MEAT QUALITY OF THREE CHICKEN GENOTYPES REARED ACCORDING TO THE ORGANIC SYSTEM

The meat quality of three poultry genotypes with differing growth rates (fast-growing Ross; medium and slow growing Kabir and Robusta maculata, respectively) was compared. All the birds were reared according to the organic production system which requires a paddock with grass pasture (4 m2/bird) and a slaughter age greater than 81 d. The trial was carried out on 100 female chickens per strain. The meat quality was affected by the 20 different degree of maturity of the strains at slaughter age, which was 70% for Ross, 52 % for Kabir and 78% for Robusta maculata. Ross and Kabir were slaughtered at 81 d, whereas Robusta maculata, required 120 d to reach a commercial weight (>2 kg). The meat of all the three genotypes showed good qualitative traits. The main differences of the three genotypes regarded moisture, lipid, pHu, colour, iron, oxidative stability and overall acceptance. Compared with Kabir and Robusta maculata Ross meat had more fat, lower pHu and iron, and was 25 paler. The oxidative stability during display (24-96 h at 4° C) and acceptance were the worst. Kabir chickens, being the least mature strain, had the highest moisture content with a high cooking loss. The slower-growing genotypes showed a good adaptation to the extensive rearing conditions, while the fast-growing genotype showed unbalanced muscle response to the greater activity and the oxidative stability of the meat was reduced

WELFARE, PRODUCTIVITY AND QUALITATIVE TRAITS OF EGG IN LAYING HENS REARED UNDER DIFFERENT REARING SYSTEMS

The welfare, production performance and some qualitative characteristics of eggs obtained under three different rearing systems (conventional, organic and organic-plus) were compared. Three homogeneous groups, each of 120 White Leghorn hens, fed the same diets, were assigned to different rearing systems and data were recorded for 1 year. The welfare indicators were the following: first impact, behavioural patterns, tonic immobility and plumage status. Productive performance was recorded (% deposition; egg weight) and some qualitative traits (Haugh index, yolk colour, yolk, albumen and egg shell weight) were evaluated. Well-being was greatly affected by rearing system. The best welfare status was observed in hens of the organic-plus group, whereas the worst was in the conventional group (caged hens). Caged hens showed little interest or fear of observers, at times they had high tonic immobility and some aggressive pecking; the status of their plumage was very poor. On the contrary, caged hens produced more eggs, even if their qualitative traits (Haugh index and yolk colour) were worse than the organicplus eggs. The intense motor activity of organic hens and the concurrent intake of grass reduced their productive level; further egg deposition seemed more affected by seasonal variation

COMPARISON OF TWO CHICKEN GENOTYPES ORGANICALLY REARED: OXIDATIVE STABILITY AND OTHER QUALITATIVE TRAITS

The effect of genotype on the oxidative stability and other qualitative traits of chicken meat was studied. Two groups of 200 chicks (Ross 205 and Kabir) were reared according to the organic farming system. At 81 d of age 20 birds per group were slaughtered and after refrigeration (24 h at 4°C) of the carcasses, Pectoralis major muscles were excised for analyses.Samples were analysed after 0, 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours of storage at 4°C under continuous fluorescent illumination (2300 lux). The analyses concerned the chemical composition and the shear force (only at time 0) and the progress of several traits as pH, CIELAB values, Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances (TBARS), panel test and fatty acid composition (at 0 and after 96 h). Genotype greatly affected the physico-chemical characteristics and the sensory evaluation. The meat from Ross chickens showed high TBARS values, perhaps due to selection for growth rate that reduced their adaptability to greater space allowance and to poorer environmental conditions; these higher TBARS values were also negatively correlated to lightness and yellowness. The initial level of TBARS affected the oxidative stability of breast meat during storage. The amount of TBARS showed significantly negative relationship with the sensory evaluation; breast meat of Kabir had higher scores for liking when the level of malondialdehyde was less than 2.5 mg kg-1

EFFECT OF CONVENTIONAL VERSUS ORGANIC METHOD OF PRODUCTION ON THE BROILER CARCASS AND MEAT QUALITY

The effect of the organic production system on broiler carcass and meat quality was assessed. Two hundred and fifty Ross male chickens were assigned to two different systems of production: conventional, housing in an indoor pen (0.12 m2/bird); organic, housing in an indoor pen (0.12 m2/bird) with access to a grass paddock (4 m2/bird). At 56 and 81 days of age twenty chickens per group were slaughtered to evaluate the carcass traits and the characteristics of breast and drumstick muscles (pectoralis major and peroneus longus). The organic chickens had carcasses with a higher breast and drumstick percentages and lower level of abdominal fat. The muscles had lower pHu and water holding capacity. Instead cooking loss, lightness values, shear values, Fe, polyunsaturated fatty acids of n-3 series and TBA-RS were higher. The sensory quality of the breast muscle was better. Organic production system seems to be a good alternative method, due to better welfare conditions and good quality of the carcass and meat. A negative aspect was the higher level of TBA-RS in the muscles, probably due to greater physical activity

