Milk Production and Characteristics of the Milk of the Jenny

Milk is a biological fluid designed to contain all nutritional requirements of a specific mammalian newborn; therefore, the composition of milk differs by the needs of the neonate of different species. Although much research has been devoted to milk composition in the domestic horse, donkey’s milk has recently aroused scientific interest, above all among paediatric allergologists and nutritionists

Effect of production system on growth performances and meat traits of suckling Messinese goat kids

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the production system on growth performances and meat quality of suckling Messinese goat kids. At birth, 102 suckling kids were divided into two homogeneous groups for sex and body weight (3.4 kg); animals of the SES group were fed exclusively with spontaneous pasture and kept in the stable during the evening; animals of the ES group were fed exclusively with spontaneous pasture, characterised by the presence of Quercus suber, and kept exclusively outdoors. From birth to weaning, kids were weighed every10 days. At slaughter, carcase yields and meat quality traits on the Longissimus dorsi muscle were studied. Data were subjected to ANOVA. ES group showed the highest final body weight (10.53 kg vs. 9.40 kg; p < .001). As regard the meat traits, ES group showed the lowest final pH (5.63 vs. 5.96; p < .001), the lowest value of Hue (46.24 vs. 62.64; p < .005) and the highest values of cooking loss (ES 25.53% vs. SES 19.60%; p < .05) and shear force (ES 5.04 kg/cm2 vs. SES 3.63 kg/cm2; p < .05). Chemical composition showed similar values in both groups. Meat fatty acid composition showed the highest values of MUFA (45.89% vs. 40.90%; p < .05) and PUFA (0.14% vs. 0.11%; p < .05) and the lowest of ω – 6/ω – 3 ratio (4.89 vs. 6.98; p < .05) and Thrombogenic Index (1.64 vs. 1.98; p < .05) in the ES group. The results confirm the favourable characteristics of goat meat and the relation between the typical production system of goats in the Nebrodi area and their performances.HIGHLIGHTS The production system did not affect the weight of kids at birth, while there were significant differences in kid's performance in relation to the breeding system. The chemical composition of the LD muscle was not affect by the production system. The production system significantly influenced the fatty acid composition of the meat. The meat quality parameters studied reflect the modern guidelines for a healthy diet recommend, that reduce the animal fat consumption, especially if rich in saturated fatty acids, and could be a tool to identify and characterise a product with Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) as 'capretto Messinese'

Supplementation of Rosemary extract in the diet of Nero Siciliano pigs: evaluation of the antioxidant properties on meat quality.

In the present study, the effect of Rosmarinus officinalis L. dietary supplementation on meat quality and oxidative stability of Nero Siciliano pigs was examined. During the growing–fattening period, 32 Nero Siciliano pigs were allotted into two treatment groups consisting of 8 replicates with 2 pigs per pen. For 90 days, the animals received a basal diet: one group (CTR) was not dietary supplemented, whereas the other group received (1 g/kg) rosemary extract (ROX). Supplementation with rosemary extract significantly improved the polyunsaturated fatty acid content of the meat, which showed higher values in the meat of the ROX group compared with the CTR group (P0.05). Color measurement performed in the present study on meat samples from the two dietary treatments showed that redness decreased (P=0.046) and hue values increased (P=0.036), indicating that a deterioration of the initial color occurred and that the rosemary extract was ineffective in preventing color deterioration. Nevertheless, the lightness, yellowness and chroma color descriptors showed similar values in relation to dietary treatment (P>0.05). Considering the nutritional value of meat as an important contributor to the overall quality, the results obtained in this study support the possibility of the dietary supplementation with R. officinalis L. extract in pigs as a functional additive in livestock feeding

Slaughtering traits and meat quality of Cinisara cattle native Italian breed

The aim of our study was to make an initial contribution to carcass traits and meat quality for typing and product certification, using sixteen male (M) and twelve female (F) Cinisara cattle, a native Italian breed. The animals were sampled in the most representative farms of the Consortium of Cinisara breed. Carcass traits of the Cinisara males showed significantly higher carcass weight and SEUROP scores in comparison to the females, while similar values were observed for fatness scores. As regards meat quality, lightness (M 44.90 vs F 43.25), redness index (M 18.03 vs F 17.86), hue angle (M 21.71 vs F 23.76), cooking losses (M 24.44% vs F 24.98%), tenderness (M 3.36 kg/cm2 vs F 3.41 kgf/cm2), protein (M 22.58% vs F 21.84%) and fat (M 1.88% vs F 2.63%) showed no significant differences between males and females. No data are available in the literature for Cinisara cattle; therefore, our results may be considered as an original set of knowledge useful for the salvage of this endangered, local, native breed

Ajwain (Trachyspermum copticum) extract in broiler diets: effect on growth performance, carcass components, plasma constituents, immunity and cecum microflora

Hypothesis is that dietary ajwain (Trachyspermum copticum L.), a phytogenic feed additive, could improve the performance of broiler chickens. On a total of 200 Ross 308 male broilers, during the 42-d growing period (starter: day 1–14; grower: day 15–28 and finisher: day 29–42), varying levels of ajwain alcoholic extract (0, 150, 350 and 450 ppm) were added to the drinking water. A control treatment containing the Virginiamycin antibiotic was also studied. Within each treatment and period, the performances were evaluated and the Economic index calculated. On day 42, two birds per pen were killed and the carcase and organ weights determined. On day 42, on two birds per pen, blood samples were collected on the farm to study the serum parameters. On birds, vaccinated against sheep red blood cells at 14 and 35 days, blood samples were collected at 21 and 42 days of age to determine total Ig, IgG and IgM antibodies and, at day 42, the spleen and bursa of Fabricius were weighed. The microflora on the caecum content was counted. Ajwain extract significantly (p < .05) influenced productive performances, blood parameters, immune parameters and gut microbiota, indicating its possible role as a substitute for antibiotics in a sustainable poultry industry

Characterization and effect of year of harvest on the nutritional properties of three varieties of white lupine (Lupinus albus L.)

