Fatty acid composition of meat of Sarda suckling lamb

The fatty acid composition of dietary fat has an important role in human nutrition because can help to reduce the risk of appearance of some diseases. In this work fatty acid profile of meat of Sarda suckling lamb was studied in order to improve meat fat quality in relation to human health. Aim of this thesis was firstly to assess the effect of different management systems, indoor vs. outdoor, on fatty acid profile of meat of Sarda suckling lamb. Lambs which followed their mother on pasture had a qualitatively better fat, from a nutritional point of view, than lambs raised indoor due to lower proportions of SFA and to the higher C18:3 n3, DPA and DHA contents. The aim of the second experimental contribute was to quantify the relationships between fatty acids profiles of lamb’s meat and their mother’s milk; the results showed that there is a low relationships between the concentrations of C18:1 t11, c9, t11 CLA and C18:3 n3 in the meat of lambs and those of their mother’s milk. The third experimental contribute assess the effect of different milk source (natural or artificial) on fatty acid profile of lamb meat. Meat of lambs feed only a milk replacer had a fatty acid profile less favorable due to the higher n6/n3 ratio and to a lower CLA content than meat from lambs naturally reared. Lastly, the aim of the fourth study was to compare the fatty acid profile of lamb meat with those of baby foods based on lamb meat. Fresh lamb meat showed a fatty acid profile more balanced to infant nutrition compared to baby food. This suggest the possibility to improve the essential and LC-PUFA contents of commercial baby food based on lamb meat by using meat from suckling lambs

Comparison of fatty acid profile in lamb meat and baby food based on lamb meat

The aim of this study was to compare the fatty acid (FA) profile of fresh lamb meat with those of baby foods based on lamb meat. For this purpose, samples of commercial homogenized (HO) and lyophilized (LIO) baby food based on lamb meat and fresh lamb meat (FM) were analyzed for their FA composition. All fatty acids, except for oleic acid and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), differed among the three baby products tested. The sum of omega-6 FA and the ratio omega 6/omega 3 FA were lower in FM and LIO meat compared to HO samples. The content of total PUFA n-3 was the highest in FM, because of its highest content of C18:3 n3, EPA, DPA and DHA compared to LIO and HO baby food. The content of arachidonic acid was more than 6-fold higher in FM compared to LIO and HO. This study evidenced the possibility of enhancing the FA profile of commercial baby food based on lamb meat by using meat with healthier FA profile

Fatty acid profile of milk fat in goat supplemented with iodized salt

Iodine is an essential nutrient of the human and animal diet which is needed for the synthesis of the thyroid hormones. These hormones play an important role in the regulation of fat metabolism. In fact, increased thyroid hormone levels stimulate fat mobilization, leading to increased concentrations of plasma triglyceride (Nikkila and Kekki, 1972) and enhanced oxidation of fatty acids in many tissues. Recently, Bauman et al. (2006) showed the involvement of a protein called spot 14, highly responsive to thyroid hormones, in the regulation of the mammary synthesis of milk fat. However, the effects of Iodine supplementation on plasma and milk fatty acid profile in dairy animals has not been elucidated yet. The aim of this study was to evaluate if the fatty acid (FA) profile of milk changes in goats supplemented with Iodine. Thirty crossbreed dairy goats were divided into 3 groups were used and supplemented with 0 (group 0), 450 (group 1), or 900 (group 2) μg of KI/day per head. Each dose of KI (76.5% of Iodine) was orally administered in water every day for 8 weeks. Milk yield was recorded and milk samples were collected every two weeks. A total of 120 milk samples were analyzed by gas chromatography (GC). Milk yield was not influences by treatments. Milk fat content was the highest (P<0.01) in group 1 (4.65%) compared to group 0 (4.15%) and group 2 (4.17%). Iodine treatments did not influence milk fatty acid profile except for the content of some short-chain fatty acids. In particular, only the contents of C8:0 FA (2.22, 2.24 and 2.12 in groups 0, 1 and 2, respectively; P<0.01) and C10:0 (9.74, 9.49 and 9.02 in groups 0, 1 and 2, respectively; P<0.01) decreased due to supplementation with the highest dose of KI. In conclusion, in this study Iodine supplementation did not show substantial effects on goat’s milk FA profile, probably due to the low doses of KI used. Nevertheless, the observed decrease of some short-chain fatty acids, which are synthesized ex-novo by the mammary gland, in goats supplemented with the highest KI dose tested is compatible with a potential involvement of Iodine or thyroid hormones in the regulation of fat synthesis in the mammary gland