ASPETTI COMPORTAMENTALI, PRESTAZIONI PRODUTTIVE E QUALITÀ DELL'UOVO IN GALLINE ALLEVATE CON IL METODO BIOLOGICO

The aim of this trial was to study the effect of organic housing system on the behaviour, productive performance and the qualitative characteristics of eggs. The experiment was conduced directly in the field on Hy-Line laying hens from the beginning of the productive period (17 weeks of age) till the end of productive career. The animals were divided in two homogeneous groups and assigned to the following housing system: control, conventional cage (18 bird/m2) and organic 6 birds m2 in a covered straw-bedded house with access to a paddock (4 m2/bird). A standard feed with the same nutritive characteristics was given ad libitum to the chickens. For the organic, more than 80% of the ingredients (maize, wheat and whole soybean) were organically grown, as established by Regulation 1804/99. Ethological parameters (first impact, tonic immobility and behavioural patterns) and the plumage conditions showed better welfare conditions in organic laying hens. The greater movement of those animals lowered productive performances (lighter and less eggs); on the contrary the higher welfare and the minor overexploitation of organic animals permitted a longer productive life. The microbiological safety of eggs showed low levels of mesophila bacteria even though the organic system increased their mean value. There were few enterobacteria (< 100 CFU) and Salmonella spp. not present in any of the eggs analysed

Challenges Using Extrapolated Family-level Macroinvertebrate Metrics in Moderately Disturbed Tropical Streams: a Case-study From Belize

Family-level biotic metrics were originally designed to rapidly assess gross organic pollution effects, but came to be regarded as general measures of stream degradation. Improvements in water quality in developed countries have reignited debate about the limitations of family-level taxonomy to detect subtle change, and is resulting in a shift back towards generic and species-level analysis to assess smaller effects. Although the scale of pollution characterizing past condition of streams in developed countries persists in many developing regions, some areas are still considered to be only moderately disturbed. We sampled streams in Belize to investigate the ability of family-level macroinvertebrate metrics to detect change in stream catchments where less than 30% of forest had been cleared. Where disturbance did not co-vary with natural gradients of change, and in areas characterized by low intensity activities, none of the metrics tested detected significant change, despite evidence of environmental impacts. We highlight the need for further research to clarify the response of metrics to disturbance over a broader study area that allows replication for confounding sources of natural variation. We also recommend research to develop more detailed understanding of the taxonomy and ecology of Neotropical macroinvertebrates to improve the robustness of metric use

2017 HRS/EHRA/ECAS/APHRS/SOLAECE expert consensus statement on catheter and surgical ablation of atrial fibrillation: executive summary.

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Distinctive expansion of gene families associated with plant cell wall degradation, secondary metabolism, and nutrient uptake in the genomes of grapevine trunk pathogens

BackgroundTrunk diseases threaten the longevity and productivity of grapevines in all viticulture production systems. They are caused by distantly-related fungi that form chronic wood infections. Variation in wood-decay abilities and production of phytotoxic compounds are thought to contribute to their unique disease symptoms. We recently released the draft sequences of Eutypa lata, Neofusicoccum parvum and Togninia minima, causal agents of Eutypa dieback, Botryosphaeria dieback and Esca, respectively. In this work, we first expanded genomic resources to three important trunk pathogens, Diaporthe ampelina, Diplodia seriata, and Phaeomoniella chlamydospora, causal agents of Phomopsis dieback, Botryosphaeria dieback, and Esca, respectively. Then we integrated all currently-available information into a genome-wide comparative study to identify gene families potentially associated with host colonization and disease development.ResultsThe integration of RNA-seq, comparative and ab initio approaches improved the protein-coding gene prediction in T. minima, whereas shotgun sequencing yielded nearly complete genome drafts of Dia. ampelina, Dip. seriata, and P. chlamydospora. The predicted proteomes of all sequenced trunk pathogens were annotated with a focus on functions likely associated with pathogenesis and virulence, namely (i) wood degradation, (ii) nutrient uptake, and (iii) toxin production. Specific patterns of gene family expansion were described using Computational Analysis of gene Family Evolution, which revealed lineage-specific evolution of distinct mechanisms of virulence, such as specific cell wall oxidative functions and secondary metabolic pathways in N. parvum, Dia. ampelina, and E. lata. Phylogenetically-informed principal component analysis revealed more similar repertoires of expanded functions among species that cause similar symptoms, which in some cases did not reflect phylogenetic relationships, thereby suggesting patterns of convergent evolution.ConclusionsThis study describes the repertoires of putative virulence functions in the genomes of ubiquitous grapevine trunk pathogens. Gene families with significantly faster rates of gene gain can now provide a basis for further studies of in planta gene expression, diversity by genome re-sequencing, and targeted reverse genetic approaches. The functional validation of potential virulence factors will lead to a more comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms of pathogenesis and virulence, which ultimately will enable the development of accurate diagnostic tools and effective disease management