Nutritional composition of raw and fried big-scale sand smelt (Atherina boyeri) from Trasimeno lake

The aim of this research was to investigate the nutritional composition of raw and fried big-scale sand smelt (Atherina boyeri) from Trasimeno Lake. Four hundred big-scale sand smelts were caught with nets and analysed immediately. We created a total of 20 batches with 20 whole fish in each batch. Ten batches were analysed as raw samples, while the other 10 batches were analysed after being fried in sunflower oil at a temperature of 190 °C for 3 min (deep fat frying). The pH, proximate composition, fatty acid profile, oxidative stability and nutritional indexes of both groups were assessed. As expected, cooking strongly influenced the characteristics of the meat, mainly in terms of lipids, which were seven times greater in the fried product due to the oil. Frying also affected the fatty acid profile of the meat because oil absorption caused a significant increase in oleic and linoleic acids. Furthermore, we found a slight reduction in long chain n-3 fatty acids (eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids). Frying increased oxidative processes and decreased the nutritional value of sand smelt. The obtained results can be considered preliminary because the effects of the fishing season and different physiological phases of sand smelt require further analytical confirmation.Highlights The aim of the research was to investigate the nutritional composition of raw and fried big-scale sand smelt (Atherina boyeri) from Trasimeno Lake. The fried big-scale sand smelt had a meat lipids content 7-times greater than the control, due to the oil adsorbition. Frying increased oxidative processes and decreased the nutritional value of big-scale sand smelt

Impact of ozone and UV irradiation sanitation treatments on the survival of Salmonella and the physical–chemical characteristics of hen eggs

Summary: Salmonella is the second main cause of foodborne illness in poultry production. It is one of the most problematic zoonoses in terms of public health worldwide because of the difficulty in controlling it and its significant morbidity and mortality rates. Recent surveys have shown that small flocks of laying hens have the same or higher prevalence of salmonellosis than larger flocks, mainly due to a lack of control actions, that is, the control of mice and wild animals, employees, and poor management practices. In this regard, different physical and chemical procedures have proven efficacious for reducing external and/or internal Salmonella contamination. This research evaluated the effect of ozone and UV-C rays on Salmonella growth and hen egg quality. Microbiological evaluation was performed on 120 eggs: negative control (C−), eggs not contaminated with Salmonella; positive control (C+), eggs contaminated; contaminated ozonate-treated (O, 600 mg/h for 2 h); and contaminated UV-C–irradiated (ʎ, 254 nm for 15 s) eggs. Moreover, 30 eggs were used (10/group) for the quality assessments of the C, O, and UV-C groups. A 2 log10 CFU/g reduction in Salmonella on contaminated eggs was found in the UV-C group compared with the C+ and O groups. Compared with UV-C treatment, ozonization reduced the amount of yolk tocols and carotenoids (by 2 times). The lipid oxidative status decreased (−1.5 times), similar to the cholesterol level (−28.5%), whereas the amount of cholesterol and its oxidized products increased (+82.1%) in the O group compared with the C group. UV-C irradiation is an effective strategy to reduce Salmonella contamination in eggs without negatively affecting the quality. Therefore, UV treatments remain among the more promising procedures

Rearing Romagnola geese in vineyard: pasture and antioxidant intake, performance, carcass and meat quality

This study aimed to assess the effect of rearing system (intensive vs. free-range under vineyard) on the qualitative characteristics of goose meat. In particular, the integration of a goose raising system with an organic grape production was evaluated. Six hundred Romagnola geese of both sexes were divided into two groups at 21 d of age: Vineyard group (V) – 480 geese (120 geese/ha) pasturing in 4 ha of vineyard, and Control Group (C) – 120 geese of the same genotype in the experimental farm of Perugia, without any access to the pasture. Live weight, feed consumption and other performance were registered weekly on 30 selected and marked animals/group. At 160 days of age, 15 geese/group were slaughtered and characteristics of carcase, breast and drumstick (physical, chemical, oxidative status, fatty acids profile) were evaluated. The chemical analysis of diet and pasture and the ingestion of crude protein, digestible energy and bioactive compounds were also estimated. Vineyard geese, showed lower productive performance than the C ones (live and carcase weight), however, due to pasture availability, the intake of bioactive compounds (vitamin E, retinol, n-3 long-chain fatty acids) was higher and positively affected the antioxidant content of breast and drumstick. The higher kinetic activity of V geese reduced the fat amount of carcase and meat, whereas increased the development of drumstick muscle (higher meat/bone ratio) and worsened the oxidative status of meat. Concluding, the free-range vineyard geese resulted in a positive payoff on the geese meat quality viewpoint.Highlights Pasture enhance the amount of VIT E in goose muscle. Pasture reduce the amount of lipid in goose carcass and meat. Pasture enhance the amount of n-3 PUFA in goose meat

