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The aim of this study was to compare animal performance and meat quality of a local cattle breed of Sardinia Island with specialised meat purebred or obtained by crossbreeding. For this purpose, 10 Sardo-Bruna (SB; 5 males, 5 females), 10 Limousine (L; 5 males, 5 females) and 10 Limousine × Sardo-Bruna crossbreed (L × SB; 5 males, 5 females) were compared simultaneously from 12 to 20 ± 1 (mean ± SEM) months old. During the trial, body weight (BW) was recorded once a month for estimating the average daily gain (ADG). At slaughter, carcase measurements, pH and colour traits were recorded from the left side of the carcase. Proximate composition, fatty acid (FA) profile, cooking and drip losses were evaluated using the Longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscle. The SB group showed a lower cold carcase yield compared to L and L × SB genetic types. Males had a higher ADG, slaughter weight, hot and cold carcase weights, hot and cold carcase yields, and cooking losses than females. Females group showed a higher intramuscular fat content and rib fat thickness compared to males. No relevant differences among genetic types and between sexes were observed for meat and fat colours and pH. Concerning the FA profile, SB genetic type evidenced a higher oleic acid content and a better nutritional index than other genetic types while males had a higher PUFA content than females. In conclusion, the results of this study showed that the Limousine breed can be effectively used to enhance carcase yield of local breed without effects on meat quality.

The bark of Cinnamomum verum (CVB) had beneficial effects on the meat quality of broilers associated with phytochemical products, such as cinnamaldehyde. This study aimed to assess the potential effects of supplementation with CVB on the breast quality and carcase features of broilers. A total of 120 broiler chicks were arbitrarily assigned to four dietary treatment groups, each with five replicates (♂:♀ = 3:3 in each replicate). Each experimental meal was designed to contain a basal diet with 0, 2, 4, and 6 g CVB/kg. On day 34, 1 male broiler from each replication was selected for selected criteria. The present findings revealed that the broilers treated with CVB, especially at 2 g CVB, increased (p

This study aims to evaluate the effects of ageing time (0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 weeks) and of two different ageing techniques (dry and wet ageing) on the rheological, colorimetric, oxidative, volatile, and sensory attributes of meat (hind limbs) sourced from culled Rossa Mediterranea breed goats. Twenty-four goats were involved in the trial. The hind limbs were divided in the two experimental groups: the right ones were subjected to dry ageing and the left ones to wet ageing. Dry-aged (DA) meat showed higher water-holding capacity (WHC) and lower cooking loss (CL) after ageing compared to wet aged (WA) meat (p

The study evaluated the effect of housing system and genotype on performance and breast meat quality in 540 cockerels. Three genotypes of cockerels differing in growth intensity (slow-growing ISA Dual, medium-growing Hubbard JA757 and fast-growing Ross 308) and two housing systems (litter and mobile box on pasture) were compared. The significantly lowest feed conversion (p

Crisp grass carp is a type of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) that has been fed faba beans. Flesh quality and expression of muscle quality-related genes in muscle of grass carp were evaluated. Compared with ordinary grass carp, 1901 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were up-regulated and 1628 DEGs were down-regulated in crisp grass carp. The GO analysis results showed that the DEGs were enriched in ribosomes and proteins. Kyoto Encyclopaedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis results showed that amino acid metabolism was closely related to meat quality. COX3, ACADS, ACAT1, ECHS1, EHHADH, HADHAA, HADH, HMGCL, MCCC1 and MCCC2 were the top 10 hub genes most closely associated with other nodes and showed a strong positive correlation. Hardness was positively correlated with the COX3, ECHS1, ACADS, ACAT1, HADHA, HADH, HMGCL and MCCC1. These results have been demonstrated to play important roles in clarifying the molecular mechanism of muscle firmness increase in crisp grass carp.

This research aims to evaluate how incorporating sun-dried olive leaves (OL) in the diets of Awassi lambs affects production costs, intake and nutrients digestibility, growth performance, and carcase quality. Thirty-six newly weaned male lambs were randomly allocated to one of three diet groups as dry matter (DM) in diets: 1) the control diet (CON), 2) 50 OL g/kg (OL50), and 3) 100 OL g/kg (OL100). On the 50th day, four lambs were randomly selected from each treatment and transported to metabolic cages to evaluate digestibility and N balance. The DM intake was higher (p = .003) in the OL50 and OL100 diets than those on the CON diet. At the same time, the ether extract and metabolisable energy intakes were the highest (p < .0001) in OL100, followed by OL50 and the CON diet. Intake of neutral detergent fibre and acid detergent fibre for lambs fed the OL50 diet surpassed (p < .0001) the other diets. The growth performance parameters were comparable among diets. However, the cost of gain was lower (p = .03) in diets containing OL. The OL incorporation had no treatment effect (p > .05) on the digestibility, N retention, carcase characteristics and meat quality. In conclusion, while the addition of OL at 50 g/kg and 100 g/kg did not affect the growth performance and characteristics of carcase, it did decrease the cost of production, making it a good candidate to replace part of the wheat straw in diets of growing lambs.Highlights Olive leaves percentage substitution of wheat straw improved the nutrients intake in Awassi lambs fed commercial diets. Olive leaves incorporation decreased both the cost of the diet and the cost per kg of gain in Awassi lambs. Olive leaves inclusion did not have a negative effect on digestibility and N Balance, carcase characteristics and meat quality.

Preservation of biodiversity and genetic improvement of livestock populations are often considered to be antagonistic. Biodiversity affects meat quality (MQ) on different levels: among species (only three species yield 88% of the world’s meat); among breeds within species (there are more than 3000 cattle breeds worldwide, but about half are at an unknown risk of extinction, and only one-fourth of the others are not endangered); among animals within breed (in cattle populations with millions of individuals the median effective size is equivalent to only about 100 unrelated animals); and between alleles within animal genes (the inbreeding coefficients of individual animals are increasing with selection, and particularly genomic selection [GS]). Beef quality traits are very particular because they cannot be directly measured on living animals. The genetic improvement of beef quality can be pursued by different techniques. In chronological order, they are: phenotypic selection, which has created breed differentiation (not useful for MQ traits); selective breeding (heritability of beef quality traits varies considerably according to breed, trait and conditions; indirect selection through NIRS predictions, etc., (could be useful); the fixation of major gene mutations (the myostatin gene for double muscling, calpain (CAPN)-calpastatin (CAST) genes for beef tenderness; diacylglycerol O-Acyltransferase 1 for beef marbling, etc.); genomic and other omic approaches (strong increase in scientific studies, genome-wide association studies (GWAS), GS, gene network identification, etc.); the cloning of animals (not useful); and the cloning of tissues (cultivated meat).HIGHLIGHTS The biodiversity of beef cattle populations is threatened by globalisation, intensification, and (genomic) selection, which increase inbreeding; Indirect phenotyping (NIRS) and genomic selection (GS) will allow the genetic improvement of beef quality traits. Animal cloning has no practical use, and cell cloning (cultured meat) needs further research and ethical debate.

There is a consistent and growing need for livestock and meat producers to understand the factors that affect fresh meat quality and value. New information can be used to make precise changes in management or genetic selection to improve the ability to efficiently produce the high-quality meat that customers and consumers expect. The molecular composition of meat can explain the variation in the meat quality phenotype. The molecular phenotype includes the profile of all molecules in the proteome, metabolome, and lipidome. Because a high proportion of meat quality traits are affected by structural and metabolic proteins, identifying the proteomic phenotype associated with high-quality meat production will inform the development of strategies to consistently produce these products. There is a complexity in interpreting early post-mortem, post-rigour, and post-ageing muscle proteomes, and these phenotypes are distinct from those observed in living muscle. Investigations using proteomic tools must carefully ask direct questions in the context of post-mortem muscle. New technologies provide the opportunity to measure entire protein profiles, and even more information can be learned by defining the proteome of fractions of proteins separated based on their solubility and observed changes during the post-mortem conversion of muscle to meat. Targeted studies of how specific proteins that are known to directly affect meat quality, such as myoglobin and calpain, demonstrate that modifications of these proteins can affect their activity and how they contribute to meat quality. A holistic view of the meat proteome and recognising that it is specifically different than the muscle proteome will provide the meat science community with a starting point to use proteomic and other omic technologies to address these complex issues. This review aims to provide an overview of the current state-of-the-art in proteomics s in meat science research, highlighting recent advancements and perspectives for future research.HIGHLIGHTS Interpreting data on protein interactions in meat is challenging due to the vastly different intracellular environment compared to muscle. Omics approaches provide insights into the molecular processes underlying meat quality. Targeted proteomic approaches need to be considered to provide a fuller understanding of the changes important to meat quality.

