A Multivariate Approach to Study the Bacterial Diversity Associated to the Wooden Shelves Used for Aging Traditional Sicilian Cheeses

The present study was carried to correlate the microbial diversity of the biofilms developed on the wooden boards used for aging traditional Sicilian cheeses with cheese typology. To this end, the microbial diversity of the shelves in contact with the cheeses PDO Pecorino Siciliano, PDO Piacentinu Ennese, and TAP Caciocavallo Palermitano, during ripening, was evaluated by a multivariate statistical approach. The shelf biofilms of this study were previously analyzed for their microbial composition, but no correlation between biodiversity and cheese type was investigated. Canonical discriminant analysis confirmed a cheese typology effect on the microbial loads of the wooden shelves investigated. Regarding the plate count data, the centroids of different cheeses were statistically distant from one another. This analysis also showed a good graphic separation of data regarding bacterial order operational taxonomy units (OTUs). Thus, the microbiological differences imputed to the cheese typologies were not affected by the environmental conditions of the facilities. Furthermore, wooden shelf lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were investigated for their ability to inhibit the main dairy pathogens. Although inhibitors were mainly enterococci, P. pentosaceus WS287 and W. paramesenteroides WS581 showed the highest inhibition activity, indicating their possible application to control the undesired bacteria in situ

Cladodes of Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) as source of bioactive compounds in dairy products

Recently, the interest on improving livestock products' nutraceutical profiles by sustainable feeding systems has increased. In this context, the overall quality and, in particular, the nutraceutical profile of dairy products obtained by 16 lactating Cinisara cows fed integrated in dry season with Opuntia ficus-indica cladodes, were investigated. Two homogeneous groups of cows (milk yield: 6.3 ± 1.5 kg; body weight: 213 ± 55 kg) were in succession fed with 2 different diets (CON: pasture and wheat bran; OFI: pasture, wheat bran and cladodes), according to a 2 × 2 Latin square design. The bulk milk was used to make Caciotta cheeses, analyzed at 0, 15 and 30 storage days. Milk and cheeses samples were analyzed for chemical, physical and microbiological traits. On the final products, the nutraceutical and sensorial profiles, together with the antioxidant's capacity were also determined. On milk, only the urea content in individual samples was reduced in OFI. Considering the cheeses, the integration with cladodes did not influence the starter cultures development acted with 2 strains of S. thermophilus, but caused a higher content of polyphenols and a consequent greater antioxidant capacity, together with a change in the fatty acids profile. In particular, the caprylic, capric, lauric, myristic, and palmitic fatty acids were higher, as well as the petroselinic, vaccenic, rumenic, and α-linolenic fatty acids. Differently, the oleic and the γ-linolenic fatty acids were lower. The cheeses of OFI showed better overall acceptability, and a higher yellow color, odor intensities, and butter flavor. The multivariate analysis well distinguished the cheeses belonging to the 2 groups. Further investigations should be conducted to formulate well balanced diets including cladodes for Cinisara lactating cows, but also to determine the content of other important bioactive compounds in fresh and in treated cladodes, as well as their effects on animals' welfare and their productions

Granelle locali alternative a mais e soia nella dieta dei ruminanti allevati in biologico

Tra le granelle di leguminose, la fava, il favino, il pisello e il cece, per il loro contenuto in proteine possono sostituire anche integralmente la soia del concentrat

Effect of lambing season on ewe’s colostrum composition

Colostrum provides newborns with nutrients and immunoglobulins that play a major role in the immune system. In this survey, the immunoglobulin G (IgG) content, gross composition, mineral content, and fatty acid composition were determined in the colostrum of Valle del Belice ewes with the aim of evaluating the effect of lambing of season. In total, we analysed 60 bulk tank colostrum samples taken after lambing during two seasons (summer and winter). The IgG con- tent and Brix mean values were 40.35 g/L and 21.02%, respectively. The colostrum fat, protein, casein, and lactose percentages were 8.01, 12.10, 8.51, and 3.13%, respectively. The lambing sea- son significantly influenced the pH and somatic cell count, with higher values observed in win- ter than in summer. The most common fatty acids were palmitic (27.75 vs. 24.84 g/100 g), oleic (24.57 vs. 18.15 g/100 g), myristic (12.55 vs. 12.16 g/100 g) and stearic (7.02 vs. 6.16 g/100 g) detected in the summer and winter seasons, respectively. The winter season significantly increased the polyunsaturated fatty acid values (11.18 vs. 6.41). Additionally, the lambing season determined different mineral composition levels in the colostrum, particularly copper (8.50 vs. 5.35 mmol/L ) and manganese (3.35 vs. 0.80 mmol/L ), which were higher in the summer. Based on IgG content, the quality of the colostrum was excellent

