Effect of sire breed and rearing system on growth, carcass composition and meat traits of Cinta Senese crossbred pigs

The objective of this work was to evaluate, under indoors and outdoors rearing, the effect of crossing Cinta Senese (CS) with Italian Large White (ILW) and Italian Duroc (ID) breeds. Starting from 72 d of age, 9 CS, 8 ILWxCS and 7 IDxCS were reared outdoors (OUT) in 3 paddocks of 2 ha and 8 CS, 10 ILWxCS and 8 IDxCS pigs were reared indoors (IN) in three pens of 20 m2. All pigs, fed the same commercial diets, were weighed and measured periodically and were slaughtered at a target live weight of 150 kg. Indoor-pigs grew faster than the outdoor ones and crossbred pigs showed higher average daily gain than CS breed (476, 437 and 387 g/d for IDxCS, ILWxCS and CS, respectively). Rearing system had moderate or null effect on carcass and sample cut composition whereas the OUT pigs, when compared to IN ones, showed higher moisture and lower IMF in Longissimus L. and Psoas M. muscles and higher cooking loss of meat (22.1 vs 18.4 %) that resulted also less red (a* 10.94 vs 12.04). CS had more fat in carcass and more bone in sample cut than the crossbreeds. ILWxCS showed lower IMF content and higher moisture in muscles and brighter and less red meat than the other breeds, while IDxCS produced the most tender meat after cooking. The use of Italian Duroc could be profitable on Cinta Senese to improve the farming performance without worsening the fresh meat quality

Comparison of metabolic, oxidative and inflammatory status of Simmental × Holstein crossbred with parental breeds during the peripartal and early lactation periods.

AbstractThe aim of the research reported in this paper was to evaluate plasma concentrations of energy, oxidative and inflammatory biomarkers of Simmental (sire) × Holstein (dam) crossbred cows, in comparison with the two parental breeds during the peripartal and early lactation periods and to estimate the effects of heterosis for these traits. Thirty-three animals, managed under the same conditions, 8 Simmental (SI), 9 Holstein (HO) and 16 crossbred (CR) cows were enrolled in this study. Glucose, non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), total bilirubin, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), creatine kinase (CK), total protein, albumin, creatinine and urea were determined in blood sampled at six different time points (30 ± 3 and 15 ± 3 d before the expected calving date, at calving and 15, 30 and 60 d after calving). Furthermore, derived reactive oxygen metabolites (d-ROMs), biological antioxidant potential (BAP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), haptoglobin (Hp) and serum amyloid A protein (SAA) were determined to evaluate inflammatory and oxidative status. Results showed that the CR group had significantly lower average values of glucose and NEFA when compared to HO group; signifcantly lower values of urea than SI group and significantly higher values of creatinine than HO. Furthermore, CR cows showed the lowest average value of d-ROMs with respect to SI and HO parental breeds. Finally, the average value of haptoglobin was significantly lower in CR and HO groups, when compared to SI group. As for the heterosis we found the highest (positive) percentage for CK (98%) and BAP (47%) and the lowest (negative) percentage for OSi (−75%) and d-ROMs (−39%). A negative percentage was also found for the glucose (−11%) and NEFA (−20%) toward the Simmental parental breed. Our results suggest a different response among the three genetic groups during the peripartal and early lactation periods. In particular, CR and SI cows seem more adaptable regarding energy metabolism and oxidative status. Heterosis led to a positive effect on those parameters in Simmental (sire) × Holstein (dam) crossbred cows F1 population (50% Simmental and 50% Holstein)

Effect of castration and crossbreeding on meat quality traits of Maremmana beef cattle

The aim of this trial was to evaluate the influence of castration and crossbreeding on some meat quality traits of Maremmana breed calves. Meat quality attributes were determined in carcasses from thirty male animals: 11 intact Maremmana males (MM), 10 intact crossbreeding males (CB), 9 Maremmana steers (ST). Meat composition, texture, colour and intramuscular lipid profile of Longissimus thoracis muscle were analysed after 8 days of ageing. Meat from intact Maremmana males showed a general tendency to be tougher and with a higher saturated fatty acids content than the other groups but this trend is only partially confirmed by analysis of WBSr (3.58 kg MM vs. 2.70 kg ST; P<0.05) and total collagen (5.35 mg MM vs. 3.05 g ST; P<0.05) data. Nevertheless insoluble collagen is higher in males than in steers and crossbreeds. As to saturated fatty acids content, the only significant difference is between MM and CB (48.30% vs. 44.1%; P<0.05). In addition to its practical utility in management, castration showed some positive effects on meat quality characteristics, as well as crossbreeding

Comparative ruminal study of buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) and cattle (Bos taurus), and their response to maize grain grown on mycorrhized soil

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) form symbiotic relations with most terrestrial plants, and can reduce the need for crop fertilization, pest control, weed control and water input. Several studies have analyzed the effect of AMF inoculation on forage yield; however, it is unclear whether AMF treatment of maize crops affect grain usage as a ruminant feed. Therefore, the effect of maize grain grown on soil with and without AMF on ruminal fermentation, and the associated rumen microbiota was investigated. Both Holstein-Friesian dairy cows and Mediterranean buffaloes were studied because of known differences in their ruminal fermentation and microbiota. For each host type, rumen cannulated non-lactating animals were fed the two diets in a cross-over design. Diet did not affect any of the assessed ruminal fermentation parameters, microbial concentrations or the prokaryotic barcoded 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing based community composition analysis. In contrast, host type had numerous effects. Protozoal counts, lactic acid, volatile fatty acids and the molar proportion of isobutyric acid were all higher in buffaloes compared to dairy cows. Conversely, the molar proportion of butyric acid was lower in buffaloes than the dairy cows. Host type also explained 9.3% of the total variation in the prokaryotic community composition, and several amplicon sequence variants could be associated with host type. These findings indicate that AMF treatment of maize crops has no detrimental impact on the value of the resulting maize grains as a ruminant feed, and provide additional insight into the ruminal based differences between dairy cows and buffaloes

