Association between vent pecking and fluctuating asymmetry in hens

Ponencia publicada en ITEA, vol.104El objetivo del presente estudio fue el análisis de la relación entre la incidencia del picaje en cloaca y la asimetría fluctuante en gallinas. En el experimento (140 gallinas) se midió la asimetría fluctuante de varios caracteres (longitud del dedo medio, longitud de la pata, longitud del ala, longitud de la barbilla y anchura de la pata) en gallinas de 20 semanas de edad de cinco razas de gallinas españolas (Andaluza Azul, Castellana Codorniz, Cara-Blanca Española, Vasca Roja Barrada y Leonesa Parda) y Leghorn Blanca que mostraban o no picaje en cloaca. Hubo diferencias significativas entre ambos grupos de gallinas en asimetría fluctuante relativa de la longitud del dedo medio (P < 0.05) y la asimetría fluctuante combinada de los cinco caracteres que se midieron (P < 0.08), la asimetría fluctuante relativa de las gallinas victimas de picaje en cloaca resultó ser mayor que la de aquellas que no estaban picadas. Las gallinas con la cloaca picada resultaron por tanto, más asimétricas que las gallinas control (sin la cloaca picada). Los resultados fueron consistentes en todas las razas e indicaron que el picaje en la cloaca afecta negativamente al bienestar de las gallinas.The purpose of the present study was to analyze the relationship between incidence of vent pecking, fluctuating asymmetry in chickens. The experiment (140 birds in three different replicates) measured the fluctuating asymmetry of several traits (middle toe length, leg length, wing length, wattle length, and leg width) in 20-week-old pullets of five Spanish breeds of chickens (Blue Andaluza, Quail Castellana, White-faced Spanish, Red-barred Vasca, and Birchen Leonesa), and a White Leghorn population, with and without evidence of suffering from vent pecking. The number of birds per breed was 20, 24, 12, 20, 18, and 46, respectively. There was a significant difference between vent pecked and non-vent pecked birds on the relative fluctuating asymmetry of middle toe length (P<0.05), the relative fluctuating asymmetry of birds who suffered from vent pecking being larger. The combined relative fluctuating asymmetry of the five traits approached levels of statistical significance (P=0.08). Thus, vent pecked birds were more asymmetrical than non-vent pecked birds, having increased relative fluctuating asymmetry. Differences were consistent across the breeds. Results indicate that vent pecking is associated with measures of stress like fluctuating asymmetr

Consumer Acceptability of Dry Cured Meat from Cull Ewes Reared with Different Linseed Supplementation Levels and Feeding Durations

Dry cured meatcecina''is a traditional, although not well-known, dry product that could add value to cull ewes. Because of this, the aim of the study was to assess consumer acceptability of cecina'' from cull ewes finished with different levels of linseed (5, 10 or 15%) for different periods before slaughtering (30, 50 or 70 days). One hundred and fifty consumers evaluated colour acceptability, fatness and odour, flavour and overall acceptability of cecina'' from those 9 treatments. Additionally, habits of consumption of cured products and preferences for different species and willingness to pay for cecina'' were investigated. Linseed supplementation was identified as the most important factor for sensorial attributes (p < 0.01), with the preferred cecina'' being that with 5% and 10% supplementation. Feeding duration only modified the fatness acceptability (p < 0.01). Cecina'' from small ruminants is a product consumed occasionally by the majority of participants; however, it presented an adequate overall acceptability. Consequently, elaborating cecina'' would be a feasible strategy to improve the income of farmers

Influence of transport duration and season on sensory meat quality in rabbits

Little is known about the effect that journey duration and position on the vehicle have on the sensory aspects of meat quality in rabbits. In this study, 156 rabbits were transported by road in a commercial truck for 1 h or 7 h in one of three replicates in summer or winter. After slaughter, slices from the left side of the longissimus dorsi muscle were vacuum-packaged and chilled at -18 ºC until the sensory analysis to assess odour, tenderness, juiciness, fibrousity, greasiness, and flavour intensity. Overall, the journey duration had a significant effect (P<0.05) on tenderness, fi brousity and overall liking of the meat, being better the results of the meat samples from the short transport treatment. Season had a significant effect (P<0.05) on the intensity of off-odours, being obtained the highest scores in summer transports. There was a significant interaction effect (P<0.05) of journey time and season on tenderness and meat odour. Therefore, meat from short journeys in summer was the most tender, and meat from long journeys in winter was the toughest. The position on the truck (in multi-layered cages) do not influence sensory meat quality. Therefore, rabbit sensory meat quality can be affected by transport time.Funded by CICYT Ministry of Science and Technology of Spain. Project AGL 2002-01346 COTRANSMaría, GA.; Liste, G.; Campo, M.; Villarroel, M.; Sañudo, C.; Olleta, J.; Alierta, S. (2010). Influence of transport duration and season on sensory meat quality in rabbits. World Rabbit Science. 16(2). doi:10.4995/wrs.2008.63016

