Factores alimenticios que influyen en la calidad de la carne de rumiantes

En la actualidad, mejorar la calidad de la carne es el nuevo desafío para ganaderos e investigadores, y uno de los factores extrínsecos de mayor influencia sobre la calidad de la canal y la carne en los rumiantes es la alimentación de los animales, en especial los alimentos proteínicos y energéticos, así como las vitaminas, los minerales y los promotores del crecimiento. El nivel de aporte de estos elementos a los sistemas de producción extensiva, intensiva o mixta, es determinante; por ejemplo, la apariencia de la canal de los bovinos alimentados a base de pastoreo es la pigmentación amarilla de la grasa de cobertura de la canal. Para animales en confinamiento se ha demostrado que la energía en la dieta influye en la terneza de la carne, como consecuencia del incremento del contenido de grasa de infiltración presente en el músculo. Sin embargo, la manipulación del perfil y el porcentaje de ácidos grasos,especialmente polinsaturados, y el ácido linoleico conjugado, pueden ser modificados con la dieta del animal, junto con la integración de minerales y antioxidantes como el selenio, el magnesio y la vitamina E. Al margen del resto de los factores que también influyen sobre la calidad de la carne, se deben incluir aspectos de análisis sensorial relacionado con la dieta de los animales

PERFIL DE LOS ÁCIDOS GRASOS Y SUS MODIFICACIONES EN LA CALIDAD DE LA CARNE DE LOS BOVINOS

The challenge for food researchers is to improve the quality of the lipids that are integrated in meat, with the purpose of the consumer reducing the intake of saturated fats, as a factor in life quality. To achieve this objective, it is necessary to understand the different factors that influence livestock production. Genetics and gene expression are interesting lines of research, which attempt to explain how genomics can benefit the quality of the fat in adipocytes. There are also several extrinsic factors, perhaps the most important one being the diet and addition of some specific nutrients. However, the problem is not as simple as it seems, and study factors with simulation models as well as physicalchemical and sensory analyses that solve the problem should be involved. A description of some factors that are associated with the quality of the meat lipids, which can be regulated primarily by the livestock breed or genetic group, genus, nutrition and production systems, was carried out.El desafío de los investigadores en alimentos es mejorar la calidad de los lípidos que se integran en la carne con la finalidad de que el consumidor reduzca la ingesta de grasas saturadas como un factor de calidad de vida. Para lograr este objetivo es necesario conocer los diferentes factores que influyen en la producción ganadera. La genética y expresión de genes son líneas interesantes de investigación que tratan de explicar cómo la genómica puede beneficiar la calidad de la grasa en los adipocitos. También hay varios factores extrínsecos; quizás el más importe es la alimentación y adición de algunos nutrientes en específico. Sin embargo, el problema no es tan sencillo como parece; se deben involucrar factores de estudio con modelos de simulación y análisis físico-químicos y sensoriales que resuelvan el problema. Se realizó una descripción de algunos factores que se asocian con la calidad de los lípidos en la carne que pueden estar regulados principalmente por la raza o grupo genético de ganado, género, nutrición y sistemas de producción

EMPAQUE PARA LA CONSERVACIÓN DE CARNE Y PRODUCTOS CÁRNICOS

La carne y los productos cárnicos tienen varias manipulaciones antes de llegar al consumidor final; por ello, es importante elegir correctamente el método de preservación a utilizar. Los empaques tienen la función de conservar y proteger el producto con la finalidad de mantener su integridad y calidad. En esto último, la inocuidad, el color, la frescura de la carne o productos cárnicos derivados, juegan un papel decisivo para que el consumidor decida o no adquirirlo. Los procesos más utilizados para empacar las carnes frescas y derivados cárnicos son: el empacado permeable al aire, en atmósferas modificada y al vacío. En este trabajo se indican las pautas mínimas necesarias en este rubro indispensable de la cadena de valor de la carne y productos cárnicos

