Influence of gas mixture on quality and shelf life of veal calf meat

The paper investigates the effect of two different gas mixtures on chemical, physical and microbiological quality of veal meat packed in modified atmosphere during chill storage. Experimental gas atmospheres tested were O246 (46% O2, 31% N2 and 23% CO2) and O270 (70% O2, 8% N2 and 22% CO2). Samples were stored at 4°C for 14 days and tested at 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 14 days after packaging. The different O2 concentration influenced many parameters. Lower O2 concentration showed a greater increase of a* values (P<0.01) from the 2nd to the 8th packaging day, and a lower increase in drip loss values, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and protein oxidation (P<0.001). Total aerobic mesophilic and psychrophilic count showed a gradual increase in bacterial load over storage time in both the experimental treatments. Results obtained showed that O246 is better than O270 in calf meat packaging because of a belated decline of meat quality, particularly about oxidative parameters

Mammary gland physiology and farm management of dairy mares and jennies

Equid milk is arousing increasing interest in consumers and researchers because of its similarity in composition to human milk. The low and different protein content makes equid milk it suitable for children with cow milk protein allergy. Both horse and milk production, in many farms, still follow a characteristic and traditional method of separating the foal from the mother to allow milking procedures. This separation lasts at least 2 to 3 h before milking, a time in which the foal remains fasting. This operation is repeated several times a day, as the equid udder has little collection capacity, and milking frequency is one of the most important parameters to increase milk production; it must be emptied often. New partial artificially suckling techniques have been developed that allow the foal to be separated from its mother for many hours without starving. Furthermore, mechanical milking has been introduced in equid milk production, although in-depth knowledge is lacking on milking parameters and how these aspects affect milk production and udder health. Moreover, in some farms, new milking parlors for Equidae have been developed, ensuring that stress is minimized and production and animal welfare are ensured. It is important to develop and apply technologies for equid milk production, evaluating potential effects on welfare, health, and milk production. This represents the broadest perspective and the greatest challenge because of the need to understand management best practices, thinking to the possibility to introduce as soon as possible automatic milking systems that could ensure a good milking frequency

Comparison between carcasses of artificially suckled I.H.D.H. (Italian Heavy Draught Horse) foals slaughtered at 6 months and traditional carcasses obtained by foals slaughtered at 11 and 18 months

Aim of the study was the evaluation of a innovative I.H.D.H. carcass production sys- tem in order to improve the conditions for mare's milk production. In the trial were used 18 foals, subdi- vided in three randomized groups of 6 animals each. Every group was slaughtered at a different age: 6 months (artificially suckled), 11 months and 18 months (naturally suckled, following traditional rearing systems). Six months old foals carcasses were characterized by 75.59 % of lean, 12.79 % of fat and 11.64 % of bone. Six months foals carcasses showed the lean end the fact respectively higher (P<0.001) end lower (P<0.001) than 18 months ones (P<0.001), and the bone higher than 11 months foals (P<0.001). Six months hind quarter incidence was 65.00 %, more than found for 18 months carcasses (P<0.001). Moreo- ver, 6 months carcasses showed an first quality cuts incidence higher than 11 months foals (P<0.01)

Influence of seasonality on the comfort supplied by different materials used as cubicle flooring for dairy cows

The comfort provided by four different cubicle floorings was evaluated with a preference test in relation to winter and summer seasons. The test showed that polyethylene vinyl acetate and polypropylene vinyl acetate mats were preferred during winter, while solid manure and wood shavings assured more comfort than inorganic floorings during summer period. Results obtained suggest that the resting comfort of cubicle floorings may be evaluated also in relation to environmental microclimatic patterns

Effect of Heat Waves on Some Italian Brown Swiss Dairy Cows' Production Patterns

Climate change is impacting worldwide efficiency and welfare standards in livestock production systems. Considering the sensibility to heat stress reported for different milk production patterns in Italian Brown Swiss, this study aims to evaluate the effect of heat waves (HWs)of different lengths on some milk production traits (fat-corrected milk, energy-corrected milk, protein and fat yield, protein percentage, cheese production at 24 h, and cheese yield). A 10-year dataset (2009–2018), containing 202,776 test-day records from 23,296 Brown Swiss cows, was used. The dataset was merged both with the daily maximum temperature–humidity index (THI) recorded by weather stations and with the daily maximum THI threshold for each trait in Italian Brown Swiss cows. The study considered 4 different HWs according to their length: 2, 3, 4, and 5 consecutive days before the test-day over the weighted THI threshold. Milk production traits were determined as the difference in losses compared to those after only 1 day before the test-day over the weighted maximum THI. All traits showed to be affected by HWs. Particularly, protein percentage losses increased from −0.047% to −0.070% after 2 consecutive days over the daily THI threshold, reaching −0.10% to −0.14% after 5 days (p &lt; 0.01), showing a worsening trend with the increasing length of HWs. First parity cows showed to be more sensitive to HWs than other parity classes, recording greater losses after shorter HWs, compared to multiparous cows, for protein yield and, consequently, for cheese production at 24 h. This suggests a less efficient metabolic response to heat stress and exposure time in primiparous, compared to multiparous cows, probably due to their incomplete growth process that overlaps milk production, making it more difficult for them to dissipate heat. Although actions to mitigate heat stress are always needed in livestock, this study points out that often time exposure to warm periods worsens milk production traits in Brown Swiss cows