BACKGROUND: Three cultivars of Lupinus albus L. (Lutteur, Lublanca and Multitalia) were assessed for proximate composition, fatty acids, alkaloids and in vitro fermentation characteristics over three harvest years. RESULTS: The chemical composition varied greatly during the three harvest years. Crude protein content ranged from 353 to 456 g kg-1 dry matter (DM), neutral detergent fiber content from 209 to 321 g kg-1 DM and lignin content from 3.0 to 63.9 g kg-1 DM. Lublanc showed the highest crude protein (417 g kg-1 DM) and lignin (35 g kg-1 DM) contents. High levels of lipids (89.9gkg-1 DM) and starch (93.3 g kg-1 DM) were found in all samples. Alkaloid content ranged from 3.63 to 165mg per 100g. Lutteur and Lublanc showed more favorable n-3/n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid ratios (from 0.44 to 0.73) and lower values of the anti-quality factor 'erucic acid' (from 5.8 to 20.9 g kg-1) than Multitalia. Lutteur showed higher degradability (897 g kg-1), gas production (330 mL g-1 organic matter (OM)) and volatile fatty acid production (117mmolg-1 OM) than the other varieties. CONCLUSION: The present data suggest L. albus L. cv. Lutteur to be a promising crop as food thanks to its high nutritive traits and most constant yield over time

Amaranthus grain as a new ingredient in diets for dairy cows: productive, qualitative, and in vitro fermentation traits

Background: In recent decades, grain amaranths have attracted attention due to their valuable combination of nutritional traits, with higher protein and oil content than conventional cereals. Before they can be proposed as an unconventional ingredient in animal feed, many aspects still need to be investigated from field production to nutritive value. The present research aimed to study the agronomic traits, proximate composition, and digestibility/degradability, fatty acid profile, antioxidant activity, and total phenolic content of two grain amaranth species, Amaranthus cruentus and Amaranthus hypochondriacus (for a total of six accessions), grown in a Mediterranean environment. Results: Both species showed seed yields comparable to or higher than the traditional cereal crops in the same environment. On the whole, A. cruentus resulted in a higher seed production than A. hypochondriacus. Mexico and Montana accessions, both belonging to A. cruentus, showed the highest yield (3.73 t ha-1 , on average). Few differences emerged in nutritive value between species and accessions: the Illinois accession of A. cruentus showed the best performance in terms of in vitro degradability and gas production, but not for volatile fatty acid production; the fermentation kinetics was slowest in the Illinois accession and fastest in the Montana accession of A. cruentus and the India accession of A. hypochondriacus. Conclusion: From a health perspective, the Nebraska accession of A. hypochondriacus represents the best accession, with the lowest saturated fatty acid content and the highest polyunsaturated fatty acid content. © 2022 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley &amp; Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry

Influence of Feeding Linseed on SCD Activity in Grazing Goat Mammary Glands

The effects of linseed feeding on the stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) activity were evaluated on grazing dairy goats divided into two homogeneous groups (C, control, and L, treated) fed the same amount of concentrate which, for group L was supplemented with linseed. Milk yield was unaffected by the treatment. Group L showed significantly higher milk fat (4.10% vs 2.94%, p < 0.01) than group S. Within milk fatty acids, group C showed significantly higher levels of saturated fatty acids and lower values of mono-unsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. In group L, total CLAs were higher than in group S (0.646% vs 0.311%; p < 0.01) mainly because of the differences in CLA cis9 trans 11 (0.623% vs 0.304%; p < 0.01). In treated animals, SCD activity, measured as cis9 C14:1/C14:0, was lower than in the control group, mainly in July and August

Effects of the administration of Lactobacilli on body growth and on the metabolic profile in growing Maltese goat kids

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of some lactobacilli on body growth and on the metabolic-nutritional status in growing goat kids. Twenty growing Maltese goat kids (10 Control and 10 Bios) were studied. The animals of the Bios group received a concentrate including 1 g·kg–1 of SEB Bovino® (spray-dried), Akron S.r.l., Italy, with non bacterial components: gum arabic, soybean meal, silicate alum of magnesium, and with bacterial components: 1011 cfu·kg–1 each of Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus salivarius, Lactobacillus reuteri. Monthly, bio-metric and weight evaluations were carried out on each animal and individual blood samples were taken. The Bios group showed the highest body weight (Control 19 vs. Bios 23 kg P < 0.001), anamorphosis (Control 71 vs. Bios 78 P < 0.05) and body proportion (Control 35 vs. Bios 41 P < 0.001) indices; the lowest levels of Non Esterified Fatty Acids (Control 0.778 vs. Bios 0.403 mmol·L–1 P < 0.001), triglycerides (Control 0.21 vs. Bios 0.18 mmol·L–1 P < 0.05), urea (Control 8.83 vs. Bios 7.65 mmol·L–1 P < 0.05) and the highest levels of Alkaline Phosphatase (Control 270 vs. Bios 851 U·L–1 P < 0.01) and Creatine Kinase (Control 173 vs. Bios 285 U·L–1 P < 0.01). The results testify to the better metabolic activity of the Bios group which achieved, at the end of the trial (7 months old), about 99% of the morphological development of the adult, therefore an adequate structure for mating and going into production within the first year of life