Problemas productivos y reproductivos por deficiencias minerales en bovinos de algunas regiones tropicales de México

Los minerales son considerados nutrientes esenciales para el organismo. En las zonas tropicales de México, se presenta una problemática de calidad de los forrajes, su contenido de proteína y aporte de minerales son bajos. Las condiciones climáticas influyen en el contenido de minerales en el suelo, plantas y en los animales. Se reportan bajos contenidos de Ca, P, Zn, Se, I y Cu, en la relación suelo-planta-animal. La presencia de algunas enfermedades carenciales se refleja con baja producción de leche y carne, hay efectos negativos en la fertilidad, abortos, baja calidad de semen, retención de placenta, partos distócicos, entre otros. Es importante suplementar los minerales carenciales en el ganado, con el propósito de mejorar la eficiencia productiva. Se debe evitar el exceso de minerales para prevenir efectos contaminantes al ambient

Comparison of two phenotypical methods to segregate resistant and susceptible lambs to parasitic nematodes

The objective of this study was to compare two segregation methods to select resistant and susceptible female Pelibuey lambs infected naturally with gastrointestinal nematodes (GINs) in relation to their haematological and immunological response. For 6 months, faeces and blood samples were taken fortnightly from 40 grazing 5-month-old female lambs. The lambs were classified according to two methods using faecal egg count (FEC) as a phenotypical trait. In the first (reference) method (M3SE, n = 22), resistant (RES) lambs had FEC lower than the mean – 3 standard errors, the susceptible (SUS) lambs levels higher than + 3 standard errors(n = 10) and the intermediate (INT) lambs (n = 8) were categorised by having FECs between the two values. The second method (QUM) divided the population, using quartiles, into resistant (RES; 25%), intermediate (INT; 50%), and susceptible (SUS; 25%) lambs. The agreement between both methods was estimated using the Kappa index. The packed cell volume (PCV), total plasma protein (TPP) and peripheral eosinophils (EOS) were determined for each group. Serum was used to evaluate the IgA levels. PCV and TPP values were higher (P<0.01) in the RES lambs (31.5 ± 3.4 and 6.16 ± 0.5 g/dL by QUM, respectively, and 31.5 ± 3.9 and 6.24 ± 0.49 g/dL by M3SE, respectively) than the SUS lambs (28.1 ± 4.7 and 5.94 ± 0.5 g/d, respectively, by both methods). The EOS and IgA values increased with age. M3SE and QUM were in moderate agreement (Kappa = 0.43). We concluded that the two segregation methods allowed for the identification of the same female SUS lambs, but a greater number of animals were categorised phenotypically as resistant using the M3SE method. PCV and TPP can help to identify phenotypically resistant animals

Productive response of lambs fed with fresh or dehydrated spineless cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica L.)

Abstract The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica L.) supplementation on lamb animal performance, during a 11-week period. For this purpose, 27 male lambs of commercial crossbreeds were used, with initial live weight mean of 21.4±3.8 kg. They were distributed homogeneously into three groups of nine each, and then randomly assigned to each of the following treatments: (T1) control diet, (2) diet with 17% (dry matter basis) of dehydrated cactus, and (3) diet with 17% (dry matter basis) of fresh cactus. Digestibility in situ of the diet, dry matter intake (DMI), daily gain weight (DGW), feeding conversion (FC) and efficiency (FE), back fat, hot and cold carcass yield, biological hot and cold carcass yield, and carcass pH at slaughtering and 24h post mortem, were evaluated. A completely random design using Proc GLM was used, and when statistical differences were observed, a mean comparison was done using the Tukey test. There were significant differences (P≤0.001) on DM digestibility, with higher value (42.0%) on the control diet during the first 6 hours of incubation, but after 48 hours, the highest digestibility (88.6%) was on the fresh cactus diet. There were not significant differences (P>0.05) between treatments on animal performance, except on back fat, being higher (P<0.001) on dehydrated (4.1 mm) and fresh (3.3 mm) diets, compared to the control one (7.8 mm). The means for hot and cold carcass yield, biological hot and cold carcass yield, and carcass pH at slaughtering and 24h post mortem were 50.6%, 47.0%, 55.4%, 49.5%, 6.6% and 5.8%, respectively. Diet including cactus had similar effect on productive parameters than that of the commercial one, which makes it a viable feeding strategy, and from the economical point of view, could be attractive to the farmer, since the cactus is a plant that grows over the year. However, there is a need of doing more research to confirm these results, not only on fattening lambs, but also on the different animal life stages, considering different levels of cactus, and working on different animal breed and species