Effect of the inclusion of Opuntia ficus-indica cladodes in the feeding of Cinisara cows on Caciocavallo Palermitano cheese produced in summer

In Sicily, the cladodes of Opuntia ficus-indica are used as fresh supplementation for livestock in summer, season characterized by low fresh pasture availability. The effect of cladodes’ integration on characteristics of milk and cheese from Cinisara cows was investigated. In June–July, 16 multiparous cows, that calved in the autumn-spring period, were subdivided into 2 homogeneous groups that, in a 2 × 2 Latin square design, with 2 phases, were fed different diets named control (CN) and cladode (CL). Group fed CN grazed natural pasture (standing hay) supplemented with 4 kg/day per cow of wheat bran, whereas group fed CL received the same diet of group CN supplemented with 15 kg/day per cow of fresh cladodes. In each phase, with bulk milk from each group, 2 cheesemaking was carried out, producing three forms of ‘caciotte’ for each cheesemaking. After salting, one ‘caciotta’ cheese was sampled and tasted, while the remaining 2 were vacuum maintained at 4 °C, and sampled and tasted after 15 and 30 days, respectively. Cladodes had low contents of crude protein (6.8% DM) and fiber (34.5%, 25.7%, and 3.0% DM for NDF, ADF, and ADL, respectively), high levels of α-linolenic acid (C18:3n-3, ALA) (19.1% FA) and polyphenols (16.7 mg GAE/ kg DM), and an antioxidant capacity (TEAC) equal to 106.1 mmol TE/kg DM. In milk, the cladodes’ integration reduced only the urea content (15.5 vs 18.5 mg/100 mL; p = 0.008), while in cheeses it influenced more parameters. In particular, products of group CL showed higher polyphenols (6.0 vs 4.7 mg GAE/kg DM; p = 0.04) and antioxidant capacity (50.7 vs 49.7 mmol TE/kg DM; p = 0.04). In relation to fatty acid (FA) profile, CL cheeses were higher in saturated FA (59.7 vs 57.7% FA; p = 0.002), except C18:0, and, among unsaturated FA, in vaccenic acid (C18:1t11) (0.44 vs 0.39% FA; p < 0.0001), rumenic acid (C18:2c9t11, CLA) (0.81 vs 0.78% FA; p = 0.008), and ALA (0.47 vs 0.33% FA; p < 0.0001). At sensory level cheeses from CL diet were more appreciated (5.7 vs 4.9; p = 0.001), showing greater color intensity (4.6 vs 4.1; p = 0.013), smell (6.0 vs 5.2; p < 0.0001) and buttery flavor (5.1 vs 4.5; p = 0.001). No difference due to storage time were observed. In summer the cladodes may represent a valid fresh by-product integration, contributing to increase the bioactive molecules in cheese as well as the liking of consumers

The potential of feeding ewes with fresh or dehydrated sulla forage to enrich sheep cheese in molecular biomarkers of health quality

Take home Message The use of fresh or dehydrated sulla forage in dairy ewes feeding enhances the health properties of cheeses due to transfer of antioxidant molecules and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). Introduction Sulla (Sulla coronarium L.) is a widespread legume species used as fresh or preserved forage. It is well known the positive impact of fresh sulla forage (FSF) on performance of ruminants and quality of their products, linked to the moderate content of phenolic compounds, mainly condensed tannins (CT) (Piluzza et al., 2014). Moderate levels of CT (<6% DM) inhibit the complete ruminal bio-hydrogenation of dietary unsaturated fatty acids (FA), enriching the animal products with PUFA beneficial for human health. Moreover, FSF contributed to increase the content of antioxidant compounds, thus improving the antioxidant capacity of goat milk (Di Trana et al., 2015). Dehydration of FSF could be suitable to preserve these properties, that are greatly lost during the hay-making process. This research has compared the cheeses produced from milk of ewes fed with diets based on sulla hay (SH), pelleted dehydrated sulla forage (DSF), or FSF, evaluating their FA profile and antioxidant activity, and verifying the presence of biomarkers of health properties useful for traceability of fresh forage-based diets. Material and methods The individual daily milk from 10 primiparous (PRI) and 10 pluriparous (PLU) Valle del Belice ewes at 60 days in milk, divided into 5 homogeneous groups fed different diets in a partial 5×2 Latin square design with 5 groups and 2 periods, and the bulk milk of farming ewes fed only on natural pasture were used in 2 sessions of micro cheese-making to manufacture pressed-curd type cheeses. The experimental diets were: SHL = SH ad libitum (al); DSF2 = 2 kg/d of DSF + SH al; FSF2 = 2 kg/d of FSF + SH al; FSF4 = 4 kg/d of FSF + SH al; FSFL = FSF al. Concentrate was supplied at level of 800 g/d for PRI or 1,200 g/d for PLU. Cheeses were sampled at 48 h and analyzed for their physicochemical traits, including contents of FA, vitamins A and E and polyphenols, and for their antioxidant capacity (TEAC) and oxidative stability (POV and TBARs). The ability of cheese components to discriminate the ewes’ diets was also evaluated. Results and discussion The diet FSFL with exclusive fresh forage ad libitum, as that of grazing animals, was confirmed to greatly improve the health properties of cheese. Indeed, FSFL diet was responsible of increased amounts of antioxidant substances, as vitamins A and E and polyphenols, that induced a better oxidative stability, and enhanced the level of PUFA such as rumenic (C18:2c9t11), the main CLA isomer, and α-linolenic (ALA, C18:3n-3). In cheeses from DSF2, the contents of vitamin A and PUFA were higher than in SHL cheeses and comparable to cheeses from the diet with 4 kg of FSF, whereas ALA was detected at the same level of FSFL cheeses. Evaluating the possibility of using these health cheese components as biomarkers of animals’ diet, a promising role in differentiating cheese from animals fed fresh forage emerged for vitamin A and some FA such as C15:0iso, C18:1, C18:1t11, total PUFA, n-6/n-3 ratio, and especially for ALA and its ratio with linoleic acid (LA, C18:2n-6) (figure 1). Conclusion The results showed how dehydration was able to preserve the potential of fresh sulla forage also with regard to nutritional and health properties of dairy products. Thus, the use of dehydrated sulla pellets as alternative to hay in periods of limited pasture resources can contribute to enhance the antioxidant capacity and the FA profile of milk and cheese, with health benefits for consumers. Moreover, some PUFA, especially ALA and the LA/ALA ratio, exhibited an effective role as biomarker of health quality and could be used for traceability of feeding regime

