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In recent years, microalgae, particularly Euglena gracilis, have been candidates for the food/feed industry thanks to their nutritional and functional properties. However, the inclusion of E. gracilis in the diet of livestock animals is little studied, especially regarding its antioxidant activity. Furthermore, microalgae are known for their variability in nutritional quality and functional properties, mainly due to cultivation conditions. For this reason, the aim of the present work was to investigate the nutritional and functional aspects (total phenolic content TPC, Folin-Ciocalteu assay); antioxidant activity (ABTS and FRAP assays) of E. gracilis, grown in three different media, following chemical extraction (H2O:EtOH) and ex vivo digestion method. The microalgae growth media were characterised as follows: EgM (standard medium); ETX (standard medium + aminoacidic-extract); DOE-ETX (ETX + microelements). The results showed an interesting nutritional profile for all the microalgae analysed, although the values were modulated by media nutrients. Although EgM (6.94 ± 0.25 g/L) was characterised by a significant higher growth yield than ETX (5.75 ± 0.14 g/L) and DOE-ETX (4.72 ± 0.17 g/L), results also confirmed by the paramylon content (4.35 ± 0.13; 3.16 ± 0.08; 2.25 ± 0.05 g/L, respectively) (p

In recent years, microalgae, particularly Euglena gracilis, have been candidates for the food/feed industry thanks to their nutritional and functional properties. However, the inclusion of E. gracilis in the diet of livestock animals is little studied, especially regarding its antioxidant activity. Furthermore, microalgae are known for their variability in nutritional quality and functional properties, mainly due to cultivation conditions. For this reason, the aim of the present work was to investigate the nutritional and functional aspects (total phenolic content TPC, Folin-Ciocalteu assay); antioxidant activity (ABTS and FRAP assays) of E. gracilis, grown in three different media, following chemical extraction (H2O:EtOH) and ex vivo digestion method. The microalgae growth media were characterised as follows: EgM (standard medium); ETX (standard medium + aminoacidic-extract); DOE-ETX (ETX + microelements). The results showed an interesting nutritional profile for all the microalgae analysed, although the values were modulated by media nutrients. Although EgM (6.94 ± 0.25 g/L) was characterised by a significant higher growth yield than ETX (5.75 ± 0.14 g/L) and DOE-ETX (4.72 ± 0.17 g/L), results also confirmed by the paramylon content (4.35 ± 0.13; 3.16 ± 0.08; 2.25 ± 0.05 g/L, respectively) (p < 0.05), it did not show a high functional profile. More specifically, DOE-ETX showed higher values for TPC, ABTS, and FRAP, following chemical extraction, in particular 50 and 75% EtOH and ex vivo digestion. These results confirmed the potential of E. gracilis as a valuable source of functional feed ingredients. Further investigations will be crucial to optimise the formulation of the culture medium to obtain a high yield of algae with improved functional characteristics. HIGHLIGHTS: Constant population growth has prompted scientific research to investigate new protein alternatives. Euglena gracilis represents a valid candidate. The type of growth medium influences the nutritional and functional profile (total phenolic content and antioxidant activity) of E. gracilis. The addition of microelements to the E. gracilis medium resulted in a higher phenolic content and more marked antioxidant activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reducing the use of antibiotics is one of the largest challenges for pig production. The scientific community has investigated numerous alternative substances to antibiotics, including medium-chain fatty acids, due to their antimicrobial and protective effects on the gut health of piglets. The present study investigated the effect of lauric acid saponified with calcium (C12-Ca) on the growth performance and gut health parameters in post-weaning piglets. A total of 192 24-day-old piglets were assigned to one of three dietary treatments: CTR (basal diet alone), ANT (amoxicillin, 400 mg/kg) as a positive control diet, or C12-Ca (1 g/kg) for 28 days. C12-Ca did not affect performance, except for feed efficiency (FE), which increased (p

