Evaluation of Aflatoxin M1 Enrichment Factor in Semihard Cow's Milk Cheese and Correlation with Cheese Yield.

ABSTRACT The fate of aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) in cow's milk cheese produced from naturally contaminated raw milk was evaluated. Cow's milk, naturally contaminated by AFM1 at levels ranging from 0.020 to..

Prevalence of Coxiella burnetii in cows' and ewes' bulk tank milk samples from selected dairy farms of Central Italy

The prevalence of Coxiella burnetii, the causative agent of Q fever, in cattle and sheep raw milk farms was determined in Central Italy, an area in which dairy production plays an important economic role. Milk samples (n. 189), collected from 66 dairy farms in 2012–2013, were tested by a commercial real-time PCR assay. Seventeen dairy farms had at least one positive milk sample; percent positive was higher for cattle (50%) than sheep (21%) farms. Concerning milk, 15% of samples tested overall gave a positive result, with the highest percentage of positivity observed for bovine milk compared with sheep milk (41% and 12%, respectively). In the only bovine farm repeatedly sampled during the study, C. burnetii contamination was persistently found for almost a year. The prevalence calculated for the sheep farms showed a discontinuous trend with a maximum peak in February. The results obtained underline the widespread presence of the pathogen in the considered geographical area, giving new epidemiological information. Since the milk route of elimination is a potential vehicle of infection for farmers, veterinarians and for dairy stakeholders in general, BTM screening by real-time PCR can be applied as a useful surveillance tool both for the identification of infected flocks and implementation of control programmes

Absence of Viable Toxoplasma gondii in Artisanal Raw-Milk Ewe Cheese Derived from Naturally Infected Animals

The presence of viable Toxoplasma gondii was investigated in artisanal cheeses made from milk of naturally infected ewes. Ewe milk was analyzed beforehand for the presence and vitality of T. gondii by loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) and reverse-transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR), respectively. Cheeses were prepared from raw milk following a traditional cheesemaking process. The cheese obtained from T. gondii-positive milk was analyzed by LAMP to detect Toxoplasma DNA-positive samples. RT-PCR was then carried out to assess the viability of the parasites in T. gondii-positive milk samples and fresh cheese, after 5 and 15 days of ripening. Physical-chemical parameters of cheeses were also investigated. All cheese samples derived from T. gondii-positive milk were positive according to LAMP, at both 5 and 15 days of ripening, while none of the samples were positive according to RT-PCR. Thus, while the presence of the parasite was demonstrated by the detection of specific DNA, the absence of detectable T. gondii RNA supports the hypothesis that changes in the chemical and physical characteristics occurring during the cheesemaking process and ripening period, could be sufficient to inactivate viable T. gondii in milk, minimizing the risk of human infection through consumption of raw sheep milk cheese

Olive mill wastewater phenolic concentrate as natural antioxidant against lipid-protein oxidative deterioration in chicken meat during storage

Considering that many plant-derived substances show antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, natural antioxidant administered through feed in livestock animals could increase the shelf life of meat and meat products. The aim of this work was to study the effect of olive oil by-products on chicken meat lipid and protein oxidation and oxidative stability during storage. Two hundred and ninety-seven 22-day-old fast growing (Ross 308) female chicks were randomly assigned to three experimental grower-finisher diets: i) a basal control diet (CTR), ii) CTR diet supplemented with a low dosage (4.8%) of olive mill wastewater extract (L-OW) and iii) CTR diet supplemented with a high dosage (9.9%) of olive mill wastewater extract (H-OW). Breast meat of animals belonging to each experimental group was sliced, overwrapped with oxygen-permeable packaging and analysed at three different storage times (zero, three and seven days). At the three sampling times considered, for all samples, colour coordinates (a*), saturation index, Hue angle, peroxide value, thiobarbituric reactive substance, carbonyl assay and the oxygen radical absorbance capacity determinations were performed. No differences in colour were detected among the groups in all the sampling times considered. In conclusion, the supplementation of chicken diet with olive mill wastewater extract (OW) affected oxidation of meat, retarding lipid and protein oxidation and improving antioxidant activity during storage