Following the promotion of animal welfare awareness, modern meat production should be applied ethically and sustainably. Alternative circular feeds such as algae, insects, agro-industrial by-products (AIBPs) and former food products (FFPs) play a key role to re-define the current meat production system. This review highlights the effects of feed ingredients mentioned above on red meat quality, from a blue-bio/circular economy point of view. The results show that when algae are added in adequate amounts, they can improve nutritional and sensory quality of meat. Insects, and AIBPs, can affect meat quality mainly in terms of selected components like fat content and quality, while the effects of FFPs as feed ingredients on meat quality are still limited. These alternative feedingstuffs are regarded as interesting protein/energy sources for animal diets and are expected to be increasingly used globally as a replacement for conventional feedstuffs. The inclusion level of insects, AIBPs and FFPs is often higher than that of algae, because algae are considered more as feed supplements instead of ingredients that mainly provide macronutrients to the animals. However, more research is needed for a comprehensive evaluation of these materials, especially in terms of: (i) feed formulation and processing methods (inclusion level of such materials and technology used for feed production); (ii) their potential impacts on animal growth and health status and on environmental footprint; (iii) carcass quality; and (iv) final meat product quality, safety and wholesomeness.

The aim of this study was to evaluate dietary chitosan oligosaccharides (COS) supplementation on meat quality, chemical composition and oxidative stability in frizzled chickens. A total of 360 one-day-old female frizzled chickens with an average body weight of 34.38 ± 1.23 g were randomly allocated to four groups with six replications (10 chickens/replication) in this 84-day experiment. The chickens in the control group (CON) fed the basal diet and the other three experimental diets were based on the basal diet with 300, 600 and 900 mg/kg COS supplementation, respectively. The results indicated that dietary COS increased growth performance, eviscerated and breast muscle yield while decreased abdominal fat yield, accompanied with increasing pH45min, pH24h, Lightness, drip loss and cooking loss in breast and thigh muscle. The scavenging activity of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, superoxide radical, hydroxyl radical and 2,2-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) diammonium salt, the activity of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) in breast and thigh muscle were improved by COS while malondialdehyde content was decreased. COS up-regulated the gene expression of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2, heme oxygenase-1, NAD(P)H quinone dehydrogenase 1, SOD, CAT and GSH-Px in breast and thigh muscle. In conclusion, dietary COS supplementation improved meat quality by improving pH, colour, water holding capacity and anti-oxidant capacity, accompanied with decreased lipid metabolism in frizzled chickens. Dietary 600 mg/kg COS was recommended in frizzled chickens’ diet to improve meat quality.Highlights COS improves growth performance of frizzled chickens. COS improves meat quality of frizzled chickens. COS enhances anti-oxidant capacity of frizzled chickens’ meat.

Pre-slaughter handling practices, such as fasting, transport, mixing and human interventions affect the welfare of pigs and carcase and meat quality individually and cumulatively. Behavioural and physiological studies conducted during the pre-slaughter period revealed that producer-controlled factors at the farm, such as housing system, previous handling experience, genetics, gender, nutrition and slaughter weight can have an impact on pigs’ ease of handling and sensitivity to stress, which result in loss of profits for the pork chain due to transport losses, reduced carcase value due to lesions and bruises and meat quality defects. Research has shown that pigs originating from enriched housing conditions, not over-selected for lean deposition and trained to be handled are easier to handle and more resilient to the effects of physical stress prior to slaughter. However, the effects on meat quality are not clear. The production of entire males and immunocastrates can be a valid alternative to surgical castration, provided specific practices are applied to limit aggressiveness in mixed group situations and the risk of bruised carcases. Recommendations for the transport and handling of heavier slaughter pigs must be adapted to improve ease of handling and reduce transport losses, aggressiveness and fatigue-related meat quality defects. The response of pigs to pre-slaughter physical stress and feed deprivation can be affected by ractopamine dietary supplementation, feed composition and feeding regime. The objective of this paper is to overview the effects of on-farm producer-controlled factors on pigs’ response to pre-slaughter handling and meat quality, and environmental, social and economic sustainability.HIGHLIGHTS On-farm factors impact pig losses On-farm factors impact ease of handling On-farm factors impact food safety; effects on meat quality are unclear

This trial was performed to determine the effects of dietary supplementation of dry dandelion (Taraxacum mongolicum Hand. -Mazz.) on carcase traits, breast meat quality, muscle fatty and amino acid composition and antioxidant capacity of broiler chickens. A total of 120 Arbour Acres broiler chickens were randomly allotted to three groups and fed basal diet (CON), basal diet supplemented with 0.5 g/kg (LD) or 1.0 g/kg (HD) of dandelion. The results showed that compared with LD group, the eviscerated percentage of HD group tended to be higher (p = 0.090), while the abdominal fat yield tended to be lower (p = 0.078). In addition, dandelion quadratically increased redness, water loss rate, the proportion of C20:2, C20:4n-6, C22:6n-3 and the sum of n-3 PUFA and decreased cooking loss of Pectoralis major (PA) muscle (p

This study investigated the effects of dietary feruloyl oligosaccharides derived from fermented wheat bran (FOs-FWB) supplementation on carcase traits, meat quality, muscle fatty acid composition, and the expression of lipogenic genes in lambs. In a completely randomised design, 50 Dorper × thin-tailed Han lambs (20.21 ± 3.36 kg) were randomly divided into five treatments with ten replications. The lambs in the control group were fed a basal diet, while those in the experimental groups were fed the basal diet supplemented with 50, 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg FOs-FWB. The shear forces of longissimus dorsi (LD) in lambs fed 50 and 100 mg/kg FOs-FWB were significantly lower than that of the control group (p