Effect of dietary oil supplementation on fatty acid profile of backfat and intramuscular fat in finishing pigs

Two groups of finishing gilts were fed, for 4 weeks, a commercial feed enriched (2%) with either rapeseed oil or sunflower oil. Pig growth was monitored bi-weekly and the fatty acid composition of backfat and Longissimus muscle was determined after slaughtering. Type of dietary oil affected significantly the fatty acid profile of pork fat, especially the C18:3n-3 concentration which was higher in pigs fed rapeseed oil than in those fed sunflower oil. The content of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) of Longissimus muscle was significantly higher than that of backfat, due to the its higher concentration of C18:1cis9 and C16:1. Differently, the long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) content was higher in backfat than in Longissimus muscle. These results confirm that it is possible to manipulate the fatty acid composition of the diet, in order to improve the health properties of the adipose tissues of pork meat

A century of limnological research in the Historical Archive of the CNR ISE

Since 2010, the Historical Archive of the Italian Institute of Ecosystem Studies has been subject to an extensive rearrangement and improvement program. The Archive contains original documents (such as letters, administrative documents, notarial deeds, drawings and prints, photographic plates, photographs) recording the scientific and administrative activities from the foundation of the Institute (1938) till its annexation to the Italian National Research Council (1977). Furthermore, it hosts some material documenting studies that were conducted in the first decades of the XIX Century, mainly by Marco De Marchi (1872-1936), a pioneer of limnology in Italy, and Edgardo Baldi (1899-1951), the first director of the Institute. This collection is a cornerstone of more than a century of scientific research in limnology, which also benefitted from frequent international contacts with scientists and ecological associations. The reorganization of the material in the Historical Archive was planned in consultation with the Soprintendenza Archivistica of the Piedmont Region, which is the legal authority responsible for the public archives in the Piedmont Region. Beginning in 2012, the information contained in the Archive has been digitized using the software xDams, an open version software source of Regesta?. In 2014, part of the digitized material was made available on the web site: http://www.ise.cnr.it/archivio. These activities were conducted thanks to the contribution of the Fondazione Cassa Risparmio di Torino and Fondazione Comunitaria VCO, which funded two temporary staff for the reorganisation of the Historical Archive, including the physical preservation and digitalisation of the documents. These activities are part of the CNR mission within the European Digital Agenda, and the CNR contribution to the development of scientific thought

Shearing influences the milk fatty acid profile of dairy ewes

In Mediterranean areas shearing is commonly performed during late spring and, therefore, ewes may be exposed to cold stress especially during the night. Short-term periods of cold exposure can increase hepatic glucose production, decrease insulin secretion and increase fat catabolism and plasma non-esterified free fatty acids (NEFA) concentration. These metabolic adaptations to cold exposure can increase the mammary uptake of long-chain fatty acid from plasma. The present study aimed to investigate the metabolic response of dairy ewes to shearing by monitoring their milk fatty acid (FA) profile. Twelve 2-4-year-old Sarda ewes, in mid-late lactation, were used. The trial lasted from 30th May to 9th June 2006. The pre-experimental period (pre-shearing, PrS) was from 30th May to 5th June (shearing day), being followed by the experimental period (post-shearing, PoS) until 9th June. On shearing day, the flock was divided in two groups (6 ewes each) which were then managed differently: non-confined group (NCG) and confined group (CG) which was kept in a sheepfold during the night. Four samplings during PrS and other four during PoS periods were performed. During the trial, ewes were fed concentrate at 1000g/d per head, during the two daily milking, and hay ad libitum, and grazed on green clover (3h/day). Daily milk production was recorded and daily milk samples were collected for analysis of fat content and FA profile. Shearing did not influence milk yield but increased significantly milk fat content (6.37 vs. 6.94% for PrS and PoS, respectively; P<0.01). Ewes confinement during the night did not affect milk yield and its fat content. Shearing modified significantly the FA profile of milk. The concentration of C8, C10, C12 and C16 increased significantly from PrS to PoS. On the other hand, the content of long-chain FA (>C18:0) did not change between PrS and PoS (46.26 vs. 46.40mg/100g of FAME, respectively). These results suggest that the increase of milk fat after shearing was related to the increase of the main FA synthesized by the mammary gland. However, the unexpected increase in the synthesis of short- and medium-chain FA after shearing suggests that these animals were not subjected to cold stress. Therefore, the mechanism involved in the modification of the FA profile caused by shearing in dairy ewes should be elucidated