Caratteristiche citologiche e parametri sanitari del latte d'asina

L’allevamento di asini inteso come allevamento di animali produttori di latte rappresenta un inedito assoluto degli ultimi anni; ma se questa tipologia di allevamento ha trovato spazio nel mondo occidentale ciò è dovuto alle peculiari caratteristiche del latte stesso.L’impiego del latte d’asina nell’alimentazione umana (bambini ed anziani) e, soprattutto, nella dietetica medica dell’uomo (soggetti allergici ed intolleranti ) fornisce alle associazioni di allevatori la giusta occasione perché queste si impegnino a meglio gestire e conservare il patrimonio asinino in Italia. La particolare destinazione di questo alimento impone, però, anche studi approfonditi su eventuali pericoli di natura microbiologica che potrebbero derivare dal consumo di latte d’asina, nonché la messa a punto di un sistema di controllo da espletarsi sia in autocontrollo che da parte del servizio pubblico. Di fatto il conteggio delle cellule somatiche del latte (o SCC da somatic cells count) nelle diverse fasi di lattazione, insieme alla determinazione della carica batterica, rappresentano ormai da anni, nelle più comuni specie lattifere (bovini, ovini e caprini) uno strumento di routine per la valutazione dello stato sanitario della mammella e della qualità del latte. Nella specie asinina, tuttavia, ancora del tutto carenti risultano alcune conoscenze di base su quelli che sono i normali valori di sanità del latte d’asina e solo nell’ultimo anno alcuni articoli che cercavano di fare luce in questo senso sono iniziati a comparire in bibliografia. In questo capitolo vengono riportati i dati relativi alla messa a punto di una nuova metodica per il conteggio differenziale delle cellule del latte d'asina e sua applicazione in campo durante più cicli di lattazione

Behaviour of Listeria monocytogenes in artisanal raw milk Pecorino Umbro cheese: a microbiological challenge test

In the present study, a microbiological challenge test in artificially contaminated raw milk <em>Pecorino Umbro</em> cheese during cheese-making was carried out. Raw ewe milk was contaminated by a suspension of particular <em>Listeria monocytogenes</em> strains. The number of <em>L. monocytogenes</em> and <em>L. monocytogenes</em> dynamic growth were evaluated during cheese-making and storage. A significant decrease of the viable count of <em>L. monocytogenes</em> was observed during ripening and<em> L. monocytogenes</em> viable count was below the limit of quantification during storage. The results show that the product is unable to support the growth of the pathogen

Somatic (CSS) and differential cell count (DCC) during a lactation period in ass’milk

Hypoallergenic properties of ass&rsquo;s milk protein fractions have been recently con- firmed, allowing ass&rsquo;s milk to be considered as a valid substitute of the available hypoallergenic infant formulas. The objective of this study was to give a further contribution to the knowledge of ass&rsquo;s milk safety and quality characteristics. A new procedure has been developed with a cytospin centrifuge in differential counts of milk somatic cells. Somatic cells count (SCC), differential somatic cells count (DCC) and cultural examinations have been carried out in 62 milk samples collected from 11 asses at three different stages of lactation. Four major cells populations had been identified in ass&rsquo;s milk too: lymphocytes (Ly), monocytes/macrophages (MA), polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNL), and epithelial cells (CE). The patterns of these cells have been discussed in comparison with cells found in dairy cows and ewes milk. In conclusion, a reproducible standard procedure has been developed to determine cell count of ass&rsquo;s milk

Dietary supplementation with olive mill wastewaters induces modifications on chicken jejunum epithelial cell transcriptome and modulates jejunum morphology

Abstract Background The Mediterranean diet is considered one of the healthier food habits and olive oil is one of its key components. Olive oil polyphenols are known to induce beneficial effects in several pathological conditions, such as inflammatory bowel disease, and to contrast the proliferation of cancer cells or hypercholesterolemia. Polyphenols are also present in waste products derived from the olive industry: olive mill wastewaters (OMWW) are rich in polyphenols and there is an increasing interest in using OMWW in animal nutrition. OMWW are attributed with positive effects in promoting chicken performance and the quality of food-derived products. However, a tissue-specific transcriptome target analysis of chickens fed with OMWW has never been attempted. Results We explored the effect of dietary OMWW on the intestinal function in broilers. A morphological analysis of the jejunum revealed that OMWW reduced crypt depth, whereas no significant modifications were observed for villus height and the villus height/crypt depth ratio. An RNA Sequencing analysis was performed on isolated, intestinal, epithelial cells and 280 differentially expressed genes were found using a count-based approach. An enrichment analysis revealed that the majority of up regulated genes in the OMWW group were over-represented by the regulation of viral genome replication-related GO-Terms, whereas down regulated genes were mainly involved in cholesterol and lipid metabolism. Conclusions Our study showed how an industrial waste product can be recycled as a feed additive with a positive relapse. OMWW dietary supplementation can be a nutritional strategy to improve chicken performance and health, prevent intestinal damage, enhance innate immunity and regulate cholesterol metabolism and fat deposition