Effect of Goji Berry (Lycium barbarum) Supplementation on Reproductive Performance of Rabbit Does

Simple Summary Infectious diseases represent serious problems for the reproductive performance of livestock animals because they negatively affect not only the welfare of the animals, but also the profitability of the farm. Moreover, the European Community continues to promote the reduction of the use of antibiotics and hormones in animal breeding. In this context, it is necessary to find new nutritional approaches to reduce the negative energy balance, and at the same time, to reinforce the immune system of the animals. In this research, the effect of goji berry supplementation on the reproductive activity and productive performance of rabbits is evaluated. Lycium barbarum fruit is considered a nutraceutical natural product containing various biologically active substances that show health benefits for both humans and animals. In particular, the berry can modulate hormones and metabolites involved in energy balance and reproduction, stimulate and balance the immune system activity, contributing to the defense of the organism against pathogens. Our results suggest that the integration with goji berry in the rabbit diet at 1% affects the reproductive activity, influencing the pattern secretion of luteinizing hormone (LH) and estrogens, as well as the sexual receptivity. Moreover, the fruit induced a higher milk production, improving the productive performance of young rabbits. Goji berry shows a wide range of beneficial properties in human health, but only a few studies evaluated its effects in livestock animals. The objective of this research was to assess the effects of goji berry supplementation on the hormonal profile, productive, and reproductive performance of does. Two months before artificial insemination, 105 nulliparous does were randomly divided into three groups (n = 35) based on the dietary treatment: commercial diet (C), or a diet supplemented with either 1% (G1), or 3% (G3) of goji berry, respectively. The results showed that receptivity was higher in G1 than in the C group (p < 0.05). Trends toward significance for differences between the G1 and G3 groups in marginal means of LH concentrations (p = 0.059), and between G1 and C in LH AUC values (p = 0.078), were evidenced. Estrogen concentrations showed a more fluctuating trend but a significant interaction effect (p < 0.001). The G1 group showed higher litter weight than C at birth (p = 0.008) and weaning (p < 0.001), as well as higher litter size at weaning (p = 0.020). The G1 group also exhibited the highest mean milk production (p < 0.01). In conclusion, goji berry influenced reproductive and productive performance, probably via modulating hormonal patterns and milk production in rabbits. However, further studies are needed to validate these preliminary results

Characterization of Bacterial Microbiota Composition along the Gastrointestinal Tract in Rabbits

The microbiota is extremely important for the animal’s health, but, to date, knowledge on the intestinal microbiota of the rabbit is very limited. This study aimed to describe bacterial populations that inhabit the different gastrointestinal compartments of the rabbit: stomach, duodenum, jejunum, ileum, caecum, and colon. Samples of the luminal content from all compartments of 14 healthy New White Zealand rabbits were collected at slaughter and analyzed using next generation 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing. The findings uncovered considerable differences in the taxonomic levels among the regions of the digestive tract. Firmicutes were the most abundant phylum in all of the sections (45.9%), followed by Bacteroidetes in the large intestine (38.9%) and Euryarchaeota in the foregut (25.9%). Four clusters of bacterial populations were observed along the digestive system: (i) stomach, (ii) duodenum and jejunum, (iii) ileum, and (iv) large intestine. Caecum and colon showed the highest richness and diversity in bacterial species, while the highest variability was found in the upper digestive tract. Knowledge of the physiological microbiota of healthy rabbits could be important for preserving the health and welfare of the host as well as for finding strategies to manipulate the gut microbiota in order to also promote productive performance

How the kinetic behavior of organic chickens affects productive performance and blood and meat oxidative status: a study of six poultry genotypes

The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between the kinetic behavior, carcass characteristics, oxidative status (blood and meat), and meat fatty acid profiles of six organically reared slower growing chicken genotypes (SrG). One hundred male chickens of six SrG were used: Ranger Classic (RC), Ranger Gold (RG), Rowan Ranger (RR), RedJA (RJ), CY Gen 5 JA87 (CY), and M22 × JA87 (M). Twenty chickens/genotype were selected to analyze behavior, while, 15 individuals were slaughtered and different traits were analyzed in the blood and drumstick meat. The variables were grouped into different principal components: kinetic activity (PC1, with explorative attitude as the highest score), productive performance (PC2, carcass and head/feet yields), blood (PC3, carbonyls and TBARS) and meat (PC6, thiols and TBARS) markers, technological traits (PC4, pH and color), proximate meat composition (PCA5, moisture, lipids, protein and ash), fatty acid profile and nutritional indexes (PC7, IP and PUFAn-3). Uni- and bi-variate analyses showed a strong positive association between kinetic behaviors and blood and meat oxidation and a medium positive association with fatty acid profile and nutritional indexes, whereas a negative association was found between productive performance loads and the technological traits of meat. Generalized linear models showed that all PCs were influenced by genotype. In particular, CY and M resulted as less active genotypes; conversely, RR showed more kinetic activity, whereas RJ, RG, and RC exhibited intermediate levels of activity. Cluster analysis of kinetic behavior and blood or meat oxidative status highlighted two groups: non-walking (NW: CY and M) and walking (W: RC, RG, RR, and RJ) animals. However, in the W group, another was visualized, constituted by genotypes with high kinetic activity resulting in the worst oxidative balance (Walking not trained-genotypes, Wnt: RR and RJ). The present results confirmed that the kinetic behavior of SrG genotypes is negatively correlated with productive performance. Furthermore, a significant association between kinetic behavior and blood (positively correlated) or meat (negatively correlated) oxidative status was noted. Such differences are mainly due to the intrinsic response of the genotypes used (i.e., training-walking capacity)