Effects of whole linseed and rumen-protected conjugated linoleic acid enriched diets on beef quality

Instrumental assessments and sensory tests were performed to evaluate the effects of diet and postmortem ageing time (1, 7 and 21 days) on beef quality. A total of 48 Friesian calves were randomly allocated to four dietary treatments: control, whole linseed (10% linseed), conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) (2% protected CLA), and whole linseed+CLA (10% linseed and 2% protected CLA). Animals were slaughtered at 458±16.6 kg live weight and 11 months of age. Ageing was more significant than diet on most instrumental parameters. Meat from linseed enriched diets had greater drip loss (P=0.001) and intramuscular fat (P=0.01) than meat from animals fed CLA. Beef aged for 7 and 21 days had lower cooking losses (P=0.01) and shear force (P=0.001) than beef aged for 1 day. Lightness was affected only by display time. The addition of CLA in the diet increased hue and yellowness, whereas the inclusion of linseed decreased these values, as well as increased redness. Linseed in the diet decreased fat odour (P=0.05), but increased beef (P=0.01) and liver (P=0.05) flavours. Meat aged for 21 days was significantly more rancid (P=0.001), even under vacuum storage. Several organoleptic properties were improved with the inclusion of linseed in the diet, whereas they remained unaffected by the inclusion of CLA

Primeras experiencias españolas con el uso de los ANTIVEGF intravítreos en la retinopatía del prematuro. Estudio multicéntrico

Objetivo: Evaluar el pronóstico anatómico de los niños con retinopatía del prematuro (ROP) tratados con inyecciones intraoculares de antiVEGF y laser. Metodo: Estudio multicéntrico, intervencional y retrospectivo. En el estudio se incluyeron 15 ojos de 12 prematuros con ROP de alto riesgo de 6 hospitales diferentes. De ellos, 17 recibieron fotocoagulación e inyección intraocular de dos formas diferentes: Grupo 1.Tratamiento combinado. Siete ojos. Ambas técnicas se aplicaron en un intervalo menor de 10 días. Grupo 2. Tratamiento postlaser. Siete ojos. Pacientes en los que seguía progresando la retinopatía después de la fotocoagulación (la inyección se efectuó, de media, 37,4 días después). El pronóstico se estableció por la necesidad de vitrectomía y por el resultado anatómica retiniano final. Se efectuó un estudio estadístico comparativo entre ambos grupos con test no paramétricos (U Mann-Withney y Chi2). Resultados: Grupo 1. Se dio laser y se puso la inyección intraocular a los 83,2 y 84,7 días de media, respectivamente. (37,8 y 38,7 semanas postmenstruales-PM-). Grupo 2. Se fotocoaguló a los 70,1 días (36,4 semanas PM) y la inyección intraocular se inyectó a los 107,5 días (41,8 semanas PM). Sólo 4 ojos necesitaron vitrectomía, todos pertenecientes al grupo 1 (57,1 %) y por tanto ninguno del grupo 2 (p=0,07). Evolucionaron a pliegue macular o desprendimiento de retina el 14,3 % del grupo 1 y el 71,4 % del grupo 2 (p=0,1). Conclusiones: La inyección intravítrea de antiVEGF con fotocoagulación fue más efectiva que cuando se administra en casos de ojos no respondedores a la fotocoagulaciónObjective: To assess the anatomical outcome of babies with retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) treated with laser and intravitreal injection of antiVEGF. Methods: Retrospective, interventional, multicenter trial. The study included 15 eyes of twelve preterm infants with high risk ROP (from 6 hospitals). Fourteen eyes received intravitreal injections of antiVEGF (bevacizumab or pegaptanib sodium) and laser photocoagulation in two different regimes: Group 1 - combined treatment - (7 eyes). Laser and antiVEGF injections were performed in less than 10 days. Group 2 - postlaser treatment - (7 eyes). Patients with progressive ROP despite peripheral laser ablation (injection antiVEGF, -mean- 37.4 days after). The results were evaluated for the need of more surgery and the final retinal anatomical status. Outcomes for the 2 treatment groups were compared using parametric tests (U Mann-Whitney and Chi2). Results: Group 1. Retinal photocoagulation and intraocular injection were performed at 83.2 and 84.7 days (mean values) or 37.8 and 38.7 weeks (mean values) (postmenstrual age -PMA-). Group 2. Babies underwent photocoagulation at 70.1 days (mean) [36.4 weeks PMA] and injection at 107.5 days [41.8 w. PMA]. Four eyes of group 2 needed vitrectomy (57.1 %) but none in group1 (p=0,07). Macular fold or retinal detachment developed in 14.3 % of group 1 and 71.4 % of group 2 (p=0,1). Conclusion: Intravitreal injection of antiVEGF with photocoagulation was more effective than intravitreal injection in eyes unresponsive to photocoagulatio