This study examined the association, promoter methylation of Interferon alpha-inducible protein 6 (IFI6) gene, and their effects on mRNA expression and meat quality traits in pig. Muscle samples (n=300) were randomly collected from the Longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LTL) to determine meat quality traits including drip loss, thawing loss, cooking loss, meat pH [at 45 minutes (pH45min) and at 24 hours (pH24h) post-mortem], shear force (for tenderness), and lightness (L*) in pigs. Genotyping was performed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Muscle samples (5 per group) with divergent meat pH (low vs high) were selected for promoter methylation study using bisulfate and pyrosequencing. Muscle samples from animals (5 per group) with divergent phenotypes (low vs high meat pH and low vs high drip loss) were used for mRNA expression study by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Results showed that a polymorphism in IFI6 gene (g.370A>G) was significantly (P < 0.01) associated with meat pH24h. Furthermore, four CpG regions were identified in IFI6 promoter, of which DNA methylation in a CG site was higher in low meat pH24h group compared to high meat pH24h group (P < 0.05). The mRNA expression of IFI6 gene was significantly (P < 0.01) downregulated in low meat pH24h group than high meat pH24h group. This result postulated that high DNA methylation at CG site in the promoter region might downregulate the IFI6 gene expression, hence lower the muscle pH that might lead to higher drip loss and lower tenderness. Therefore, porcine IFI6 gene might be a potential candidate gene for meat quality trait in pig. Nevertheless, further research is needed to confirm the role of IFI6 gene in controlling meat quality traits in other commercial populations. This study analysed association of a SNP in IFI6 gene with meat quality traits, and promotor methylation and transcriptome expression of IFI6 gene in relation to meat pH. The result suggested that polymorphism affects meat pH. The high DNA methylation at a specific CG site in the IFI6 promoter is involved in IFI6 gene downregulation in low meat pH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The grazing grassland ecosystem on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau is highly impacted by seasonal temperature variations. During the long cold season, the biomass and nutrient contents of forage grass do not meet the nutritional needs of grazing livestock and seriously affect growth performance and livestock products. This study investigated different feeding strategies on growth performance, meat quality and rumen fungal community of Tibetan sheep in the winter. Twelve one-year-old healthy castrated Tibetan sheep with similar initial body weights were randomly grouped into traditional grazing (TG) and barn feeding (BF) groups. The TG sheep were labelled and grazed on the local cool-season pasture without feed supplementing, while BF sheep were fed a mixed diet in feeding shed. Compared with the TG group, significantly increased body weight and average daily weight gain (ADG) were observed in the BF group (p < 0.001), which resulted in a significant increase in the hot carcase weight, net meat weight, carcase rate and net meat rate (p < 0.01). Moreover, the longissimus dorsi muscle of the BF group showed significantly increased muscle fibre diameter, perimeter, and area and increased crude protein and ether extract contents (p < 0.01), while the meat tenderness and amino acid content were reduced. ITS high-throughput sequencing showed that Ascomycota was the predominant fungal phylum in the rumen of Tibetan sheep. At the genus level, the rumen of TG sheep presented higher proportions of Preussia, Anaeromyces and Pilidium, while the most abundant genera in the BF sheep were Penicillium, Acaulium and Vishniacozyma. In summary, BF strategy enhanced the relative abundance of several dominant fungal genera related to the nutrient absorption and metabolism capacity, and effectively improves the growth and slaughter performance and affects meat quality of Tibetan sheep in the winter. Growth and slaughter performance effectively improved under the barn feeding (BF) strategy. The mutton of BF group had higher crude protein and ether extract contents, and lower amino acid content. Barn feeding strategy enhanced the rumen nutrient absorption and metabolism capacity by altering the relative abundance of several dominant fungal genera. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a consistent and growing need for livestock and meat producers to understand the factors that affect fresh meat quality and value. New information can be used to make precise changes in management or genetic selection to improve the ability to efficiently produce the high-quality meat that customers and consumers expect. The molecular composition of meat can explain the variation in the meat quality phenotype. The molecular phenotype includes the profile of all molecules in the proteome, metabolome, and lipidome. Because a high proportion of meat quality traits are affected by structural and metabolic proteins, identifying the proteomic phenotype associated with high-quality meat production will inform the development of strategies to consistently produce these products. There is a complexity in interpreting early post-mortem, post-rigour, and post-ageing muscle proteomes, and these phenotypes are distinct from those observed in living muscle. Investigations using proteomic tools must carefully ask direct questions in the context of post-mortem muscle. New technologies provide the opportunity to measure entire protein profiles, and even more information can be learned by defining the proteome of fractions of proteins separated based on their solubility and observed changes during the post-mortem conversion of muscle to meat. Targeted studies of how specific proteins that are known to directly affect meat quality, such as myoglobin and calpain, demonstrate that modifications of these proteins can affect their activity and how they contribute to meat quality. A holistic view of the meat proteome and recognising that it is specifically different than the muscle proteome will provide the meat science community with a starting point to use proteomic and other omic technologies to address these complex issues. This review aims to provide an overview of the current state-of-the-art in proteomics s in meat science research, highlighting recent advancements and perspectives for future research. Interpreting data on protein interactions in meat is challenging due to the vastly different intracellular environment compared to muscle. Omics approaches provide insights into the molecular processes underlying meat quality. Targeted proteomic approaches need to be considered to provide a fuller understanding of the changes important to meat quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following the promotion of animal welfare awareness, modern meat production should be applied ethically and sustainably. Alternative circular feeds such as algae, insects, agro-industrial by-products (AIBPs) and former food products (FFPs) play a key role to re-define the current meat production system. This review highlights the effects of feed ingredients mentioned above on red meat quality, from a blue-bio/circular economy point of view. The results show that when algae are added in adequate amounts, they can improve nutritional and sensory quality of meat. Insects, and AIBPs, can affect meat quality mainly in terms of selected components like fat content and quality, while the effects of FFPs as feed ingredients on meat quality are still limited. These alternative feedingstuffs are regarded as interesting protein/energy sources for animal diets and are expected to be increasingly used globally as a replacement for conventional feedstuffs. The inclusion level of insects, AIBPs and FFPs is often higher than that of algae, because algae are considered more as feed supplements instead of ingredients that mainly provide macronutrients to the animals. However, more research is needed for a comprehensive evaluation of these materials, especially in terms of: (i) feed formulation and processing methods (inclusion level of such materials and technology used for feed production); (ii) their potential impacts on animal growth and health status and on environmental footprint; (iii) carcass quality; and (iv) final meat product quality, safety and wholesomeness. Algae, insects, agro-industrial by-products (AIBPs) and former food products (FFPs) can affect meat quality. The inclusion level of insects and FFPs is often higher than algae, while that of AIBPs could be variable. These materials can affect meat quality mainly in terms of selected components like fat content and quality. These feed materials have been linked to improved sustainability, feed/food circularity and consumer perception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to evaluate dietary chitosan oligosaccharides (COS) supplementation on meat quality, chemical composition and oxidative stability in frizzled chickens. A total of 360 one-day-old female frizzled chickens with an average body weight of 34.38 ± 1.23 g were randomly allocated to four groups with six replications (10 chickens/replication) in this 84-day experiment. The chickens in the control group (CON) fed the basal diet and the other three experimental diets were based on the basal diet with 300, 600 and 900 mg/kg COS supplementation, respectively. The results indicated that dietary COS increased growth performance, eviscerated and breast muscle yield while decreased abdominal fat yield, accompanied with increasing pH45min, pH24h, Lightness, drip loss and cooking loss in breast and thigh muscle. The scavenging activity of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, superoxide radical, hydroxyl radical and 2,2-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) diammonium salt, the activity of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) in breast and thigh muscle were improved by COS while malondialdehyde content was decreased. COS up-regulated the gene expression of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2, heme oxygenase-1, NAD(P)H quinone dehydrogenase 1, SOD, CAT and GSH-Px in breast and thigh muscle. In conclusion, dietary COS supplementation improved meat quality by improving pH, colour, water holding capacity and anti-oxidant capacity, accompanied with decreased lipid metabolism in frizzled chickens. Dietary 600 mg/kg COS was recommended in frizzled chickens' diet to improve meat quality. COS improves growth performance of frizzled chickens. COS improves meat quality of frizzled chickens. COS enhances anti-oxidant capacity of frizzled chickens' meat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preservation of biodiversity and genetic improvement of livestock populations are often considered to be antagonistic. Biodiversity affects meat quality (MQ) on different levels: among species (only three species yield 88% of the world's meat); among breeds within species (there are more than 3000 cattle breeds worldwide, but about half are at an unknown risk of extinction, and only one-fourth of the others are not endangered); among animals within breed (in cattle populations with millions of individuals the median effective size is equivalent to only about 100 unrelated animals); and between alleles within animal genes (the inbreeding coefficients of individual animals are increasing with selection, and particularly genomic selection [GS]). Beef quality traits are very particular because they cannot be directly measured on living animals. The genetic improvement of beef quality can be pursued by different techniques. In chronological order, they are: phenotypic selection, which has created breed differentiation (not useful for MQ traits); selective breeding (heritability of beef quality traits varies considerably according to breed, trait and conditions; indirect selection through NIRS predictions, etc., (could be useful); the fixation of major gene mutations (the myostatin gene for double muscling, calpain (CAPN)-calpastatin (CAST) genes for beef tenderness; diacylglycerol O-Acyltransferase 1 for beef marbling, etc.); genomic and other omic approaches (strong increase in scientific studies, genome-wide association studies (GWAS), GS, gene network identification, etc.); the cloning of animals (not useful); and the cloning of tissues (cultivated meat). The biodiversity of beef cattle populations is threatened by globalisation, intensification, and (genomic) selection, which increase inbreeding; Indirect phenotyping (NIRS) and genomic selection (GS) will allow the genetic improvement of beef quality traits. Animal cloning has no practical use, and cell cloning (cultured meat) needs further research and ethical debate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of feeding a new hybrid of sorghum (ES Shamal, orange variety) in broiler chickens on growth, health, meat, and litter quality was evaluated from 1–42 d. A total of 360-day-old male Ross 308 broiler chicks (40.1 ± 2.3 g) were randomly assigned to 3 experimental diets: 100% corn-based diet (S0), partial replacement of corn with 50% sorghum (S50), total replacement of corn with sorghum (S100). All diets were calculated to be isonitrogenous and isocaloric with similar content of total lysine, total sulphur amino acids, calcium, and available phosphorous. The results indicated that partial or total replacement of corn by sorghum is suitable for broiler chicken diets with no adverse effects on growth, and slaughter performance, as well as litter quality over the whole trial period. Moreover, the substitution of corn with sorghum, reduced (p =.007) abdominal fat associated with an increase in breast and thigh meat colour (L* values; p <.001). Also, a significant (p =.002) decrease in plasma triglyceride was found in broilers fed sorghum-based diets. Except for collagen and hardness in the breast and thigh, and gumminess only in the thigh muscle, there were no differences in fundamental physicochemical (pH, protein, fat, moisture) or textural attributes of meat due to dietary treatment. However, sorghum alters the intestinal microflora, resulting in a lower count of E. coli in the caeca. It can thus, be concluded that sorghum (ES Shamal, orange variety) can be included in broiler feeds from hatching to day 42, without any adverse effects on the broiler's performance. Climate changes become a threat to the livestock sector and finding novel nutritional solutions for feeding farm animals became a priority. New sorghum varieties are valuable in terms of drought-resistant plants. Replacement of corn with sorghum in broiler diets maintains growth performances and carcase characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pre-slaughter handling practices, such as fasting, transport, mixing and human interventions affect the welfare of pigs and carcase and meat quality individually and cumulatively. Behavioural