Use of multivariate factor analysis to characterize the fatty acid profile of buffalo milk

The suitability of multivariate factor analysis (MFA) to extract a small number of latent variables able to explain the correlation pattern among fatty acids (FA) in buffalo milk was evaluated. FA profile of milk samples from 214 Italian water buffaloes was analysed by gas chromatography. MFA, performed on the correlation matrix of 52 FA, was able to extract 10 latent factors with specific biological meaning related to a common metabolic origin for FA associated with the same factor. Scores of the factors were treated as new quantitative phenotypes to evaluate the effect of age, month of calving and lactation stage. MFA approach was effective in describing the FA profile of buffalo milk by using a low number of new latent variables that clustered FA having similar metabolic origin and function. The new variables were also useful to test the effect of environmental and individual animal factors on milk FA composition

Prediction of Milk Coagulation Properties and Individual Cheese Yield in Sheep Using Partial Least Squares Regression

The objectives of this study were (i) the prediction of sheep milk coagulation properties (MCP) and individual laboratory cheese yield (ILCY) from mid-infrared (MIR) spectra by using partial least squares (PLS) regression, and (ii) the comparison of different data pre-treatments on prediction accuracy. Individual milk samples of 970 Sarda breed ewes were analyzed for rennet coagulation time (RCT), curd-firming time (k20), and curd firmness (a30) using the Formagraph instrument; ILCY was measured by micro-manufacturing assays. An Furier-transform Infrared (FTIR) milk-analyzer was used for the estimation of the milk gross composition and the recording of MIR spectrum. The dataset (n = 859, after the exclusion of 111 noncoagulating samples) was divided into two sub-datasets: the data of 700 ewes were used to estimate prediction model parameters, and the data of 159 ewes were used to validate the model. Four prediction scenarios were compared in the validation, differing for the use of whole or reduced MIR spectrum and the use of raw or corrected data (locally weighted scatterplot smoothing). PLS prediction statistics were moderate. The use of the reduced MIR spectrum yielded the best results for the considered traits, whereas the data correction improved the prediction ability only when the whole MIR spectrum was used. In conclusion, PLS achieves good accuracy of prediction, in particular for ILCY and RCT, and it may enable increasing the number of traits to be included in breeding programs for dairy sheep without additional costs and logistics

SIAMOC position paper on gait analysis in clinical practice: General requirements, methods and appropriateness. Results of an Italian consensus conference

Gait analysis is recognized as a useful assessment tool in the field of human movement research. However, doubts remain on its real effectiveness as a clinical tool, i.e. on its capability to change the diagnostic-therapeutic practice. In particular, the conditions in which evidence of a favorable cost-benefit ratio is found and the methodology for properly conducting and interpreting the exam are not identified clearly. To provide guidelines for the use of Gait Analysis in the context of rehabilitation medicine, SIAMOC (the Italian Society of Clinical Movement Analysis) promoted a National Consensus Conference which was held in Bologna on September 14th, 2013. The resulting recommendations were the result of a three-stage process entailing i) the preparation of working documents on specific open issues, ii) the holding of the consensus meeting, and iii) the drafting of consensus statements by an external Jury. The statements were formulated based on scientific evidence or experts' opinion, when the quality/quantity of the relevant literature was deemed insufficient. The aim of this work is to disseminate the consensus statements. These are divided into 13 questions grouped in three areas of interest: 1) General requirements and management, 2) Methodological and instrumental issues, and 3) Scientific evidence and clinical appropriateness. SIAMOC hopes that this document will contribute to improve clinical practice and help promoting further research in the field