Influencia de la raza sobre la aceptabilidad en el hogar de la carne de cabrito y comparación con la especie ovina

Las razas autóctonas caprinas españolas de aptitud cárnica, aunque cuentan con un censo relativamente escaso (22.000 cabezas en pureza), cumplen una importante misión como agentes valorizadores de zonas y recursos marginales y suponen una importante reserva de nuestro patrimonio genético. Desgraciadamente, en muchos casos, ni el potencial productivo ni la calidad de sus productos están medianamente estudiados. De todas las especies de rumiantes que existen en España, la única que no posee ninguna marca de calidad es la especie caprina. La consecución de alguna distinción de este tipo podría ayudar a mejorar las rentas de los productores, a la propia subsistencia de las distintas agrupaciones y a la revalorización de la carne de esta especie. Por otra parte, existe la creencia de que los resultados de investigación que se pueden obtener con otras especies (bovino y ovino fundamentalmente) pueden ser fácilmente aplicables a las cabras, lo cual es definitivamente incierto debido a las múltiples especificidades de la especie caprina, incluyendo su carne (Sierra y Sañudo, 1987; Morand- Fehr y Lebbie, 2004). Por todo ello, se plantea el siguiente objetivo: Estudio de la apreciación global, por parte del consumidor en condiciones reales de cocinado en el hogar, de la calidad de la carne del cabrito de diversas razas caprinas en comparación con ovinos lechales, que podrían ser considerados como un producto de calidad de referencia.Comisión Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnología (CICYT) AGL2005-05777-C02-01/GA

Estudio comparativo de la calidad de la canal y la carne de lechales de raza Churra Tensina y dos tipos ovinos comerciales amparados bajo marcas de calidad

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the rearing and slaughtering season (spring vs. autumn) on the carcass and meat quality of suckling lambs from Churra Tensina breed (n= 26), and to compared the results with two commercial lambs within Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) Lechazo de Castilla-León (n= 13) and Ternasco de Aragón (n= 13). All animals were reared, selected and slaughtered under commercial conditions. After slaughter, carcass and meat quality were evaluated in the Longissimus thoracis lumborum (LTL) muscle. Slaughter season mainly affected both the tissue composition of the carcass, presenting Churra Tensina breed suckling lambs from spring greater muscle and bone, and lower fat percentages (p=0.001) and a higher proportion of fatty acids: C 12:0, CLA, C 20:2 n-3 and C 22:0 (p=0.001) in IMF. However, those differences in quality were not reflected when sensory methodologies (trained panel or consumers analyses) were conducted. Related to commercial lambs from the GPI’s studied, meat from Churra Tensina breed showed a higher tenderness (p=0.001) evaluated by instrumental and sensory (trained panel), as well as a higher scores in overall, flavour or tenderness acceptabilities evaluated by consumers (p=0.001). Results would indicate a good potential of the Churra Tensina breed to produce high quality suckling lambs, in both seasons of the year

Estudio comparativo de la calidad de la canal y la carne de lechales de raza Churra Tensina y dos tipos ovinos comerciales amparados bajo marcas de calidad