and physiological studies conducted during the pre-slaughter period revealed that producer-controlled factors at the farm, such as housing system, previous handling experience, genetics, gender, nutrition and slaughter weight can have an impact on pigs' ease of handling and sensitivity to stress, which result in loss of profits for the pork chain due to transport losses, reduced carcase value due to lesions and bruises and meat quality defects. Research has shown that pigs originating from enriched housing conditions, not over-selected for lean deposition and trained to be handled are easier to handle and more resilient to the effects of physical stress prior to slaughter. However, the effects on meat quality are not clear. The production of entire males and immunocastrates can be a valid alternative to surgical castration, provided specific practices are applied to limit aggressiveness in mixed group situations and the risk of bruised carcases. Recommendations for the transport and handling of heavier slaughter pigs must be adapted to improve ease of handling and reduce transport losses, aggressiveness and fatigue-related meat quality defects. The response of pigs to pre-slaughter physical stress and feed deprivation can be affected by ractopamine dietary supplementation, feed composition and feeding regime. The objective of this paper is to overview the effects of on-farm producer-controlled factors on pigs' response to pre-slaughter handling and meat quality, and environmental, social and economic sustainability. On-farm factors impact pig losses On-farm factors impact ease of handling On-farm factors impact food safety; effects on meat quality are unclear [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This trial was performed to determine the effects of dietary supplementation of dry dandelion (Taraxacum mongolicum Hand. -Mazz.) on carcase traits, breast meat quality, muscle fatty and amino acid composition and antioxidant capacity of broiler chickens. A total of 120 Arbour Acres broiler chickens were randomly allotted to three groups and fed basal diet (CON), basal diet supplemented with 0.5 g/kg (LD) or 1.0 g/kg (HD) of dandelion. The results showed that compared with LD group, the eviscerated percentage of HD group tended to be higher (p = 0.090), while the abdominal fat yield tended to be lower (p = 0.078). In addition, dandelion quadratically increased redness, water loss rate, the proportion of C20:2, C20:4n-6, C22:6n-3 and the sum of n-3 PUFA and decreased cooking loss of Pectoralis major (PA) muscle (p < 0.05). The crude protein content of PA muscle showed a linear decrease trend with increasing dandelion levels (p = 0.057). The thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) values on d 3 and d 5 were linearly and quadratically decreased (p < 0.05). The results indicated that dandelion could be used as natural antioxidant in broiler chickens' diets to benefit meat quality and lipid oxidative stability. Dietary dandelion quadratically increased redness value and proportion of PUFA, while decreased cooking loss of Pectoralis major muscle. The thiobarbituric acid reactive substance values of Pectoralis major muscle on d 3 and d 5 were linearly and quadratically decreased by dietary dandelion supplementation. The beneficial effect of 0.5 g/kg of dandelion was superior to 1.0 g/kg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pulsed electric fields (PEF) is a non-thermal technology that is still looking for implementation on a larger scale by the meat industry. Its sustainability dimension, which is much improved by lowering energy consumption and shortening treatment times compared to conventional technologies, may tip the scale for successfully shifting the PEF technology readiness level to industrial application. This review provides an overview of the latest knowledge, and in the last three years, on using PEF processing in meat to enhance its functionality, nutrition, texture, colour and sensory quality. PEF treatment could improve meat's protein digestibility and solubility while having no negative impact on its nutritional value. However, controversial indications regarding PEF's effect on meat cooking loss are reported. Colour changes of meat after PEF treatment are directly proportional to the extent of total specific energy inputs used in the processing, while the effect of PEF on meat sensory properties is yet to be discovered. Since the ability of PEF to achieve its desired goals is dependent on many different factors, including the type of meat, electric field strength, number and duration of electric pulses, and others, more studies are needed to fully understand specific conditions that can be dependably applied in the meat industry. pulsed electric fields improve functional quality of meat pulsed electric fields do not negatively affect nutritional quality of meat pulsed electric fields sustainability research in meat industry is hugely missing [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Moringa oleifera leaves (MOL) containing phytochemicals could be used to replace synthetic growth promoters to improve products quality in sustainable rabbit production. This study explores the supplementation of MOLM on carcass characteristics and meat quality of rabbits. A total of 64, 28 days-old male weaned New Zealand white rabbits (600 ± 8.58 g live weight) were randomly allocated to four diets in completely randomised design. The rabbits were reared on iso-energetics and isoproteic diets formulated by incorporating MOLM at 0, 5, 10, and 15% and were humanely slaughtered after 6 weeks. Heart weight increased linearly with MOLM levels (R2 = 0.50; p = 0.007) whereas slaughter (SLW), hot carcass (HCW), cold carcass (CCW), legs, head and kidneys weights were increased quadratically. Also, liver decreased quadratically (R2 = 0.41; p = 0.03) with MOLM levels. Fillet lightness (L*) (R2 = 0.21; p = 0.02), redness (a*) (R2 = 0.14; p = 0.04) and yellowness (b*) (R2 = 0.14; p= <0.0001) decrease whereas peak force increased (R2 = 0.63; p = 0.02) quadratically with MOLM levels. Leg muscle a* (R2 = 0.45; p = 0.0001) and cooking loss (R2 = 0.19; p = 0.0009) decreased linearly with MOLM levels. Only aroma (R2 = 0.04; p = 0.04), juiciness (R2 = 0.05; p = 0.04) and connective tissues (R2 = 0.03; p = 0.05) increased linearly with MOLM levels. In conclusion, MOLM did not adversely affect rabbit carcass characteristics and meat quality hence it can be recommended as a nutraceutical sources for sustainably rabbit production. Moringa oleifera leaves (MOL) containing phytochemicals could be used to improve the physio-chemical quality of meat of rabbit in sustainable rabbit production. Partial inclusion of MOL in rabbit's diets improved carcass characteristics and meat quality. Slaughter and organ weights, physio-chemical and sensory evaluation were significantly improved by MOLM inclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the effects of dietary feruloyl oligosaccharides derived from fermented wheat bran (FOs-FWB) supplementation on carcase traits, meat quality, muscle fatty acid composition, and the expression of lipogenic genes in lambs. In a completely randomised design, 50 Dorper × thin-tailed Han lambs (20.21 ± 3.36 kg) were randomly divided into five treatments with ten replications. The lambs in the control group were fed a basal diet, while those in the experimental groups were fed the basal diet supplemented with 50, 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg FOs-FWB. The shear forces of longissimus dorsi (LD) in lambs fed 50 and 100 mg/kg FOs-FWB were significantly lower than that of the control group (p <.05). Lambs fed with 200 mg/kg FOs-FWB had higher crude protein and lower fat contents in LD muscle (p <.05), the ash content in LD muscle was increased by FOs-FWB supplementation (p <.05). Lambs fed 50 mg/kg FOs-FWB had significantly higher proportions of C18:1n − 9, C20:1, C18:3n − 3, C18:3n − 6 and total n − 3 (p <.05). The proportion of C18:3n − 6 was significantly increased by 100 mg/kg FOs-FWB supplementation (p <.05). Feeding 200 mg/kg FOs-FWB significantly decreased proportions of C14:0 and total saturated fatty acid (SFA), but increased proportions of C18:1n − 9, C18:2n − 6, total monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) and unsaturated fatty acid (UFA) to SFA ratio (p <.05). Moreover, increases in the proportion of C22:6n − 3 and total polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) were observed in lambs fed FOs-FWB (p <.05). The relative expression levels of ACC, FAS, and SCD genes in the LD muscle of lambs fed 200 and 400 mg/kg FOs-FWB were higher than the control group (p <.05). Dietary supplementation with 100, 200, 400 mg/kg FOs-FWB significantly increased the relative mRNA expression level of LPL (p <.05). Furthermore, a decrease in the relative mRNA expression level of PPARγ was observed in lambs fed 50 mg/kg FOs-FWB (p <.05). In conclusion, dietary supplementation with FOs-FWB reduced shear force, enhanced intramuscular fat content and PUFAs proportion and stimulated lipogenic gene expression in LD muscle of lambs, especially at a level of 200 mg/kg addition. Dietary FOs-FWB improved the tenderness of the meat. Dietary supplementation with 200 mg/kg FOs-FWB increased the content of intramuscular fat and PUFAs, as well as the ratio of UFA to SFA. Dietary FOs-FWB affected the expression of genes related to lipid metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to evaluate how incorporating sun-dried olive leaves (OL) in the diets of Awassi lambs affects production costs, intake and nutrients digestibility, growth performance, and carcase quality. Thirty-six newly weaned male lambs were randomly allocated to one of three diet groups as dry matter (DM) in diets: 1) the control diet (CON), 2) 50 OL g/kg (OL50), and 3) 100 OL g/kg (OL100). On the 50th day, four lambs were randomly selected from each treatment and transported to metabolic cages to evaluate digestibility and N balance. The DM intake was higher (p =.003) in the OL50 and OL100 diets than those on the CON diet. At the same time, the ether extract and metabolisable energy intakes were the highest (p <.0001) in OL100, followed by OL50 and the CON diet. Intake of neutral detergent fibre and acid detergent fibre for lambs fed the OL50 diet surpassed (p <.0001) the other diets. The growth performance parameters were comparable among diets. However, the cost of gain was lower (p =.03) in diets containing OL. The OL incorporation had no treatment effect (p >.05) on the digestibility, N retention, carcase characteristics and meat quality. In conclusion, while the addition of OL at 50 g/kg and 100 g/kg did not affect the growth performance and characteristics of carcase, it did decrease the cost of production, making it a good candidate to replace part of the wheat straw in diets of growing lambs. Olive leaves percentage substitution of wheat straw improved the nutrients intake in Awassi lambs fed commercial diets. Olive leaves incorporation decreased both the cost of the diet and the cost per kg of gain in Awassi lambs. Olive leaves inclusion did not have a negative effect on digestibility and N Balance, carcase characteristics and meat quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of sexed semen to produce replacement heifers in dairy farms allows many cows to be inseminated with bulls of beef breeds with the aim of improving meat production. The major dairy and beef breeds are undergoing rapid genetic improvement as a result of more efficient selection methods, necessitating evaluation of the quality of meat produced by beef × dairy crosses obtained using current genetics. As part of a larger project, we carried out quantitative and qualitative evaluations of the veal and beef produced from crossbred calves produced by dairy farms that use sexed semen to obtain purebred replacement heifers. A total of 231 bull-calves were reared in the dairy farms or in specialised fattening farms, slaughtered, and sampled for meat quality analysis. These comprised: 104 crossbred calves, mainly from Belgian Blue sires and Holstein dams, which were intensively fattened for veal production; 84 beef × dairy crossbred calves, destined for beef production on the dairy farm of origin (12 calves) or in a specialised intensive fattening centre (72 calves); 26 purebred Charolais and 17 beef crosses from suckler cows, included for comparison, which were fattened in the same fattening centre and fed the same diet as the beef × dairy crosses. Veal and beef meat differed in all quality traits; the beef produced by dairy farmers was better than the beef produced by specialised fatteners in terms of cooking losses and tenderness, even though these animals were much older and weighed less at slaughter. There were minor differences in the quality traits of veal between the various beef × dairy breed combinations. In the case of intensive beef production, minor differences were observed between Belgian Blue-sired crosses from Brown Swiss cows (lipid content and shear force of meat) and Belgian Blue-sired crosses from crossbred cows (haem iron, lightness, yellowness, and hue) in comparison with crosses from Holstein cows. The beef of young bulls from suckler cows (Charolais and crosses) had a lower pH, dry matter and lipid contents, slightly higher cholesterol and haem iron contents, and higher cooking losses than meat from beef × dairy crosses. Taking into account the results from the entire project, we conclude that the combined use of sexed semen for pure-breeding and conventional beef semen for terminal crossbreeding improves meat production from dairy herds, both quantitatively and qualitatively. The meat from beef × dairy crossbred calves was found to have valuable qualitative characteristics. With regard to veal production, the meat quality characteristics of crossbred calves did not differ appreciably between breed combinations. With regard to intensive beef production, the meat from beef × dairy young bulls had greater quality than that from suckler cows. Crosses fattened by dairy farmers grew slower than those by specialised fatteners, but their beef was better in terms of cooking losses and tenderness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to determine the influence of Dalbergia palo-escrito hexane extract supplemented to rabbits on productive performance, blood biochemistry, haematology, carcase traits, meat characteristics and meatballs shelf-life. A hexane extract of D. palo-escrito was obtained from leaves of the tree. Average feed consumption daily gain, average daily weight gain, total weight gain and feed conversion ratio, length body, lumbar circumference, carcase traits, texture profile analysis, meat colour, antioxidant properties, water activity as well as shelf life of meatballs (Total viable bacterial counts, staphylococcus counts, enterobacteria counts, antioxidant activity, pH and water activity) were determined. Feed conversion rate was lower (p 0.05) between groups. L* value was lower (p

