Raccolta delle olive con macchina scuotitrice: risultati di prove continuative di campo ed analisi dei limiti d'impiego della macchina

The technical, operative and economical results are reported of tests conducted in Sardinia for the mechanical pick up of olives, with the shaking machine Mono Boom series 300. The analyses of the resu1ts have allowed the authors to give indications on the possibilities and on the limits of usage of the machine while working and also: - on the behavior of the separation force and on the level of ripeness of the olives; - on the tree conformation; - on the quantity of production; - on the number of times the machine is used; - on the best harvest period

Periodo utile per la raccolta meccanica delle olive in Sardegna, con e senza cascolanti

Results are given of three years of testing on: - the dynamometric resistance when the drupes are detached; - the ripening index; - the percentage of falling fruit, useful indications are given for defining the correet times for mechanical olive harvesting in Northern Sardinia

La Meccanizzazione della raccolta del mirto

The plant of the myrtle in past has been always considered one marginal cultivation and of insufficient interest. Only in the last five years it has been knowledge the economic importance for the demanded crescent of liquor of myrtle, product up to now nearly exclusively in Sardinia. Therefore, new sensibility has been developed one and a greater knowledge of the importance of a deepened study more of the cultivation from the biological point of view and the point of view of one rations mechanized harvester of the berries. The aim of the work was that one to characterize an harvester of the berries from the plant, avoiding the damaging of the plant and above all of the fruits that influenced on the quality of the finished product. In this present study they are evidences the comparison between some tests of harvest in turn to obtained and carried out with two different types of harvesters some in relation to the ransom of the plants

Investigating the genetic and productive characteristics of autochthonous Sarda goat

Goat farming plays, in Sardinia, a key role for local economy, especially in those areas where for environmental conditions it is not possible to rear other animals. While in the lowlands and hills there are several intensive farms in which cosmopolitan breed are reared, in mountainous areas the extensive rearing system is the most spread, and the native breed, the Sarda, is present. Goat products are mainly related to dairy productions, while there is only one meat product, represented by the suckling goat kids. The growing global market and the loss of economic power for these products could be prevented through the introduction, for example, of a trademark of designation of origin. In order to do this, the best knowledge about the health status of animals, milk traits, its hygienic and coagulation properties and meat characteristics is needed. This should help for preservation of an interesting biodiversity heritage and for a traditional rearing system that, without the proper valorisation, is going to disappear. In this scenario, this PhD work had been set up in order to investigate goat kids’ meat and goat milk characteristics and provide more information about these goat products. Four papers are included in this Thesis, 2 concerning Sarda goat kids’ meat properties and the effects of a milk replacer on slaughtering performances, and 2 regarding Sarda goat milk traits, their association with genetic and the polymorphisms at the CSN1S1, CSN2, CSN1S2 and CSN3 gene loci

Produzione di pane "Carasau": comparazione fra un impianto tradizionale e uno semicontinuo

"Carasau" is a typical bread of Sardinia. In the last ten years the Small-medium enterprises (SME) have aimed at improving different aspects of the Carasau processing production. One of the most important factors is related to the size of the bakeries, as it is difficult to transform a traditional processing into an industrial one, due to the high number of operations required for the production of this bread. In the present work they have been compared two different plants (traditional and industrial) for the production of "Carasau", considering the equipment, the power consumption, and some chemical-physical parameters of the final products. Il pane "Carasau" è un pane tradizionale della Sardegna. Negli ultimi 10 anni le piccole e medie imprese artigianali della Sardegna, hanno cercato di migliorare gli impianti e il processo di produzione di questo pane tipico. Uno degli aspetti più importanti è quello di trasformare un processo artigianale in processo industriale, per effetto dell'elevato numero di fasi necessarie alla produzione del pane "Carasau". Nella presente nota sono stati riportati i risultati di una sperimentazione condotta in due impianti, tradizionale e semicontinuo, al fine di valutare oltre alle caratteristiche operative delle macchine le capacità, la qualità e l'organiuazione del lavoro

