The benefits to the Australian Pig meat industry from an increase in demand for a hypothetical low cholesterol pork product

This is the third of a series of papers examining the potential economic effects from the introduction of a hypothetical low cholesterol pork product into the Australian market. Here, a newly updated pig meat model reported by Griffith et al. (2010) is used to model the industry wide impacts of the Bellhouse et al. (2010) survey results on consumer willingness to pay for this new pork product. Six different scenarios are examined that are combinations of a 10, 20 or 30 per cent increase in consumer demand, with and without a 10 per cent increase in the costs of producing the more valuable pork. The simulation results for the various scenarios indicate total annual industry benefits of some $450m for an increase in aggregate willingness to pay of 30 per cent and no cost increase, down to$88m for an increase in aggregate willingness to pay of 10 per cent and a 10 per cent cost increase. Australian consumers receive about 80 per cent of total benefits, pork producers receive about 7-8 per cent and all other market participants together receive about 12-13 per cent. These values provide a guide to the size of the annual investment that could be justified by pork producers to produce a pig that is low in cholesterol.cholesterol, pork, Australia, consumer willingness to pay, demand, Agribusiness, Demand and Price Analysis, Environmental Economics and Policy, Farm Management, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Livestock Production/Industries, Production Economics,

Australian consumers' willingness to pay and willingness to purchase a hypothetical lower cholesterol pork product

This study investigated whether there would be an increase in consumer willingness to pay and purchase if reduced cholesterol pork was introduced to the Australian market. A stated choice analysis was used, with the following questions addressed. How are current purchases of fresh pork affected by concerns about cholesterol content? What financial premium, if any, would consumers place on reduced cholesterol pork? Would consumers buy more pork if a low cholesterol option were available? Is there a group of consumers, such as those with high cholesterol, who have an increased willingness to pay for or purchase reduced cholesterol pork when compared to consumers without this health problem? Results from this study indicated that at present the majority of consumers are relatively unconcerned about the cholesterol content of fresh pork and that there is a minimal effect of such concerns on fresh pork purchases. The results also predicted a significant financial premium for the reduced cholesterol product at the retail level, with increased willingness to pay for and consume reduced cholesterol pork by the average pork consuming family. However, as these results are the product of a stated choice analysis and not a revealed preference study, and therefore simply reasonable expectations, it is likely that the reported increase in demand in both quantity and price by potential consumers is overstated to some extent.pork, cholesterol, choice analysis, Australian pork, Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy, Consumer/Household Economics, Farm Management, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Livestock Production/Industries, Risk and Uncertainty,

Meat tenderness: advances in biology, biochemistry, molecular mechanisms and new technologies

Meat tenderness is an important quality trait critical to consumer acceptance, and determines satisfaction, repeat purchase and willingness-to-pay premium prices. Recent advances in tenderness research from a variety of perspectives are presented. Our understanding of molecular factors influencing tenderization are discussed in relation to glycolysis, calcium release, protease activation, apoptosis and heat shock proteins, the use of proteomic analysis for monitoring changes, proteomic biomarkers and oxidative/nitrosative stress. Each of these structural, metabolic and molecular determinants of meat tenderness are then discussed in greater detail in relation to animal variation, postmortem influences, and changes during cooking, with a focus on recent advances. Innovations in postmortem technologies and enzymes for meat tenderization are discussed including their potential commercial application. Continued success of the meat industry relies on ongoing advances in our understanding, and in industry innovation. The recent advances in fundamental and applied research on meat tenderness in relation to the various sectors of the supply chain will enable such innovation

Differential effects of natural palm oil, chemically- and enzymatically-modified palm oil on weight gain, blood lipid metabolites and fat deposition in a pediatric pig model