This study aimed to determine the effect of amaranth leaf meal inclusion on the performance, meat, and bone characteristics of indigenous Boschveld chickens. A total of 200, day-old, indigenous Boschveld chicks were randomly allocated to five dietary treatment levels in a completely randomised design, with each treatment having four replicates and each replicate having ten chicks. Amaranth leaf meal (ALM) inclusion levels used in this study were 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20%. Bodyweight and feed intake were measured weekly to calculate the feed conversion ratio. Meat and bone characteristics were measured, and the general linear model of statistical analysis software was used to analyse collected data. Chickens which were offered diets with 0 and 10% ALM inclusion levels had higher (p

This study aims to evaluate the effect of olive leaf extract (OLE) on growth performance, breast meat quality, antioxidant capacity and caecal microbiota regulation. OLE containing 51.5% oleuropein, 25.6% polyphenols and 6.2% flavonoids, was designed to different supplement levels ranging from 0.1% OLE (OLE0.1) to 0.5% OLE (OLE0.5) into a basal diet, separately. The whole feeding period lasts for 35 days after 7-day hatching from the egg. 720 1-day-age healthy Arbour Acres male broilers were thus divided into five experimental groups and one control group, consist of 20 broilers per group for six parallel experiments in triplicate. The results showed that the levels of average daily feed intake (ADFI) and average daily weight gain (ADG) of the broilers were decreased (p