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the rearing and slaughtering season (spring vs. autumn) on the carcass and meat quality of suckling lambs from Churra Tensina breed (n= 26), and to compared the results with two commercial lambs within Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) Lechazo de Castilla-León (n= 13) and Ternasco de Aragón (n= 13). All animals were reared, selected and slaughtered under commercial conditions. After slaughter, carcass and meat quality were evaluated in the Longissimus thoracis lumborum (LTL) muscle. Slaughter season mainly affected both the tissue composition of the carcass, presenting Churra Tensina breed suckling lambs from spring greater muscle and bone, and lower fat percentages (p=0.001) and a higher proportion of fatty acids: C 12:0, CLA, C 20:2 n-3 and C 22:0 (p=0.001) in IMF. However, those differences in quality were not reflected when sensory methodologies (trained panel or consumers analyses) were conducted. Related to commercial lambs from the GPI’s studied, meat from Churra Tensina breed showed a higher tenderness (p=0.001) evaluated by instrumental and sensory (trained panel), as well as a higher scores in overall, flavour or tenderness acceptabilities evaluated by consumers (p=0.001). Results would indicate a good potential of the Churra Tensina breed to produce high quality suckling lambs, in both seasons of the year

Características de la canal y de la carne en la raza caprina Bermeya. Comparación con el Ternasco de Aragón y lechales de la raza Murciano-Granadina

Se ha estudiado la calidad de la raza caprina Bermeya: lechales ligeros (BL) y cabritos pesados de explotación tradicional (BP), que se compararon con productos reconocidos (lechal de la raza Murciano-Granadina (MG) y corderos amparados bajo la IGP Ternasco de Aragón (TA). Los animales fueron criados y sacrificados en condiciones comerciales, y seleccionados por las respectivas Asociaciones de Productores y Consejo Regulador. Los porcentajes de hueso y músculo fueron mayores, y el de grasa inferior, en Bermeya (P < 0,001), encontrándose, igualmente, diferencias en la composición química de la carne. Los animales bermeyos presentaron valores de pH superiores (P < 0,001) a los de MG o TA. Los BP presentaron un índice de rojo y croma mayor respecto a BL. Tanto el tipo de animal como el tiempo de maduración afectaron significativamente a la textura. Así, MG mostró el mayor valor al 20% de compresión (C20) a 2 días de maduración (P < 0,001) y el TA los menores al 80% de compresión (C80) en todos los tiempos de maduración (P < 0,001). Se observaron diferencias significativas en casi todos los ácidos grasos analizados y en la intensidad de olor a especie (P < 0,05), terneza, jugosidad e intensidad de flavor a especie (P < 0,001), valoradas por un panel entrenado. En aceptabilidad global y de la terneza (consumidores), BL presentaron puntuaciones superiores (P < 0,001) a BP, aunque inferiores a las de los productos de referencia. Los resultados obtenidos sugieren, no obstante, una buena aceptación de los productos de la raza Bermeya y un cierto grado de diferenciación con los productos con los que han sido comparados Meat quality characteristics from Bermeya goat breed were studied. Light suckling kids (n = 12) and heavy kids from the traditional production system (n = 10) were compared with reference products from the Spanish market (suckling kids from Murciano-Granadina breed (MG); n = 12 and light lamb included in the Ternasco de Aragón Protected Geographic Indication (TA); n = 12). Animals were reared and slaughtered under commercial conditions, and selected from the respective Breeder Associations. Bermeya carcasses showed greater percentage of bone and muscle (P < 0.001), and lower percentage of fat in comparison with the other types, differing also in the chemical meat composition. pH values were higher in both Bermeya breed types than in MG and TA. Redness and Chroma increased with age in the Bermeya breed. Both type of animal and ageing affected textural variables. Murciano-Granadina meat showed the highest value of compression at 20% (C20) at 2 days of ageing (P < 0.001) and TA the smallest at 80% of compression rate (C80) at all the ageing times analyzed (P < 0.001). Differences between commercial types were observed both in most fatty acids and in the intensity of species odor (P < 0.05), tenderness, juiciness and specie flavour (P < 0.001) evaluated by trained panelists. A higher tenderness and overall acceptability scores were given by consumers to light Bermeya in comparison with heavy Bermeya kids (P < 0.001), and both were lower than those of the reference products. Results suggest a good acceptability and certain degree of differentiation from Bermeya breed products with respect to those compared with