan je utjecaj dva komercijalno dostupna suplementa na sposobnost koagulacije kozjeg mlijeka te na reološka svojstva jogurta od kozjeg mlijeka. Ukupno 61 koza pasmine slovenska alpska koza hranjena je s dva suplementa tijekom tri godine. Prvi suplement (FS1) imao je viši udjel ječma i lucerne, dok je drugi suplement (FS2) imao dodane mineralne tvari i vitamine te više udjele pšenice i suncokretove pogače. Posljedično, FS1 je imao više sirovih vlakana, što je vrlo vjerojatno rezultiralo 15 % većom čvrstoćom, konzistencijom i kohezivnosti (P<0,05) jogurta iz skupine FS1 u odnosu na jogurte iz skupine FS2. K tomu je i vrijeme koagulacije (r) bilo kraće (P<0,05) kod jogurta iz skupine FS1 u usporedbi s jogurtima iz skupine FS2. Čvrstoća gruša 30 min nakon dodatka enzima (a30) također je bila veća u skupini FS1, iako te razlike nisu bile statistički značajne. Uzimajući sve navedeno u obzir, dobiveni rezultati ukazuju kako su koze hranjenje suplementom FS1 proizvodile mlijeko boljih tehnoloških svojstava nego koze hranjene suplementom FS2, unatoč činjenici da nisu utvrđene statistički značajne razlike u kemijskom sastavu mlijeka iz obiju navedenih skupina. Ova studija pokazala je da se pažljivim odabirom suplementa u hranidbi mogu poboljšati tehnološka svojstva kozjeg mlijeka. Međutim, potrebno je provođenje daljnjih istraživanja u svrhu određivanja specifičnih mehanizama koji su doveli do prethodno navedenih razlika.Goat’s daily diet is usually based on grazing, hay and/or feed supplements. Feed supplements are crucial in the diet of high productive goats to achieve their genetic potential and breeders must choose balanced feeding regime to produce large quantities of milk without affecting the technological quality of milk. In the present study, we evaluated the influence of two commercially available feed supplements on goat milk coagulation properties and rheological properties of yoghurts. Goats of the Slovenian Alpine breed (61) were fed with two feed supplements during the 3-year experiment. Feed supplement 1 (FS1) had higher proportions of barley and alfalfa, while feed supplement 2 (FS2) had added premix of minerals and vitamins and had higher proportions of wheat and sunflower meal. Con¬sequently, FS1 had more crude fibres, which is the most probable reason for approximately 15 % higher firmness, consistency and cohesiveness (P<0.05) of yoghurts in FS1 group, compared to the FS2 group. Moreover, the rennet coagulation time (r) was shorter (P<0.05) in the FS1 group, compared to the FS2 group. Curd firmness 30 min after enzyme addition (a30) was also higher in FS1 group although the results were not statistically significant. Taking together, our results indicate that goats fed with FS1 produced milk with better technological properties compared to those fed with FS2, despite the fact that there were no significant differences in chemical composition of milk from each group. We showed that careful selection of feed supplement’s constituents could improve technological properties of goat milk. However, further studies are needed to evaluate the mechanisms of the observed differences

Conservation of autochthonous sheep breeds in Serbia and Slovenia

The objective of this paper is to review the status of autochthonous breeds of sheep in Serbia and Slovenia, of their conservation breeding program goals and incentives. The adopted definition of a breed is either a sub-specific group of domestic livestock geographical and/or cultural separation from phenotypically similar groups has led to acceptance of its separate identity. Autochthonous breeds were developed in specific rearing conditions and consequently have specific genes responsible for good adaptability and fertility, disease resistance, maternal instinct and longevity. The autochthonous breeds of sheep in Serbia include: Pirot Pramenka Krivovirska, Bardoka, Karakachanska, Lipska, Vlaskho Vitoroga Pramenka and Chokan Tsigai, whereas in Slovenia: Istria Pramenka, White Landscape Pramenka, Lake-Solčavska and Bovec sheep.The main purpose of conserving the autochthonous sheep breeds in general is to preserve resistance, longevity, maternal instinct, the specificity of each race, increasing the number of heads or maintaining a stable level, as well as preventing of inbreeding. With regard to conservation of genetic resources in Serbia is represented by model in situ, while in Slovenia the in situ and ex situ program. The incentives in Serbia per head for endangered breeds of sheep is 37 EUR, in Slovenia 13.4 EUR per head

How Can We Advance Integrative Biology Research in Animal Science in 21st Century?:Experience at University of Ljubljana from 2002 to 2022

In this perspective analysis, we strive to answer the following question: how can we advance integrative biology research in the 21st century with lessons from animal science? At the University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty, Department of Animal Science, we share here our three lessons learned in the two decades from 2002 to 2022 that we believe could inform integrative biology, systems science, and animal science scholarship in other countries and geographies. Cultivating multiomics knowledge through a conceptual lens of integrative biology is crucial for life sciences research that can stand the test of diverse biological, clinical, and ecological contexts. Moreover, in an era of the current COVID-19 pandemic, animal nutrition and animal science, and the study of their interactions with human health (and vice versa) through integrative biology approaches hold enormous prospects and significance for systems medicine and ecosystem health