The aim of this work was to characterise some of the most representative Sicilian honeys. Sugars, pH and minerals were determined with conventional analyses. Chestnut honeys showed the lowest sugar content, with a fructose and glucose sum of 62.31 g/100g. Citrus and Eucalyptus honeys showed the highest fructose content (38.08 and 38.04 g/100g), while Citrus and Sulla honeys had the highest sucrose content (3.16 and 3.92 g/100g). The highest fructose to glucose ratio was 1.59, found for Chestnut honeys, which had also the highest pH-value of 4.98. Potassium is the most abundant element in honey and the highest values were found for Chestnut and Eucalyptus honey (4.412 and 1.956 mg/g). Among micro-minerals, Zinc showed the highest concentration, ranging from 4.64 to 7.16 µg/g. Alongside physicochemical analyses, E-tongue and computer vision was used to estimate the organoleptic proprieties of honey. In particular, Pearson’s correlation was used to study the relationship between the electrical E-tongue’ signals, pH and sugars content, which have a major influence on the main taste attributes investigated in honey. Chestnut honeys scored the lowest values for the sweet and sour taste, being the bitterest among the samples evaluated. On the other hand, Sulla and Citrus honeys were the sweetest and the sourest. The colour of honey was examined with machine vision and the weight of the different minerals on the colour parameters was disclosed, resulting in dark colours correlated to sodium and microelements, and in a light colour that showed a negative correlation with potassium and magnesium.Highlights A novel instrumental approach was used to characterise Sicilian honey. Physicochemical parameters of Sicilian honeys were determined. Electronic senses were used to perform a human-like sensory evaluation. Correlation between physicochemical and organoleptic properties has been disclosed.

The 8th International Feed Conference 'Present and Future Challenges' took place in Milan, Italy, in October 2023, marking the first time the event was held in Italy. The conference highlighted the importance of animal feed in sustainable food production systems, addressing the increasing global demand for animal proteins. Key topics discussed included circular feed and additives, feed quality, safety, authentication, and traceability. The conference aimed to bring together experts from various fields to share knowledge and discuss innovative solutions for the challenges facing the feed industry. [Extracted from the article]

The occurrence and control of mycotoxins in feed and food are items of great interest to researchers, producers, manufacturers and regulatory agencies. In order to implement knowledge of control measures for mycotoxins in the entire food production chain, coordinated inspection programmes aimed to check the presence and concentration of mycotoxins in feedingstuffs are recommended by the Commission of the European Communities. Reliability of measured levels of mycotoxins in feed and food is greatly affected by the collection of representative samples. Because of the heterogeneous distribution of mycotoxins, the variability associated with a mycotoxin test procedure usually depends heavily on the sampling plan. European legislation dealing with sampling plans for mycotoxins in foodstuffs has been recently revised. The aim of the following overview is to discuss the role of sampling in mycotoxin-contaminated feed by considering the evolution of legislation dealing with sampling plans for food. A sampling procedure is a multistage process and consists of three distinct phases: sampling, sample preparation and analysis. The variability associated with each step of a sampling procedure and the aspects related to feedstuffs, matrix/ mycotoxin combination and level of contamination are discussed.

A bovine mammary epithelial cell line (BME-UV1) and three-dimensional collagen primary bovine organoids were used to evaluate the effects of cadaverine, putrescine, spermine, spermidine and β-phenylethylamine on mammary epithelial cells. Each biogenic amine was diluted in several concentrations (0-50 mM in BME-UV1 and 0-4 mM in primary bovine organoids) in the appropriate saline solution for the cell culture considered. In order to determine the activity of each compound tritiated thymidine incorporation was used. At low concentrations, all amines induced cell proliferation in both cultures. In BME-UV1, spermine significantly inhibited cell proliferation (P

Biogenic amines are low molecular weight organic bases present in all organisms. The most common are putrescine, cadaverine, spermine, spermidine, histamine, tryptamine and β- phenylethylamine. In low concentrations they are essential for the normal growth and differentiation of cells (Bardócz et al., 1995), but in larger quantities are harmful to humans and livestock. Biogenic amines are naturally present in silage; however their presence in high concentrations may be a sign of undesirable changes in the fermented forage and has been linked to low feed intake in ruminants (Van Os et al., 1996; 1997)...

In animal nutrition, mycotoxins are important feed contaminants. Among them, ochratoxins (OTA) and aflatoxins (AF) have several biological activities, including acute toxicity, teratogenicity, mutagenicity, immunotoxicity and carcinogenicity (Creepy, 2002). Obviously, toxicity of mycotoxins is a risk factor not only for animals but for humans, too (Hussein et al., 2001). Deficiencies of certain nutritional factors e.g. micronutrients may predispose or enhance individuals to the toxic effects of mycotoxins (Atroshi et al., 2002). It is well known that antioxidants like vitamin E, protect cellular membranes from oxidative damage.........