The use of draught animals in rural labour

This study discusses scientific findings on the use of draught animals such as equids (i.e., horses, mules, and donkeys) and bovids (i.e., cattle and water buffaloes) in rural labours. Relevant peer-reviewed literature published between 1980 and 2021 was retrieved from CAB Abstracts, PubMed, ISI Web of Knowledge, and Scopus databases. Although animals were used to produce draught power since their domestication and are still being used for this purpose, mechanisation has markedly reduced animal labour demand in agriculture. However, the process was uneven across continents according to economic constraints, and draught animals are currently concentrated in small production units located on terrains that do not favour agriculture mechanisation in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. Generally, equids can work at rates similar to those of bovids or faster but can sustain the work for shorter periods of time. In addition, buffaloes possess tough hooves and resistance to disease that make them suitable for working in wetlands and clay soils. Draught animals allow a marked reduction of both GHG emissions and non-renewable energy consumption as compared with agricultural machinery. In addition, they may allow obtaining profits from otherwise non-usable lands. Therefore, their use should be promoted in rural areas where low investments are usually the only ones feasible, and the energy of the animals can be obtained at a low cost by feeding them harvest residues and by-products. However, more attention should be paid to the quality of human–animal interactions—due to the close contact between animals and humans while working—and to the welfare of draught animals when transported and slaughtered—due to the high prevalence of injuries they suffer when subjected to these practices

Effects of slaughter age and gender on carcase characteristics and meat quality of native Mexican Turkey (M. g. gallopavo) reared under an extensive production system

The study aimed to investigate the effects of slaughter age and gender on carcase characteristics and meat quality of native Mexican turkeys raised under an extensive production system. Forty-five native turkeys (36 males and 9 females) were used. They were sacrificed at 24, 32, and 40 weeks of age. Slaughter age significantly affected slaughter weight (SW), hot carcase weight (HCW) and cold carcase weight (CCW). Also, dressing percentages, non-carcase components, internal organs, abdominal fat, and most carcase parts and proportions were affected. Gender significantly affected SW, HCW and CCW, non-carcase components, internal organs, and carcase parts weights. Regarding the physical properties of breast and leg meat, pH values and colour parameters taken at 45 min and 24 h post-mortem, as well as the water-holding capacity (WHC), cooking (CL), and drip loss (DL), were significantly affected by slaughter age, except CL in leg meat. Meanwhile, gender influenced L*45min, b*24h, the pH24h values, and CL in breast meat. Concerning the chemical composition of the meat, slaughter age had a significant effect on the ether extract (EE) content of breast meat and on dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), EE, ash, and energy contents of leg meat. Gender significantly affected the DM, CP, and energy contents of breast meat and DM, EE, and energy contents of leg meat. These results indicate that the carcase weight and yield, and its components, as well as meat quality, were better in older male turkeys than in adult females. HIGHLIGHTS Slaughter age and gender significantly influence carcase yield and composition and as well as meat quality in native Mexican turkeys raised under extensive traditional conditions. It is recommended that native turkeys be slaughtered at around 40 weeks to obtain more acceptable carcase yields and meat of better nutritional value. The native Mexican turkey is a viable poultry resource for ecological production systems