Dehydrated Sulla forage in dairy ewes feeding: effects on cheese properties

Feeding green sulla forage (GSF) (Sulla Coronarium L.), a shortlived perennial legume containing phenolic compounds, especially condensed tannins, showed to increase intake, milk yield and casein level in ruminants, and enhance fatty acid (FA) profile and antioxidant activity of dairy products. To obtain analogous favourable effects using conserved sulla forage, dehydration could be a valid alternative to the haymaking process which causes greater losses of biomass and its nutritional and bioactive compounds. The aim of this research was to evaluate the dairy products from ewes fed with pelleted dehydrated sulla forage (PDSF) in the diet by comparisons with those obtained using sulla hay (SH) and GSF based diets. Twenty primiparous (PR) and pluriparous (PL) milking Valle del Belice ewes were allocated homogeneously into 5 groups and fed 5 diets in a partial 5 × 2 Latin square design with 2 periods. The diets differed for the forage component: SH ad libitum (SHL); 2 kg/d per ewe of PDSF and SH ad libitum (DSF); 2 kg/d of GSF and SH ad libitum (2GSF); 4 kg/d of GSF and SH ad libitum (4GSF); GSF ad libitum (GSFL). Concentrate feed was supplied to PR (0.8 kg/d) and PL (1.2 kg/d) ewes in the function of their different production needs. The results confirmed the superiority of diet in which GSF was the only forage source offered ad libitum, as occurs with grazing; in fact, the GSFL diet resulted in higher milk yield and casein content and enhanced in cheese the number of polyphenols and antioxidant vitamins A and E, the oxidative stability, and the level of health polyunsaturated FA (PUFA) such as rumenic, the main of conjugated linoleic acids (C18:2c9t11), and α-linolenic (ALA, C18:3n-3). On the whole, the DSF diet showed better results than SHL and was comparable to the 4GSF diet for milk yield and casein level and, in cheese, for external colour and vitamin A and total PUFA contents; moreover, ALA was detected at the same high level in DSF and GSFL cheeses. Thus, dehydration seems to represent a valid opportunity to exploit the considerable potential of sulla forage, and maintain adequate production levels and nutritional and health properties of milk and cheese in periods of insufficient grazed green resources

Feeding Dairy Ewes with Fresh or Dehydrated Sulla (Sulla coronarium L.) Forage. 1. Effects on Feed Utilization, Milk Production, and Oxidative Status