Effect of Red Orange and Lemon Extract-Enriched Diet in Suckling Lambs' Fecal Microbiota

Red orange and lemon extract (RLE) is an anthocyanins-rich dietary supplement that may influence gastrointestinal bacterial community in ruminants. The aim of the present study was to investigate the RLE effects on gut microbiota composition in lambs. Twenty-eight lambs were randomly divided into a control group (CON; n = 14) and an anthocyanin group (ANT; n = 14) and fed the same diet; additionally, only the ANT received 90 mg/kg live weight of RLE at day. After lamb slaughter (40 ± 1 days), fecal samples were collected from the rectum and stored at −20 ◦C until analysis. Analysis of fecal microbiome was carried out by metabarcoding analysis of 16S rRNA. After reads denoising, sequences were aligned against SILVA rRNA sequence database using MALT, and taxonomic binning was performed with MEGAN. A significant increase in Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes and a decrease in Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria was observed in ANT compared to CON. Moreover, an interesting increase of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium genera and a decrease in Escherichia coli and Salmonella species were detected in ANT compared to CON. Results recommend that anthocyanin supplementation in lamb diet is able to modulate positively gut microbiota and may inhibit the growth of some potential pathogenic microorganisms

Buffalo Milk as a Source of Probiotic Functional Products

In the past two decades, consumption of food has been accruing due to its health claims which include gastrointestinal health, improved immunity, and well‐being. Currently, the dairy industry is the sector where probiotics are most widely used, especially in fermented milk, cheese, yoghurt, butter, and dairy beverages. Although, it is still necessary to face many challenges regarding their stability and functionality in food. Considering the increasing demand for healthy products, it is necessary to develop strategies that aim to increase the consumption of functional foods in order to meet probiotic usefulness criteria and the consumer market. This review aimed to promote the utilization of buffalo milk considering its probiotic effects as a functional food and natural remedy to various ailments, emphasizing the potential of innovation and the importance of milk‐based products as health promoters. The intake of probiotics plays an important role in modulating the health of the host, as a result of a balanced intestinal microbiota, reducing the risk of development of various diseases such as cancer, colitis, lactose intolerance, heart diseases, and obesity, among other disorders. However, further studies should be carried out to deepen the knowledge on the relationship between raw buffalo milk, its dairy products microbiota and consumer’s health beneficial effects, as well as to implement a strategy to increase the variety and availability of its products as a functional food in the market

Responses to different feeding levels during the first month post-insemination in highly prolific multiparous sows

Aim of study: To evaluate the impact of the feed level during the first month of gestation on body weight evolution, backfat and loin muscle depths and reproductive performances in highly prolific sows.Area of study: Galicia (Northwestern Spain).Material and methods: Thirty-six Danbred sows were assigned to three experimental groups (n=12) receiving, from day 1 to 30 of pregnancy, 2.5, 3.0 or 3.5 kg/d of a standard diet (8.83 MJ net energy and 138.5 g crude protein/kg). In each group, the number of sows in the second-, third- and fourth-cycle was the same. All animals received, of the same diet, 2.5 kg/d from day 31 to 90 and 3.0 kg/d from day 91 to 107. Seven days prior the parturition, sows were moved to the farrowing-lactating facilities where spent until weaning receiving a common standard lactation diet. At 24 h post-farrowing, litters were standardized to 13 piglets each by cross-fostering.Main results: The optimal feeding level during the first 30 days of gestation was 3.0 kg/d because a lower amount penalized their body weight gain and a higher amount did not improve their fatty reserves. It is worth considering that the increase from 2.5 to 3.5 kg/d generated advantages at birth (higher and more homogenous piglet weights) but also handicaps (lower litter size). The effects were similar irrespective of the cycle number.Research highlights: Different feeding levels during the early pregnancy were tested because it is a critical period. Suppling 3.0 kg/d carried out the best productive and reproductive implications

Dry-aged beef steaks: effect of dietary supplementation with Pinus taeda hydrolyzed lignin on sensory profile, colorimetric and oxidative stability

Flavor is one of the main factors involved in consumer meat-purchasing decision and use of natural antioxidants in animal feeding had a great appeal for consumers. The aim of this trial is to evaluate the effect of Pinus taeda hydrolyzed lignin (PTHL) feed addition on oxidative stability, volatile compounds characteristics, and sensory attributes of 35 days dry-aged beef steaks. Forty steer six months old were randomly divided into a control group (CON; n = 20) and an experimental group (PTHL; n = 20). Both groups were fed ad libitum for 120 days with the same TMR and only the PTHL group received PTHL supplement. Samples of LT muscle were removed from carcasses and dry aged for 35 days at 2 °C, 82% of humidity, and 0.4 m/s of ventilation and then analyzed. Meat of CON group showed lower yellowness (p < 0.01) and higher TBARS (p < 0.01) values. Moreover, CON meat showed higher volatile aldehydes and lower sulfur compounds (p < 0.01), with higher unpleasant odor (p < 0.05) and meaty odor (p < 0.01) score revealed by sensory assessors. PTHL inclusion in beef diet delayed the oxidative mechanisms in 35 days dry-aged steaks, resulting in an improved colorimetric, volatolomic, and sensory profile