Dehydrated Alfalfa and Fresh Grass Supply in Young Rabbits: Effect on Performance and Caecal Microbiota Biodiversity

The improvement of rabbit gut microbiota by modifying nutritional components of the feed or favoring its early intake of feed has been previously investigated. The early administration of dehydrated alfalfa (A) or fresh grass (G) for rabbits, during the peri-weaning period (30 and 45 days of age), and their effect on performance and caecal microbiota compared to a standard diet (C) were evaluated. Until 15 days of age, nine litters/group were housed in the maternal cage and milked once per day. From 15 to 30 days, the young rabbits could consume both milk and solid feed (pelleted for C or supplemental feed for A and G). At 30 days of age, the rabbits were weaned and, until 45 days, were kept in single cages following the same dietary protocol. No significant changes were found in the milk intake or the individual weight of young rabbits at 30 and 45 days. The caecalFirmicutes/Bacteroidetes (bacterial phyla ratio) increased with age (from 2.43 to 6.05 on average, at 30 and 45 days). The Ruminococcaceae/Lachinospiraceae (bacterial family ratio) was highest in the A group at both ages, followed by G then C. The early administration of dehydrated alfalfa is a promising solution to improve health status by favoring an appropriate digestive microbiota

The Effect of Interaction NGF/p75(NTR) in Sperm Cells: A Rabbit Model

Background: Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) plays an important role in the reproductive system through its receptor's interaction (p75(NTR)). This paper aims to analyze the impact of NGF p75(NTR) in epididymal and ejaculated rabbit semen during in vitro sperm storage. Methods: Semen samples from 10 adult rabbit bucks were collected four times (n = 40) and analyzed. NGF was quantified in seminal plasma, and the basal expression of p75(NTR) in sperm was established (time 0). Moreover, we evaluated p75(NTR), the apoptotic rates, and the main sperm parameters, at times 2-4 and 6 h with or without the administration of exogenous NGF. Results: Based on the level of p75(NTR), we defined the threshold value (25.6%), and sperm were divided into High (H) and Normal (N). During sperm storage, p75(NTR) of H samples significantly modulated some relevant sperm parameters. Specifically, comparing H samples with N ones, we observed a reduction in motility and non-capacitated cell number, together with an increased percentage of dead and apoptotic cells. Notably, the N group showed a reduction in dead and apoptotic cells after NGF treatment. Conversely, the NGF administration on H sperm did not change either the percentage of dead cells or the apoptotic rate. Conclusion: The concentration of p75(NTR) on ejaculated sperm modulates many semen outcomes (motility, apoptosis, viability) through NGF interaction affecting the senescence of sperm

Tissue Antioxidant Status and Lipid Peroxidation Are Related to Dietary Intake of n-3 Polyunsaturated Acids: A Rabbit Model

International audiencePolyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) metabolism and tissue distribution is modulated by the oxidation of these molecules. This research aimed to investigate the implication of dietary n-3 PUFA supplementation (precursor and long-chain PUFA) on the PUFA profile and oxidative status of the liver, testis, and brain of adult rabbit bucks. Twenty New Zealand White rabbit bucks were divided into four experimental groups (n = 5 per group) and were fed different diets for 110 days: control (CNT), standard diet containing 50 mg/kg alpha-tocopheryl acetate (vitamin E); CNT+, standard diet + 200 mg/kg vitamin E; FLAX, standard diet + 10% flaxseed + 200 mg/kg vitamin E; or FISH, standard diet + 3.5% fish oil + 200 mg/kg vitamin E. Antioxidants (enzymatic and non-enzymatic), oxidative status (malondialdehyde and isoprostanoids), and n-3 and n-6 PUFAs of tissues were analysed. A chain mechanism of oxidant/antioxidant molecules, which largely depended on the particular PUFA composition, was delineated in the different organs. The liver showed an oxidant/antioxidant profile and lipid pathways widely modulated by PUFA and vitamin E administration; on the other hand, the testis’ oxidative profile rather than its lipid profile seemed to be particularly affected, an outcome opposite to that of the brain (modulation operated by dietary PUFA)