Comparative ruminal study of buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) and cattle (Bos taurus), and their response to maize grain grown on mycorrhized soil

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) form symbiotic relations with most terrestrial plants, and can reduce the need for crop fertilization, pest control, weed control and water input. Several studies have analyzed the effect of AMF inoculation on forage yield; however, it is unclear whether AMF treatment of maize crops affect grain usage as a ruminant feed. Therefore, the effect of maize grain grown on soil with and without AMF on ruminal fermentation, and the associated rumen microbiota was investigated. Both Holstein-Friesian dairy cows and Mediterranean buffaloes were studied because of known differences in their ruminal fermentation and microbiota. For each host type, rumen cannulated non-lactating animals were fed the two diets in a cross-over design. Diet did not affect any of the assessed ruminal fermentation parameters, microbial concentrations or the prokaryotic barcoded 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing based community composition analysis. In contrast, host type had numerous effects. Protozoal counts, lactic acid, volatile fatty acids and the molar proportion of isobutyric acid were all higher in buffaloes compared to dairy cows. Conversely, the molar proportion of butyric acid was lower in buffaloes than the dairy cows. Host type also explained 9.3% of the total variation in the prokaryotic community composition, and several amplicon sequence variants could be associated with host type. These findings indicate that AMF treatment of maize crops has no detrimental impact on the value of the resulting maize grains as a ruminant feed, and provide additional insight into the ruminal based differences between dairy cows and buffaloes

Study on genetic parameters of subcutaneous fatty acid composition in Italian Large White pig breed

The fat content and fatty acid composition of porcine meat and carcass influence nutritional value of meat and various techno- logical aspects of meat and carcass quality. Variation in lipid composition has an important effect on firmness of the fat in meat, especially the subcutaneous and intermuscular (carcass fats) but also the intramuscular (marbling) fat. Moreover, as a major source of energy and as structural components of mem- branes, fatty acids are essential for life. The aim of the study was to estimate genetic parameters for backfat fatty acid composition (FAC) and intramuscular fat content (IMF) of semimembranosus muscle in a sample of 949 Sib-tested Italian Large White pigs. Backfat tissue and semimembranosus muscle tissue samples were collected at slaughter and stored at -80°C. IMF content and backfat FAC were determined by gas chromatography and analy- sis of the fatty acid methyl esters. Heritability (h2) and genetic correlations between subcutaneous fatty acids composition and carcass and meat quality traits were estimated using the restrict- ed maximum likelihood methodology applied to a multiple-trait Animal Model. The model was: Yijklm = μ + sexi + dj + b1ak + animall + eijklm where Y = analysed traits; μ = general mean; sex = fixed effect of sex; d = fixed effect of slaugher day; b1 = regression coefficient of the fixed effect of age at slaughtering (ak); animal = random additive effect of each animal; eijklm = error of the model. Results showed that the estimate of h2 for FAC were of moderate magnitude. This study suggest that back- fat FAC is genetically correlated with carcass quality traits and the selection for carcass and meat quality traits produces a cor- related response on FAC of subcutaneous fat. The reduction in fat covering tissue is associated with an increase of lipid insatu- ration and a decrease in subcutaneous fat firmness that deter- mines technological problems in dry cured ham quality. Very low genetic correlations were found between IMF content and back- fat fatty acids. The results found suggest the possibility of genet- ic improvement of FAC of subcutaneous fat by a partial substitu- tion of saturated fatty acids with monounsaturated ones. This would not hinder the technological characteristics of hams for seasoning while improving its eating quality

Increasing the Sustainability of Maize Grain Production by Using Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Does Not Affect the Rumen of Dairy Cattle (Bos taurus) and Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis)

New approaches are needed to improve the sustainability of feed production and utilization by ruminants. Promising approaches include increased use of buffaloes for more sustainable milk production, and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) to reduce crop production input needs. However, studies assessing the effect of crops grown in the presence of AMF on rumen microbial utilization are limited. Based on current knowledge, we hypothesized that maize grain grown on AMF-inoculated soil affected ruminal fermentation and microbiota, and that this effect differed between buffalo and cattle. A dietary cross-over study (four weeks per diet) was conducted using rumen-cannulated cattle (n = 5) and buffalo (n = 6) to assess the effect of maize grain (3.9% (w/v) of diet) grown on soil with or without AMF (15 kg/ha) on ruminal fermentation and microbiota. Production of maize on AMF-treated soil did not affect any of the assessed ruminal fermentation parameters, microbial concentrations, or prokaryotic community composition (using prokaryotic 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis). In contrast, host type had numerous effects. Protozoal counts, lactate, total VFA and isobutyrate, were significantly higher in buffaloes compared to cattle. Conversely, butyrate was significantly lower in buffaloes than in cattle. Host type explained 9.3% of the total variation in prokaryotic community composition, and relative abundance of nine amplicon sequence variants significantly differed between host types. These findings indicate that AMF treatment of maize crops has no detrimental impact on the value of the resulting maize grains as a ruminant feed, and provides additional insight into rumen-based differences between cattle and buffalo.</p