Effect of dietary inclusion of different lipid supplements on performance and carcass quality traits of growing beef heifers

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of dietary extruded flaxseed and/or rumen-protected lipids on growth performance and carcass quality of growing beef heifers. Sixty-three crossbreed heifers (Charolais X Limousine) were distributed into seven experimental groups, balanced in terms of age and live weight. Diets fed to the groups were isoproteic and differed in both, the dietary lipid source (extruded linseed and/or rumen-protected conjugated linoleic acid) and the supplementation length (90 or 180 days before slaughtering), having the same total amount of lipids and vitamin E, during their finishing period. The results obtained in the present study confirm that in low-protein diets, the inclusion of rumen-protected CLA, alone or in combination with flaxseed, did not bring any evident effect on feed intake, performance and carcass quality traits of growing beef heifers

Extruded soybean and flaxseed enhance fat composition of milk for Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Twenty Friesian dairy cows were used in an experimental trial to study the effects of extruded full-fat soybean and flaxseed dietary supplementation, at the level authorized by Consorzio of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese(CPRC) feeding guidelines (1.0 and 0.4 kg/cow/day), on milk production and fatty acid composition. Diet was typically based on alfalfa and mixed hays and cereals. Compared with the concentrations before trial start, CLA and DHA were significantly increased by dietary treatment. These results confirm that the inclusion of extruded full-fat soybean and flaxseed, in the amount authorized by CPRC rules, in the diet of dairy cows is a possible strategy to enhance milk fat composition

Assessment of muscle Longissimus thoracis et lumborum marbling by image analysis and relationships between meat quality parameters.

The intramuscular fat (IMF), recognized by the consumer as marbling, is an important meat quality trait. The objective of this study was to validate a new method of beef marbling evaluation by image analysis. The new assessment was compared with two known marbling measurements: chemical IMF and USDA scores. Moreover, the relationship between marbling measurements and other meat quality parameters was investigated. Samples of Longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LTL) muscle were obtained from carcasses of 39 Italian crossbred heifers and 62 Angus bred heifers, that underwent two different dietary treatments. The use of various breeds and diets was chosen to obtain different intramuscular fat levels, in order to validate the use of Image J software for the analysis of different type of beef meat. The images of fresh cuts were appraised by experienced beef graders, and the samples were used to determine fat content by chemical Soxhlet extraction. Carcasses measurements according to the EUROP system, and other physical meat proprieties were also assessed. The results demonstrated that the marbling measurements obtained by computer image analysis, such as the number of marbling particles, the average particle size (mm), and the percentage of marbling particles (%), significantly (P < 0.05) correlated with USDA scores and IMF content. Moreover, the principal component analysis (PCA) showed three principal meat components, identified as 1) color, 2) fat, and 3) water release. The second principal component (PC) explained 24.94% of variance, and was positively correlated with image analysis measures, USDA score, and IMF, while negatively correlated with the Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF)

Use of centrifuged and preserved microalgae for feeding juvenile Manila clam (Tapes philippinarum): effects on growth and fatty acid composition

<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 8.0px Verdana;">The objective of the present study was to assess the nutritional value of three diets containing commercial preserved<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica;">&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 8.0px Verdana;">microalgae pastes and the relationship of their biochemical composition to the growth rate and fatty acids profile of juve-<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica;">&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 8.0px Verdana;">nile <em>Tapes philippinarum</em>.<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica;">&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 8.0px Verdana;">The feeding period was 6 weeks. At a daily ratio of 1% dry weight live weight of the clams<span style="font: 7.0px Verdana;">&ndash;1</span>, the trispecific diet with 40%<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica;">&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 8.0px Verdana;">of <em>I. galbana</em>, 20% of <em>T. suecica</em>and 40% of <em>C. muelleri</em><span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica;"> </span>supported greater growth of animals than either a mixture of<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica;">&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 8.0px Verdana;">80% of <em>I. galbana</em>and 20% <em>T. suecica</em>or <em>I. galbana</em>alone (P< 0.05). Even the fatty acid profile was significantly modi-<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica;">&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 8.0px Verdana;">fied depending on the composition of the diets. In particular a decrease of EPA was observed in clams with the lowest<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica;">&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 8.0px Verdana;">growth rate.</p

Effects of breed and different lipid dietary supplements on beef quality

Focus of this study was to evaluate the most suitable breed/crossbred and the appropriate nutritional strategies to increase marbling in beef muscle and to improve its healthy properties, in particular the n\u20103 fatty acids content. One hundred and seventy\u2010six heifers of three crossbreed commonly reared by Emilia\u2010Romagna farmers: 48 Bleu Belge 7 Freisian (ITA), 48 Charolais 7 Aubrac (FRA), and 80 Angus (ANG) were used. Animals of each breed were randomly subdivided in two experimental groups that received two diets, differing for the dietary lipid source. Control group (C) received a basal diet containing protected vegetable fats, whereas treated one (T) received the same basal diet supplemented with 0.9 kg/head/day of extruded flaxseed. After slaughtering, a sample of Longissimus thoracis was collected from each animal for meat quality analysis. Our results demonstrated that, in a shorter fattening period, ANG animals obtained the best dry matter intake, average daily gain and the best fattening scores. ITA and ANG meat presented the highest marbling scores. ANG breed had the highest amount of C18:1, the highest unsaturated/saturated fatty acids ratio and the lowest n\u20106/n\u20103 ratio. The T animals, independently from breed, showed the highest amount of \u3b1\u2010linolenic acid (ALA). In addition, ANG\u2010T meat presented the highest ALA content

The influence of dietary β-glucans on the adaptive and innate immune responses of European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) vaccinated against vibriosis

The effects of feeding 1,3/1,6 &beta;-glucans on the innate and the adaptive immune responses of European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) was investigated. Two experiments were carried out during the study. In the first, a number of non-specific immune parameters were examined at 4, 7, 10, 14, 21 and 25 days of feeding fish with a semipurified diet containing Macrogard &copy;, a commercially available form of 1,3/1,6 &beta;-glucans. The respiratory burst activity of head kidney macrophages isolated from the different groups of fish fed the immunostimulant peaked and subsequently decreased at different times during the experiment. Head kidney macrophages from fish fed 250 ppm &beta;-glucans had a statistically higher level of respiratory burst activity at Day 21 of feeding compared with fish fed no immunostimulant. No statistical differences were observed in lyzozyme activity during this trial. In the second experiment, the effect of feeding 1,3/1,6 &beta;-glucans on the immune response of fish to an alginate-encapsulated Vibrio vaccine administered orally was examined. Respiratory burst of head kidney macrophages and serum lysozyme activity decreased in all fish over the course of the trial, while serum lysozyme activity was considerably lower than values obtained in the first experiment. Fish vaccinated orally had significant increases in antibody response by Week 2 post-vaccination, but &beta;-glucans did not appear to affect these levels. Vaccination may have resulted in activating the immune system as a whole, thus masking any difference in immunostimulation by the &beta;-glucans. It may be that the optimal doses and timing of &beta;-glucans administration is different when the immunostimulant is administered alone or in combination with the vaccine. In conclusion, European sea bass can be immunomodulated with oral administration of &beta;-glucan. Optimal doses and administration times have been established when &beta;-glucans are fed alone, although further studies are needed to establish ideal feeding regimes for glucans administrated in combination with vaccination