Feeding dairy ewes with fresh sulla forage (FSF), a legume species containing condensed tannins (CT), has been shown to increase feed intake, milk yield, and casein and enhances the oxidative status of animals. Dehydration of FSF could be an alternative to hay-making to preserve the nutritional properties. This research aimed to compare the responses of dairy ewes fed with diets based on sulla hay (SH), pelleted dehydrated sulla forage (DSF), or FSF in terms of efficiency of feed utilization, milk production, and the balance between oxidant (reactive oxygen metabolites (ROMs)) and antioxidant (biological antioxidant potential (BAP)) substances at the plasma level. Ten first-lambing (FL) and ten third-lambing (TL) ewes of the Valle del Belice breed at 60 days in milk were allocated into five homogeneous groups fed with different diets in a partial 5 × 2 Latin square design with two phases. The diets differed for the forage basis: SHL = SH ad libitum; DSF2 = 2 kg/day DSF per head plus SH ad libitum; FSF2 = 2 kg/day FSF per head plus SH ad libitum; FSF4 = 4 kg/day FSF per head plus SH ad libitum; FSFL = FSF ad libitum. A commercial concentrate was provided to FL (0.8 kg/day per head) and TL (1.2 kg/day per head) ewes. Dehydration induced slight variations in the content of protein and fiber, showed no loss of vitamin E and polyunsaturated fatty acids, and decreased the level of CT and polyphenols. The DSF2 diet resulted in a higher intake of dry matter, protein, and vitamin E compared to the other diets, whereas, compared to the FSFL diet, its intake was analogous for net energy and was lower in CT and polyphenols. The DSF2 diet was comparable to FSF4 and FSFL diets for milk yield, and to all diets for casein content and the clotting ability of milk. Ewes fed a DSF2 diet exhibited lowest values of ROMs and oxidative stress index (OSI = ROMs/BAP), indicating a better oxidative status, presumably due to the antioxidant protection exerted by the higher vitamin E intake and CT metabolites. These results confirmed the positive effects of FSF on milk production, especially due to CT intake, in improving the efficiency of dietary protein utilization, and showed how favorable effects also occur when FSF is replaced by DSF instead of SH

I polifenoli del foraggio di sulla per il miglioramento del benessere degli animali da latte e della qualità dei formaggi (DISOLASULLA)

Il progetto coinvolge per il triennio 2021-2023 due gruppi di ricerca afferenti a UNIPA e UNIPI nell’intento di valorizzare le potenzialità del foraggio di sulla (Sulla coronaria (L.) Medik.) nell’alimentazione dei ruminanti, proponendone la disidratazione per la costituzione di scorte. L’ipotesi è che la disidratazione consenta, in alternativa alla fienagione, di preservare le proprietà della sulla legate alla sua componente polifenolica, costituita principalmente da tannini condensati (TC). Ingeriti con la dieta, i TC esercitano attività antiossidante, migliorando la termo-tolleranza e lo stato immunitario degli animali, riducono la metanogenesi e le emissioni di metano nell’ambiente, limitano la degradabilità delle proteine alimentari e ne migliorano l’utilizzazione digestiva, da cui l’aumento di caseina nel latte e minori escrezioni di azoto nell’ambiente, e proteggono gli acidi grassi polinsaturi dalla bioidrogenazione ruminale, aumentandone il trasferimento nei prodotti. Su tali basi, il progetto mira a verificare se l’utilizzazione della sulla disidratata nella dieta delle pecore da latte comporti, al pari della sulla verde, effetti positivi su benessere e produttività degli animali, qualità tecnologica del latte, proprietà microbiologiche e nutrizionali dei prodotti caseari e sostenibilità ambientale. Le attività sperimentali sono volte alla produzione di latte e formaggi da pecore di razza Valle del Belìce in Sicilia e Massese in Toscana, alimentate con diete a base di sulla fresca, affienata o disidratata. Sugli animali si valutano i consumi alimentari, la digeribilità della dieta, la produzione di latte, lo stato immunitario e ossidativo in base a indicatori ematici, e l’ambiente biochimico e microbiologico del rumine mediante analisi del liquido ruminale. Sul latte sono determinati i parametri fisico-chimici che ne definiscono la qualità tecnologica e nutrizionale, mentre sui formaggi vengono rilevati i componenti che possono avere impatto positivo sulla salute dei consumatori, come acidi grassi polinsaturi, vitamine, polifenoli e capacità antiossidante. Gli effetti dei TC sono valutati anche sulle dinamiche microbiche rilevabili durante la fermentazione del latte e la maturazione del formaggio. Inoltre, le indagini sui formaggi prendono in esame la stabilità ossidativa, il profilo aromatico e le proprietà sensoriali valutate mediante test di tipo descrittivo e discriminante. L’impatto del sistema di produzione in termini di emissioni di azoto e metano nell’ambiente viene stimato in base ai parametri ruminali e di efficienza alimentare. I risultati ottenuti possono contribuire allo sviluppo della tecnica di disidratazione e pellettatura del foraggio di sulla e alla valorizzazione sul mercato di prodotti caseari “disolasulla”, in linea con le esigenze dei consumatori attenti ai sistemi di allevamento degli animali per quanto riguarda il tipo e la qualità degli alimenti somministrati, il loro benessere e la sostenibilità ambientale