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Increasing prevalence of obesity and overweight in the Western world, continue to be a major health threat and is responsible for increased health care costs. Dietary intervention studies show a strong positive association between saturated fat intake and the development of obesity and cardiovascular disease. This study investigated the effect of positional distribution of palmitic acid (Sn-1, 2 & 3) of palm oil on cardiovascular health and development of obesity, using weaner pigs as a model for young children.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Male and female weaner piglets were randomly allocated to 4 dietary treatment groups: 1) pork lard (LRD); 2) natural palm olein (NPO); 3) chemically inter-esterified PO (CPO) and 4) enzymatically inter-esterified PO (EnPO) as the fat source. Diets were formulated with 11% lard or with palm olein in order to provide 31% of digestible energy from fat in the diet and were balanced for cholesterol, protein and energy across treatments.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>From 8 weeks onwards, pigs on EnPO diet gained (P < 0.05) more weight than all other groups. Feed conversion efficiency (feed to gain) over the 12 week experimental period did not vary between treatment groups. Plasma LDL-C content and LDL-C/HDL-C ratio in pigs fed natural PO tended to be lower compared to all other diets. The natural PO lowered (P < 0.02) the plasma triglyceride (TG) content relative to the lard or EnPO diets, but was not different from the CPO diet. The natural PO diet was associated with lower (P < 0.05) saturated fat levels in subcutaneous adipose tissue than the CPO and EnPO diets that had lower saturated fat levels than the lard diet. Female pigs had lower lean and higher fat and fat:lean ratio in the body compared with male pigs. No difference in weight gain or blood lipid parameters was observed between sexes.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The observations on plasma TG, muscle and adipose tissue saturated fatty acid contents and back fat (subcutaneous) thickness suggest that natural palm oil may reduce deposition of body fat. In addition, dietary supplementation with natural palm oil containing palmitic acid at different positions in meat producing animals may lead to the production of meat and meat products with lower saturated fats. An increase in fat content and a decrease in lean content in female pigs resulted in an increased body fat:lean ratio but gender had no effect on blood lipid parameters or insulin concentrations.</p

Adaptation strategies: ruminants

Growing populations and reduced access to arable land mean that animal production systems will either need to intensify and/or produce more from a reducing land and other resource base. Variable and unpredictable environmental conditions mean that animal production faces numerous challenges. In add- ition to climate, these challenges include increased disease risk, increased nutritional deficiencies, and lack of capital to support diversification. Predicted changes in climate will impose selection pressures on traits important for biological fitness (and production). Genetic adaptation is important for the future of livestock systems. Animal adaptation involves trade-offs, which must be considered when selecting animals for use in breeding programs

Effect of dietary protein on body composition and insulin resistance using a pig model of the child and adolescent

Abstract There has been an increase in the incidence of obesity and related metabolic disorders in children and adolescents, so effective dietary and exercise interventions are needed. Over the past decade, there has been growing scientific evidence and public acceptance of the role that dietary protein plays in regulation of satiety, feed intake and obesity-related disorders. Dietary protein appears to suppress food intake and delay the return of hunger more than fats or carbohydrates in a manner not due to energy content alone. Some protein sources, particularly dairy, contain specific peptides or proteins that may elicit direct effects upon satiety. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the role of level and type of dietary protein using the pig to model the important growth and developmental stages of human life. Increasing dietary protein intake reduced feed intake and fat and weight gain with the response being most pronounced in pigs consuming diets containing soy protein isolate (SPI) rather than whey protein isolate (WPI). However, in female pigs consuming diets rich in SPI from infancy to adolescence, there was a catch-up growth that resulted in increased food intake and weight and fat gain. Insulin sensitivity was negatively related to the rate of fat deposition and was improved in pigs consuming WPI compared with SPI. While high-protein diets may decrease calcium balance and bone strength, it appears that these effects are attenuated by WPI. These findings suggest that high-protein diets may reduce hunger and food intake, thereby reducing fat deposition and improving insulin sensitivity

Effects of Oxytocin Administration on the Response of Piglets to Weaning

Weaning is often an abrupt and stressful process. We studied the effects of administering oxytocin, subcutaneously or intranasally, on the ability of pigs to cope with weaning. On a commercial farm 144, 30 day-old pigs from 24 litters were used. On the day of weaning, one male and one female in each litter were administered one of three treatments: intranasal oxytocin (24 International Unit), subcutaneous oxytocin (10 International Unit per kg of body weight), or handled as a control. The pigs were placed in one of eight weaner pens, split by sex and with an equal representation of treatments. Data included body weight and growth, physiology (neutrophil:lymphocyte ratio, plasma cortisol, C-reactive protein and Tumor Necrosis Factor-α concentrations), and behavior (feeding, drinking, social behavior). Both oxytocin treatments tended to result in higher levels of mild aggression within groups (p = 0.08), specifically between oxytocin-administered and control pigs (subcutaneous to control p = 0.03; intranasal to control p = 0.10). Subcutaneously-administered pigs tended to frequent the feeder more often than intranasally-administered pigs (p &lt; 0.10), with the latter having slightly lower body weight 38 days post-weaning (p = 0.03). However, acute oxytocin administration did not result in any noticeable physiological changes 4 or 28 h post-weaning. Hence, the use of a single administration of oxytocin prior to weaning in pigs is not recommended, at least not in the conditions studied here