This experiment was conducted to study the effects of dietary conjugated linoleic acids (CLAs) on the growth performance, fat metabolism, carcase composition and muscle quality of fattening rabbits. A total of 160 Minxinan black rabbits aged 75 days with body weights of 1658.9 ± 188.8 g were randomly divided into 4 groups. They were fed a basic diet supplemented with 0 (control), 0.5%, 1.0%, or 1.5% CLA for 50 days. Dietary CLA reduced the feed intake and serum triglyceride and cholesterol levels. In addition, the crude protein content in rabbit meat was increased, along with the cholesterol and the ether extract levels in the 1.5% depression group. Moreover, the fatty acid composition in rabbit meat was changed, and the content of polyunsaturated fatty acids/monounsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs/MUFAs) increased with the increasing levels of CLA addition. These findings indicate that CLA greatly improved the nutritional value of rabbit meat. From an economic point of view, CLA would normally be included at a concentration of 0.5% in the formulation of feeds for fattening rabbits.HIGHLIGHTS Minxinan black rabbits were fed conjugated linoleic acid (CLA)- supplemented diets for 50 d. CLA decreased the feed intake of experimental rabbits. CLA has significant effects on fat deposition and serum triglyceride and cholesterol levels. CLA greatly improved the nutritional value of rabbit meat. The recommended CLA level is 0.5% for meat rabbits．

This study was carried out to investigate the effects of probiotics and Chinese medicine polysaccharides (CMP) on carcase characteristics, meat quality, muscle fibre type and intramuscular fat deposition in lambs. Forty female lambs with 4-5 months old and 21.69 ± 0.46 kg were randomly divided into four groups as follows: control, probiotics, CMP and probiotics + CMP groups. The results showed that supplemental probiotics increased carcase yield, the percentage of abdominal fat and perirenal fat of lambs, the levels of moisture and intramuscular fat in Longissimus thoracis (LT) muscle and the mRNA expression of MyHC I but decreased the value of shear force, lightness (L*) and yellowness (b*) and the percentage of heneicosanoic acid (C21:0) in LT muscle compared with the control group (p

The present study was conducted to assess the effect of paulownia (Paulownia tomentosa) leaf extract (PLE) enriched diets on the quality of meat and the economic efficiency of broiler chickens. A total of 180 one-day-old male chicks (Cobb) were randomly assigned to four treatments with five replications each (9 birds per replicate). The chickens were fed corn-soybean-based diets supplemented with different levels of PLE (0, 0.1, 0.3, and 0.5 g kg−1) for 42 days. The results showed that the inclusion of up to 0.5 g kg−1 PLE in the diet of broiler chickens significantly improved the live body weight, carcase weight, and carcase components (liver, heart, and gizzard) weights compared to the control group (P

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.

The effects of dietary replacement of soybean meal (SBM) with two different protein sources (cowpea [CWP] and chickpea [CKP]) on growth performance (GP), blood parameters and breast meat fatty acids (FA) content were evaluated. A total of 780 one-d-old broiler chicks (Cobb 500) were allocated, over 2 growth phases (starter, 0–21 d; finisher, 22–42 d), to 5 dietary treatments as follow: (1) a corn-SBM basal diet as control; (2) 10% raw cowpea; (3) 20% raw cowpea; (4) 10% raw chickpea and (5) 20% raw chickpea. The results indicated that CWP and CKP diets conducted to similar GP (body weight, body weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion ratio) when compared to the SBM diet, but changes in the content of blood parameters were observed. Glucose and total cholesterol decreased significantly in birds fed CWP (p

This study aims at evaluating the effects of enzymatically treated or raw dandelion (Taraxacum mongolicum Hand.-Mazz.) on growth performance, carcase characteristics, meat quality, apparent nutrient digestibility, and immunity of Arbour Acres broilers for 42 d. One hundred and twenty 1-day-old birds were randomly distributed into three treatments: basal diet (CON), basal diet plus 1 g/kg of raw dandelion (RD) and enzyme-treated dandelion (ED). The results shown that ED significantly decreased feed conversion ratio during the starter period (1–21 d). ED significantly increased apparent nutrient digestibility of ether extract and organic matter (OM) (1–21 d) as well as crude protein (22–42 d). RD significantly increased the OM nutrient digestibility (1–21 d). ED groups had significantly higher breast muscle rate, lower drip loss and water-holding capacity (WHC) in breast muscle, and lower cooking loss in leg muscle. RD significantly decreased breast muscle WHC. The serum immunoglobulin (Ig) A and IgG (d 21 and 42) as well as IgM (d 21) levels were observed higher in response to ED supplementation. RD treatment showed significantly higher serum IgA level at d 21. Additionally, dietary ED supplementation resulted in higher serum interleukin 10 (d 21) and interferon-γ (d 42) contents. In conclusion, ED displayed superior effects on improving feed conversion ratio, carcase characteristics, meat quality, apparent nutrient digestibility, and immune function of broilers. Highlights Enzymatically treated (ED) and raw dandelion (RD) were evaluated in broiler chicken. ED improved feed conversion ratio and breast muscle rate. ED and RD enhanced meat quality, nutrient digestibility and immune function. ED had more beneficial effects than RD.

