llama meat nutritional properties

The aim of this study was to determine the chemical composition of the muscle Longissimus thoracis taken from 20 llama males, reared in the Andean region, slaughtered at an age of 25 months and at a mean final body weight of 74kg. Llama meat showed a low fat (3.51%) and cholesterol content (58.16mg/100g), a good protein content (22.42%) and an ash content of 3.06%. The Warner-Bratzler shear force values determined in llama meat was 6.56 kg/cm2. This study confirmed that llama meat is healthy and nutritious, and represents a good source of proteins for Andean population

Wool quality in Gentile di Puglia sheep breed as measure of genetic integrity

The Gentile di Pugliais a breed created in the 15th century by crossing Merino Spanish rams and "gentile" ewes reared in some areas of Southern Italy, mainly Apulia and Basilicata. The crisis of the wool industry, the poor quantity of milk, the inadequacy of Gentile di Pugliato be milked by machine and the passage from transhumant to permanent rearing caused a dramatic reduction of this population, which was largely crossed with other breeds and declined from about one million heads in the sixties to 5,000 at the present time. In order to save the ancient typical Gentile di Pugliabreed, the aim of this work was to estimate the "genetic integrity" of the remaining Gentile di Pugliapopulation by means of an analysis of wool quality measured through the diameter of the fibre and the homogeneity of the fleece. Our hypothesis was that the animals originated from outcrosses to other Merino derived breeds specialised for meat would show larger diameters of the fibres and a reduced homogeneity of the fleece. The research was carried out using Herd Book registered animals from 9 farms: 1 from Isernia, 2 from Campobasso and 6 from Foggia province. The statistical analysis on the diameter of the fibre was carried out on a dataset of 38,200 observations (200 records x 191 animals) divided in four classes (ultrafine, fine, croisè, ordinary). The high frequencies of ultrafine and fine fibre classes show that the quality of the wool is still good in the population. This consideration can be extended to all the farms involved in the study that could therefore be suitable in the conservation programs for this breed. The homogeneity of the fleece was also good in provid- ing further evidence of the genetic integrity of the population. Other analysis carried out on the quality of the wool in relation to the body size confirmed that the observed Gentile di Pugliais well representative of the ancient breed

Foreste in forma: quale selvicoltura nei boschi delle Marche?

The article is extracted from the book “Forests in good shape. Sustainable management in the Marche forests” recently published and funded with a regional project. The regional forest cover increased dramatically (300%) throughout the last century fostering, in the last decade, the implementation of several forest policyand planning tools. Most of the forests are coppiced but the harvesting annual rate is only 1% of the regional forest surface. Traditional management is often detached from modern sylviculture and needs to adapt to multifunctional and sustainable criteri

Effect of dietary organic zinc (Zn-Methionine) supplementation in dairy cows

In human nutrition dietary zinc, whose intake is often inadequate in elderly, may promote healthy aging. The aim of this study was to increase the milk zinc (Zn) content by dietary supplementation with organic zinc (zinc-methionine), also investigating the effect of such supplementation on milk yield and composition and milk and blood antioxidant status. In a 3 month study, 12 Simmenthal cows (4th month from parturition) were used to provide milk and blood samples. Animals were divided into 2 groups (CTL and Zn-Meth): control cows received a total mixed ratio (TMR) including 3 kg of commercial concentrate added with 330 mg inorganic Zn (Zn sulphate)/kg. Treated cows received the same TMR but commercial concentrate was added with 165 mg inorganic Zn (Zn sulphate) and 165 mg organic Zn (zn-methionine)/kg. Milk production was recorded every 2 weeks and individual milk and blood samples were collected and analysed for Zn concentration (ICP-MS) and redox status (colorimetric) by total antioxidant power (AOP) and reactive oxygen metabolites (ROMs) evaluation. ROMs were measured in blood serum, whereas milk samples were also analysed for total solids, protein, fat, ash content and AOP. Data were analysed by analysis of variance for repeated measures. Supplementation of 50% inorganic and 50% organic Zn did not affect the Zn concentration in milk (CTL 3240.4 vs Zn-Meth 3266.3 microg/L, SE=131.1) and blood serum (CTL 705.1 vs Zn-Meth 692.2 microg/L, SE=25.5). Milk yield and composition, serum ROMs (CTL 71.0 vs Zn-Meth 68.4 Carratelli Units, SE 2.7), and milk (CTL 146.1 vs Zn-Meth 141.8 micromol HClO/mL) and serum (CTL 431.1 vs Zn-Meth 444.0 micromol HClO/mL, SE=3.9) AOP, were not affected by the dietary treatment