Effetto di alcuni trattamenti preliminari sulle cinetiche di essiccamento di frutti di olivo

Olive fruits (Olea europea sativa Hoffm. and Link) of two Sardinian cultivars, after being harvested at full maturation stage, were calibrated and subjected to several preliminary treatments, in order to break the peel, before being dehydrated. Dehydration was carried out at 60°C with a constant flow rate. Fruits were placed on trays according to a completely randomised design. Dehydration kinetics were computed by taking fruits during dehydration, while changes in some chemical-physical parameters (pH, water activity and colour) were assessed by sampling at the start and at the end of the drying step. Results will be discussed. Frutti eli olivo (Olea europea sativa Hoffm. and Link) di due varietà sarde, dopo la raccolta allo stadio di completa invaiatura, sono stati calibrati e hanno subito una serie di trattamenti preliminari, atti a favorire la rottura dell'epicarpo, prima di essere sottoposti ad un processo di essiccamento. La disidratazione è stata condotta alla temperatura di 60°C ed a flusso d'aria costante, disponendo i frutti delle tesi secondo un piano completamente randomizzato. Ad intervalli prestabiliti durante l'essiccamento sono stati effettuati dei prelievi di frutti, al fine di determinare le cinetiche di essiccamento, mentre per la determinazione delle variazioni di alcuni parametri chimico-fisici (pH, attività dell'acqua e colore) è stato fatto un campionamento ad inizio ed a fine processo. Nel presente contributo saranno discussi i dati relativi alla sperimentazione

Effect of composition on coagulation, curd firming, and syneresis of goat milk.

The present study investigated the effect of different levels of fat, protein, and casein on (1) traditional milk coagulation properties, and (2) curd firming over time parameters of 1,272 goat milk samples. Relationships between fat, protein, and casein and some indicators of udder health status (lactose, pH, somatic cells, bacterial count, and NaCl) were also investigated. Traditional milk coagulation properties and modeled curd-firming parameters were analyzed using a mixed model that considered the effect of days in milk, parity, farm, breed, the pendulum of the instrument, and different levels of fat, protein, and casein. Fat, protein, and casein were also tested with the same model but one at a time. Information provided by this model demonstrated the effect of one component alone, without contemporarily considering that of the others. The results allowed us to clarify the effect of the major milk nutrients on coagulation, curd firming, and syneresis ability of goat milk. In particular, milk rich in fat was associated with better coagulation properties, whereas milk rich in protein was associated with delayed coagulation. The high correlation of fat with protein and casein contents suggests that the effect of fat on the cheese-making process is also attributable to the effects of protein and casein. When only protein or only casein was included in the statistical model, the pattern of coagulation, curd firming, and syneresis was almost indistinguishable. The contemporary inclusion of protein and casein in the statistical model did not generate computing problems and allowed us to better characterize the role of protein and casein. Consequently, given their strong association, we also tested the effect of casein-to-protein ratio (i.e., casein number). Higher values of casein number led to a general improvement in the coagulation ability of milk, suggesting that casein-to-protein ratio, not just protein or casein, should be considered when milk is destined for cheese making. These results are especially useful for dairy farmers who want to increase their profits by improving the technological quality of the milk produced

Effects of indirect indicators of udder health on nutrient recovery and cheese yield traits in goat milk