Plant bioactives for ruminant health and productivity

Plants have been used throughout history for their medicinal properties. This use has often focused on human health but plants have also been, and still are, applied in ethnoveterinary practice and animal health management.\ud \ud In recent times, the use of synthetic chemicals has become prevalent. Public awareness of the potential environmental and health risks associated with heavy chemical use has also increased. This has put pressure on regulatory bodies to reduce the use of chemicals in agriculture. The most striking example is the 2006 banning of antibiotics in animal feed by the European Union. Moves such as this have increased the drive to find alternatives to synthetic chemicals and research has again turned to the use of plant bioactives as a means of improving animal health.\ud \ud Current scientific evidence suggests there is significant potential to use plants to enhance animal health in general and that of ruminants (cattle, deer, sheep, etc.) in particular. Active areas of research for plant bioactives (particularly saponin and tannin containing plants) include reproductive efficiency, milk and meat quality improvement, foam production/bloat control and methane production. Nematode control is also a significant area of research and the evidence suggests a much broader range of phytochemicals may be effective. This review presents a summary of the literature and examines international research efforts towards the development of plant bioactives for animal health

Antioxidant, Alpha-Glucosidase Inhibition Activities, In Silico Molecular Docking and Pharmacokinetics Study of Phenolic Compounds from Native Australian Fruits and Spices

Native Australian fruits and spices are enriched with beneficial phytochemicals, especially phenolic compounds, which are not fully elucidated. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze native Australian mountain-pepper berries (Tasmannia lanceolata), rosella (Hibiscus sabdariffa), lemon aspen (Acronychia acidula), and strawberry gum (Eucalyptus olida) for phenolic and non-phenolic metabolites and their antioxidant and alpha-glucosidase inhibition activities. Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry–electrospray ionization coupled with quadrupole time of flight (LC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS) was applied to elucidate the composition, identities, and quantities of bioactive phenolic metabolites in Australian native commercial fruits and spices. This study identified 143 phenolic compounds, including 31 phenolic acids, 70 flavonoids, 10 isoflavonoids, 7 tannins, 3 stilbenes, 7 lignans, 10 other compounds, and 5 limonoids. Strawberry gum was found to have the highest total phenolic content (TPC—36.57 ± 1.34 milligram gallic acid equivalent per gram (mg GAE/g), whereas lemon aspen contained the least TPC (4.40 ± 0.38 mg GAE/g). Moreover, strawberry gum and mountain pepper berries were found to have the highest antioxidant and anti-diabetic potential. In silico molecular docking and pharmacokinetics screening were also conducted to predict the potential of the most abundant phenolic compounds in these selected plants. A positive correlation was observed between phenolic contents and biological activities. This study will encourage further research to identify the nutraceutical and phytopharmaceutical potential of these native Australian fruits

The benefits to the Australian Pig meat industry from an increase in demand for a hypothetical low cholesterol pork product

This is the third of a series of papers examining the potential economic effects from the introduction of a hypothetical low cholesterol pork product into the Australian market. Here, a newly updated pig meat model reported by Griffith et al. (2010) is used to model the industry wide impacts of the Bellhouse et al. (2010) survey results on consumer willingness to pay for this new pork product. Six different scenarios are examined that are combinations of a 10, 20 or 30 per cent increase in consumer demand, with and without a 10 per cent increase in the costs of producing the more valuable pork. The simulation results for the various scenarios indicate total annual industry benefits of some $450m for an increase in aggregate willingness to pay of 30 per cent and no cost increase, down to$88m for an increase in aggregate willingness to pay of 10 per cent and a 10 per cent cost increase. Australian consumers receive about 80 per cent of total benefits, pork producers receive about 7-8 per cent and all other market participants together receive about 12-13 per cent. These values provide a guide to the size of the annual investment that could be justified by pork producers to produce a pig that is low in cholesterol