This study was conducted to determine the influence of Dalbergia palo-escrito hexane extract supplemented to rabbits on productive performance, blood biochemistry, haematology, carcase traits, meat characteristics and meatballs shelf-life. A hexane extract of D. palo-escrito was obtained from leaves of the tree. Average feed consumption daily gain, average daily weight gain, total weight gain and feed conversion ratio, length body, lumbar circumference, carcase traits, texture profile analysis, meat colour, antioxidant properties, water activity as well as shelf life of meatballs (Total viable bacterial counts, staphylococcus counts, enterobacteria counts, antioxidant activity, pH and water activity) were determined. Feed conversion rate was lower (p < 0.05) in group feed with hexane extract (1.89 and 1.54, for control and hexane extract, respectively). Also, hexane extract decreases feed intake and weight gain. Hot dressing percentage was higher (p < 0.05) in the hexane extract group (48%) than the control group (47%), but the main carcase cuts were similar (p > 0.05) between groups. L* value was lower (p < 0.05) in the hexane extract group (51.2 vs 49.4, for control and hexane extract, respectively). The meatballs prepared with the meat obtained from the hexane extract group showed a lower (p < 0.05) total viable bacterial count after 14 d of storage in refrigeration conditions (8.45 and 4.75 CFU.g−1, for control and hexane extract group, respectively). D. palo-escrito hexane extract decreases productive performance, it is possible that albumin: globulin rate indicates a liver damage, but there no was effect on carcase and meat quality and it increased the shelf life of meatballs. Extracts of Dalbergia palo-escrito have bioactive compounds Dalbergia palo-escrito could be used to feed rabbits Meatballs increase shelf-life [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective was to evaluate the effect of different standardised ileal digestible lysine (SID-Lys) levels on performance, nutrient digestibility, serum metabolites, and carcase and meat traits of Yacha pigs. A total of 50 pigs were blocked by body weight and randomly assigned to five dietary treatments with six replicate pens (2 pigs/pen) per treatment using a randomised complete block design. Five diets in mash form were formulated to contain SID-Lys at 0.57%, 0.62%, 0.67%, 0.72%, 0.77% of diet in phase 1 (15 ∼ 30 kg), at 0.40%, 0.48%, 0.56%, 0.64%, 0.72% of diet in phase 2 (30 ∼ 50 kg), and at 0.30%, 0.39%, 0.48%, 0.57%, 0.66% of diet in phase 3 (50 ∼ 90 kg), respectively. The results showed that the average daily gain and gain to feed ratio increased with increasing dietary Lys levels in phases 1 and 2 (p ≤ 0.05). Increasing dietary Lys levels increased linearly (p ≤ 0.05) apparent total-tract digestibility of dry matter, gross energy, crude protein, and phosphorus in Phase 3 and also increased (p ≤ 0.05) concentration of serum glucose and tended to increase (p < 0.10) serum total protein in Phase 2. Compared with the Lys deficiently treatment, the adequate Lys treatment had increased carcase weight, lean meat percentage, and shear force and decreased cooking loss (p ≤ 0.05). Moreover, the optimal dietary SID-Lys levels preliminarily determined for 15 ∼ 30 kg, 30 ∼ 50 kg, and 50 ∼ 90 kg Yacha pigs were 0.760%, 0.628%, and 0.553% of the diet, respectively. Dietary appropriate SID-Lys levels can improve performance and feed utilisation in Yacha pigs. Dietary appropriate SID-Lys levels contributed to enhancing carcase lean meat yield of Yacha pigs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. 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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was conducted to assess the effect of paulownia (Paulownia tomentosa) leaf extract (PLE) enriched diets on the quality of meat and the economic efficiency of broiler chickens. A total of 180 one-day-old male chicks (Cobb) were randomly assigned to four treatments with five replications each (9 birds per replicate). The chickens were fed corn-soybean-based diets supplemented with different levels of PLE (0, 0.1, 0.3, and 0.5 g kg−1) for 42 days. The results showed that the inclusion of up to 0.5 g kg−1 PLE in the diet of broiler chickens significantly improved the live body weight, carcase weight, and carcase components (liver, heart, and gizzard) weights compared to the control group (P < 0.05). Enriched broiler diets with 0.5 g kg−1 of PLE significantly reduced collagen and lipid content as well as increased total protein levels in both breast and thigh muscle compared to the un-supplemented group (P < 0.001). Subjective evaluation of the breast meat showed a significant linear improvement in flavour and juiciness of meat samples from birds fed with dietary PLE in a dose-dependent manner (P < 0.05). Supplementation with different levels of PLE significantly improved the sensory attributes (flavour, tenderness, juiciness, and overall acceptability) of thigh meat in a dose-dependent manner (linear; P < 0.05). Total potential return and net profit were significantly increased in all groups fed PLE compared to the control group. Birds that received PLE-supplemented diets at a level of 0.5 g kg−1 had the highest economic efficiency (P < 0.05). Conclusively, supplementation with 0.5 g PLE/kg in broiler diets could improve meat quality and economic efficiency. Enriched broiler diets with 0.5 g paulownia leaf extract significantly enhanced carcase measurements. Supplemented broiler diets with 0.5 g PLE significantly enhanced the meat quality and sensory attributes of thigh meat. Birds fed PLE-supplemented diets at a level of 0.5 g/kg had the highest economic efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of enzymolytic soybean meal (ESBM) on growth performance, digestive enzyme activity, serum biochemical parameters, immunity, carcase performance and meat quality of Rex rabbits. One hundred and twenty healthy weaned Rex rabbits were randomly divided into four groups (30 replicates per group and one rabbit per replicate). The control group was fed the basal diet and the ESBM treated groups (T1, T2 and T3) were fed 0.5%, 1% and 1.5% ESBM instead of the equivalent amount of soybean meal (SBM) in the basal diet, respectively. The study lasted 61 days, including a pre-feeding period of 5 days and a formal trial period of 56 days. Compared with the control group, the feed to weight ratio was significantly decreased in both T2 and T3 groups (p < 0.05). The α-amylase and trypsin activities of the caecum and serum albumin content were significantly increased in the T3 group (p < 0.05). The serum lysozyme activity was significantly increased in all treatment groups (p < 0.05). The full eviscerated slaughter ratio and half eviscerated slaughter ratio were significantly increased in the T1 group (p < 0.05). There were no significant differences in other indexes (p > 0.05). In conclusion, the replacement of SBM with ESBM (1.5%) in the diet can reduce the feed to weight ratio, increase the activity of some digestive enzymes, improve carcase performance, and enhance immunity of Rex rabbits. ESBM improved growth performance, gastrointestinal digestive enzyme activity and carcase performance of Rex rabbits. ESBM increased serum lysozyme activity and albumin content of Rex rabbits. ESBM could be used as a new kind of feed additive for Rex rabbits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to evaluate the effect of olive leaf extract (OLE) on growth performance, breast meat quality, antioxidant capacity and caecal microbiota regulation. OLE containing 51.5% oleuropein, 25.6% polyphenols and 6.2% flavonoids, was designed to different supplement levels ranging from 0.1% OLE (OLE0.1) to 0.5% OLE (OLE0.5) into a basal diet, separately. The whole feeding period lasts for 35 days after 7-day hatching from the egg. 720 1-day-age healthy Arbour Acres male broilers were thus divided into five experimental groups and one control group, consist of 20 broilers per group for six parallel experiments in triplicate. The results showed that the levels of average daily feed intake (ADFI) and average daily weight gain (ADG) of the broilers were decreased (p < 0.05) after the addition of 0.3% OLE. Moreover, the breast meat shear force was decreased by 34.4% (p < 0.05). The glutathione (GSH) levels in the meat were increased by 76.64% (p < 0.05); the levels of total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) were increased by 50.4% and 120%, respectively. And the malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in the meat were reduced by 34.2% (p < 0.05). Additionally, a decreased intensity of Escherichia coli (p < 0.05) and an increased intensity of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium (p < 0.05) were observed. Overall, supplementing 0.3% OLE into daily diet enables enhancing breast meat antioxidation, amplifying the abundance of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium as well as diminishing the abundance of E. coli in the caecum. OLE contains 51.5% oleuropein, 25.6% of TP and 6.2% TF levels. OLE addition at 0.3% lowers shear force and raises the GSH's level of the meat. OLE causes a decrease in E. coli and an increase in Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to determine the effect of amaranth leaf meal inclusion on the performance, meat, and bone characteristics of indigenous Boschveld chickens. A total of 200, day-old, indigenous Boschveld chicks were randomly allocated to five dietary treatment levels in a completely randomised design, with each treatment having four replicates and each replicate having ten chicks. Amaranth leaf meal (ALM) inclusion levels used in this study were 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20%. Bodyweight and feed intake were measured weekly to calculate the feed conversion ratio. Meat and bone characteristics were measured, and the general linear model of statistical analysis software was used to analyse collected data. Chickens which were offered diets with 0 and 10% ALM inclusion levels had higher (p <.05) breast meat weights than those which were offered diets with 5, 15, and 20%. Chickens that were offered diets with 15% ALM levels had higher (p <.05) abdominal fats weights than those offered diets with 0, 5, 10, and 20%. Chickens which were offered 20% ALM in their diets, had higher (p <.05) meat tenderness than those offered 0, 5, 10, and 15%. Chickens which were offered diets with 15% ALM had a lighter and redder (p <.05) breast meat colour than those offered 0, 5, 10, and 15% ALM inclusion levels. At the age of 21 and 42 days, chickens which were offered diets containing 5, 15, and 20% ALM had higher (p <.05) tibia calcium and phosphorus contents than those on diets having 0, and 10% ALM inclusion levels. Amaranth leaf meal inclusion in diets has no adverse effect on indigenous Boschveld chickens performance Amaranth leaf meal inclusion in diets increase meat tenderness and shear force of chickens Amaranth leaf meal showed to favour bone physical characteristics and more bone minerals deposition of indigenous Boschveld chickens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims at evaluating the effects of enzymatically treated or raw dandelion (Taraxacum mongolicum Hand.