Chemical hazards may occur in any phases of the different livestock production systems. Aim of this review is to address an update about the key issues related to the risk of contamination in foods of animal origin by environmental contaminants linked to industrialisation or urbanisation (e.g., heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants), and natural contaminants (e.g., mycotoxins). This review deals with current issues and future perspectives on the complex issue of the safety of feeds and foods of animal origin, by taking into account the estimation of the occurrence of chemical residues in food, the hazard identification and characterisation of mycotoxins in animal feeds, and the analysis of feedstuffs as a tool to control and evaluate food safety.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of image analysis measurements in combination with the official analytical method for the detection of constituents of animal origin in feedstuffs, in distinguishing between bovine and swine (bone containing) material. Authentic samples of controlled origin containing bovine or swine meat and bone meals were analysed by the microscopic method, in accordance with the official analytical method. Sediment fractions of each sample were observed with a compound microscope at X40. A total of 362 bone fragment lacunae images were recorded and processed through image analysis software, deriving 30 geometric variables for each lacuna. Results indicated that not only were most variables significantly (P

Electronic nose (EN), among the most recent olfactometric techniques, represents a modern and automated analytical approach which could have many industrial applications in different fields. Food analyses represent one of the more interesting examples. One of the most throughput definitions of the EN, was given by Gardner and Bartlett (1994), who defined it as “an instrument which comprises an array of electronic chemical sensors with partial specificity to chemical substances and an appropriate pattern recognition (PR) system, capable of recognizing simple or complex odours”.

Ochratoxin A is a mycotoxin responsible for disease states in both humans and animals. OTA mechanisms of action are numerous, including lipid peroxidation. Oxidative damage results in the modification of macromolecules (i.e. DNA), cell death and tissue injure. Several strategies, such as the use of antioxidants, have been used to reduce OTA cytotoxicity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of alpha-tocopherol in counteracting DNA damage induced by OTA in cell cultures. Primary porcine fibroblasts, isolated from embryo and from ear, were incubated for 24h with several concentrations of OTA in order to detect DNA fragmentation. OTA produced DNA fragmentation in a concentration dependent manner in both primary cell cultures. The pre-treatment with alpha-tocopherol caused the reduction of DNA fragmentation in both primary cell cultures, after 24h of incubation with OTA. In particular, when OTA was added at 10 µg/ml in embryo fibroblasts, alpha-tocopherol at the concentrations of 1 nM was significantly (P

Milk composition and quality are affected by several factors of which stage of lactation and mammary gland health status represent the main ones. These two factors become more effective in small dairy ruminants, for which stage of lactation is synchronized as result of the seasonal breeding cycle. As a consequence in dairy sheep and goats milk quality and cheese making properties tend to decline. Most of these effects on milk quality are also associated with an increase in the somatic cell count (SCC), which is in turn related with the gradual involution of mammary gland with the lactation progress (Fantuz et al., 2001; Baldi et al., 2002). However, high SCC in milk could be related to intramammary infections (IMI), sub-clinical and chronic mastitis in both sheep and goats.

This review aims at providing an update of the current European Union (EU) legislation on feed-related issues. Regulations and Directives were classified into the following categories: general food law, placing on the market and use of feed, official controls, sampling and analysis, hygiene, undesirable substances, additives, animal by-products, OGMs, feed intended for particular nutritional purposes, and organic production. An overview of all laws related to the above-mentioned topics is given, and the main points of each law, cited in conjunction with its effect on previous laws (replacement, modification, amendments, and main related acts), are reported in tables.

The aim of this work was to characterise some of the most representative Sicilian honeys. Sugars, pH and minerals were determined with conventional analyses. Chestnut honeys showed the lowest sugar content, with a fructose and glucose sum of 62.31 g/100g. Citrus and Eucalyptus honeys showed the highest fructose content (38.08 and 38.04 g/100g), while Citrus and Sulla honeys had the highest sucrose content (3.16 and 3.92 g/100g). The highest fructose to glucose ratio was 1.59, found for Chestnut honeys, which had also the highest pH-value of 4.98. Potassium is the most abundant element in honey and the highest values were found for Chestnut and Eucalyptus honey (4.412 and 1.956 mg/g). Among micro-minerals, Zinc showed the highest concentration, ranging from 4.64 to 7.16 µg/g. Alongside physicochemical analyses, E-tongue and computer vision was used to estimate the organoleptic proprieties of honey. In particular, Pearson's correlation was used to study the relationship between the electrical E-tongue' signals, pH and sugars content, which have a major influence on the main taste attributes investigated in honey. Chestnut honeys scored the lowest values for the sweet and sour taste, being the bitterest among the samples evaluated. On the other hand, Sulla and Citrus honeys were the sweetest and the sourest. The colour of honey was examined with machine vision and the weight of the different minerals on the colour parameters was disclosed, resulting in dark colours correlated to sodium and microelements, and in a light colour that showed a negative correlation with potassium and magnesium. A novel instrumental approach was used to characterise Sicilian honey. Physicochemical parameters of Sicilian honeys were determined. Electronic senses were used to perform a human-like sensory evaluation. Correlation between physicochemical and organoleptic properties has been disclosed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]