In dairy goats, very little is known about the effect of the 2 most important indirect indicators of udder health [somatic cell count (SCC) and total bacterial count (TBC)] on milk composition and cheese yield, and no information is available regarding the effects of lactose levels, pH, and NaCl content on the recovery of nutrients in the curd, cheese yield traits, and daily cheese yields. Because large differences exist among dairy species, conclusions from the most studied species (i.e., bovine) cannot be drawn for all types of dairy-producing animals. The aims of this study were to quantify, using milk samples from 560 dairy goats, the contemporary effects of a pool of udder health indirect indicators (lactose level, pH, SCC, TBC, and NaCl content) on the recovery of nutrients in the curd (%REC), cheese yield (%CY), and daily cheese yields (dCY). Cheese-making traits were analyzed using a mixed model, with parity, days in milk (DIM), lactose level, pH, SCC, TBC, and NaCl content as fixed effects, and farm, breed, glass tube, and animal as random effects. Results indicated that high levels of milk lactose were associated with reduced total solids recovery in the curd and lower cheese yields, because of the lower milk fat and protein contents in samples rich in lactose. Higher pH correlated with higher recovery of nutrients in the curd and higher cheese yield traits. These results may be explained by the positive correlation between pH and milk fat, protein, and casein in goat milk. High SCC were associated with higher recovery of solids and energy in the curd but lower recovery of protein. The higher cheese yield obtained from milk with high SCC was due to both increased recovery of lactose in the curd and water retention. Bacterial count proved to be the least important factor affecting cheese-making traits, but it decreased daily cheese yields, suggesting that, even if below the legal limits, TBC should be considered in order to monitor flock management and avoid economic losses. The effect of NaCl content on milk composition was linked with lower recovery of all nutrients in the curd during cheese-making. In addition, high milk NaCl content led to reductions in fresh cheese yield and cheese solids. The indirect indicators of the present study significantly affected the cheese-making process. Such information should be considered, to adjust the milk-to-cheese economic value and the milk payment system

Breed of goat affects the prediction accuracy of milk coagulation properties using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy

The prediction of traditional goat milk coagulation properties (MCP) and curd firmness over time (CFt) parameters via Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy can be of significant economic interest to the dairy industry and can contribute to the breeding objectives for the genetic improvement of dairy goat breeds. Therefore, the aims of this study were to (1) explore the variability of milk FTIR spectra from 4 goat breeds (Camosciata delle Alpi, Murciano-Granadina, Maltese, and Sarda), and to assess the possible discriminant power of milk FTIR spectra among breeds, (2) assess the viability to predict coagulation traits by using milk FTIR spectra, and (3) quantify the effect of the breed on the prediction accuracy of MCP and CFt parameters. In total, 611 individual goat milk samples were used. Analysis of variance of measured MCP and CFt parameters was carried out using a mixed model including the farm and pendulum as random factors, and breed, parity, and days in milk as fixed factors. Milk spectra for each goat were collected over the spectral range from wavenumber 5,011 to 925 × cm−1. Discriminant analysis of principal components was used to assess the ability of FTIR spectra to identify breed of origin. A Bayesian model was used to calibrate equations for each coagulation trait. The accuracy of the model and the prediction equation was assessed by cross-validation (CRV; 80% training and 20% testing set) and stratified CRV (SCV; 3 breeds in the training set, one breed in the testing set) procedures. Prediction accuracy was assessed by using coefficient of determination of validation (R2VAL), the root mean square error of validation (RMSEVAL), and the ratio performance deviation. Moreover, measured and FTIR predicted traits were compared in the SCV procedure by assessing their least squares means for the breed effect, Pearson correlations, and variance heteroscedasticity. Results showed the feasibility of using FTIR spectra and multivariate analyses to correctly assign milk samples to their breeds of origin. The R2VAL values obtained with the CRV procedure were moderate to high for the majority of coagulation traits, with RMSEVAL and ratio performance deviation values increasing as the coagulation process progresses from rennet addition. Prediction accuracy obtained with the SCV were strongly influenced by the breed, presenting general low values restricting a practical application. In addition, the low Pearson correlation coefficients of Sarda breed for all the traits analyzed, and the heteroscedastic variances of Camosciata delle Alpi, Murciano-Granadina, and Maltese breeds, further indicated that it is fundamental to consider the differences existing among breeds for the prediction of milk coagulation traits