-Mazz.) on growth performance, carcase characteristics, meat quality, apparent nutrient digestibility, and immunity of Arbour Acres broilers for 42 d. One hundred and twenty 1-day-old birds were randomly distributed into three treatments: basal diet (CON), basal diet plus 1 g/kg of raw dandelion (RD) and enzyme-treated dandelion (ED). The results shown that ED significantly decreased feed conversion ratio during the starter period (1–21 d). ED significantly increased apparent nutrient digestibility of ether extract and organic matter (OM) (1–21 d) as well as crude protein (22–42 d). RD significantly increased the OM nutrient digestibility (1–21 d). ED groups had significantly higher breast muscle rate, lower drip loss and water-holding capacity (WHC) in breast muscle, and lower cooking loss in leg muscle. RD significantly decreased breast muscle WHC. The serum immunoglobulin (Ig) A and IgG (d 21 and 42) as well as IgM (d 21) levels were observed higher in response to ED supplementation. RD treatment showed significantly higher serum IgA level at d 21. Additionally, dietary ED supplementation resulted in higher serum interleukin 10 (d 21) and interferon-γ (d 42) contents. In conclusion, ED displayed superior effects on improving feed conversion ratio, carcase characteristics, meat quality, apparent nutrient digestibility, and immune function of broilers. Enzymatically treated (ED) and raw dandelion (RD) were evaluated in broiler chicken. ED improved feed conversion ratio and breast muscle rate. ED and RD enhanced meat quality, nutrient digestibility and immune function. ED had more beneficial effects than RD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This experiment was conducted to study the effects of dietary conjugated linoleic acids (CLAs) on the growth performance, fat metabolism, carcase composition and muscle quality of fattening rabbits. A total of 160 Minxinan black rabbits aged 75 days with body weights of 1658.9 ± 188.8 g were randomly divided into 4 groups. They were fed a basic diet supplemented with 0 (control), 0.5%, 1.0%, or 1.5% CLA for 50 days. Dietary CLA reduced the feed intake and serum triglyceride and cholesterol levels. In addition, the crude protein content in rabbit meat was increased, along with the cholesterol and the ether extract levels in the 1.5% depression group. Moreover, the fatty acid composition in rabbit meat was changed, and the content of polyunsaturated fatty acids/monounsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs/MUFAs) increased with the increasing levels of CLA addition. These findings indicate that CLA greatly improved the nutritional value of rabbit meat. From an economic point of view, CLA would normally be included at a concentration of 0.5% in the formulation of feeds for fattening rabbits. Minxinan black rabbits were fed conjugated linoleic acid (CLA)- supplemented diets for 50 d. CLA decreased the feed intake of experimental rabbits. CLA has significant effects on fat deposition and serum triglyceride and cholesterol levels. CLA greatly improved the nutritional value of rabbit meat. The recommended CLA level is 0.5% for meat rabbits． [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to confirm the role of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in the regulation of post-mortem breast muscle glycolysis in the broiler, we evaluated the effects of intraperitoneal injection of the specific AMPK activator (5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleoside, AICAR) and inhibitor (6-[4-(2-piperidin-1-yl-ethoxy)-phenyl]-3-pyridin-4-yl-pyrazolo[1,5-a] pyrimidine, Compound C) on AMPK phosphorylation (p-AMPK) level, meat quality, glycolytic metabolites and glycolytic enzymes activities in post-mortem breast muscle of broilers. Compared to the CON group, intraperitoneal injection of AIRCR increased p-AMPK level, glycolytic enzyme activities and lactate content in post-mortem breast muscle, increased lightness (L*) and drip loss, but decreased pH45min and pH24h. However, intraperitoneal injection of Compound C, decreased p-AMPK level, glycolytic enzyme activities, glucose-6-phosphate and lactate content in post-mortem breast muscle, and increased pH24h. Based on these results, we conclude that AMPK played a vital role in regulating post-mortem glycolysis in the breast muscle of broilers. Injection of AIRCR promoting muscle glycolysis. Injection of Compound C alleviating muscle glycolysis. AMPK played a vital role in regulating post-mortem muscle glycolysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate the effects of the dietary supplementation with a grape seeds extract (GSE) on growth performance, gut morphology and immune response, and meat quality, 800 chickens (8 pens/group) were fed a control diet or the same diet added with 0.1%, 0.2%, or 0.4% GSE from hatching to 42 d of age. Growth performance did not differ among dietary treatments: final live weight averaged at 3,179 g, which corresponded to a daily growth rate of 76.1 g/d; feed intake averaged 113 g/d, for a feed conversion ratio at 1.49. On average of samplings at 14 d and 28 d of age, the density of CD45+ cells in the jejunal mucosa was higher (2,497 vs. 1,931 cells/10,000 μm2; p <.001) in chickens fed diet 0.2% GSE compared to chickens fed the other diets; jejunum villi height tended to be lower in chickens fed diet 0.2% GSE compared to those fed the other diets (965 μm vs. 1,054 μm; p =.07). Slaughter results and carcase traits, occurrence of myopathies at breast and meat quality after 24 h or 11 d of refrigerated storage were not affected by GSE inclusion or level. Under the conditions of the present study, no relevant effect of the dietary inclusion of GSE was observed on performance and health, but a pro-inflammatory immune response at the level of jejunum, based on which a positive response of chickens fed GSE can be expected under challenging conditions. Dietary supplementation with grape seed extract from 0.1% to 0.2% and 0.4% were tested in broiler chickens. Growth performance, meat oxidation and myopathy occurrence were not affected. A pro-inflammatory immune response at the level of jejunum was recorded with 0.2% inclusion level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was carried out to investigate the effects of probiotics and Chinese medicine polysaccharides (CMP) on carcase characteristics, meat quality, muscle fibre type and intramuscular fat deposition in lambs. Forty female lambs with 4-5 months old and 21.69 ± 0.46 kg were randomly divided into four groups as follows: control, probiotics, CMP and probiotics + CMP groups. The results showed that supplemental probiotics increased carcase yield, the percentage of abdominal fat and perirenal fat of lambs, the levels of moisture and intramuscular fat in Longissimus thoracis (LT) muscle and the mRNA expression of MyHC I but decreased the value of shear force, lightness (L*) and yellowness (b*) and the percentage of heneicosanoic acid (C21:0) in LT muscle compared with the control group (p <.05). Supplemental CMP declined the value of b*, the percentage of C21:0 and mRNA expression of MyHC I but enhanced the percentage of arachidonic acid (C20:4N6) and the content of moisture in LT muscle compared with the control group (p <.05). The percentage of abdominal fat and perirenal fat, the value of meat redness (a*) and the mRNA expression of MyHC IIx were higher, while pH24 h value was lower in lambs fed probiotics + CMP diets than those fed control diets (p <.05). All groups increased muscle fibres density of lambs compared with the control group (p <.05). Current results suggested that supplemental probiotics can affect muscle fibre characteristics, increase intramuscular fat deposition and improve meat quality. Probiotics should be a promising feed additive for production of high-quality lamb meat. Probiotics improved meat tenderness by promoting intramuscular fat deposition and increasing the mRNA expression of MyHC I (slow-twitch oxidative). Chinese medicine polysaccharides (CMP) could enhance the concentrations of polyunsaturated fatty acids in LT muscle. Probiotics + CMP improved meat redness and increased fat deposition in dorsal subcutaneous and perirenal of lambs but did not affect intramuscular fat deposition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hybrid cachapinta (Pseudoplatystoma reticulatum × Pseudoplatystoma corruscans) has been a very popular fish and is well accepted by consumers internationally, however, there is a lack of information showing its advantages relative to its parental cachara (P. reticulatum) species. This study was undertaken to compare the processing yield and meat quality characteristics of cachara and the cachapinta hybrid raised in net cages. Cachara's weight was 1.51 ± 0.27 kg and total length was 49.85 ± 6.22 cm at harvest and was not significantly different from hybrid cachapinta that weighed 1.50 ± 0.11 kg and measured 50.83 ± 3.91 cm. Additionally, the two groups were not statistically different on gutted fish dress out (cachara: 89.97 ± 1.28%; cachapinta: 90.23 ± 0.30%) and other processing yield parameters. Skinless shank fillets with an average weight of 503.77 ± 0.10 g (cachara) and 514.41 ± 0.04 g, (hybrid cachapinta) were evaluated for pH, water holding capacity, colour (L*, a*, b*), shear force and lipid oxidation (TBARS). There were no differences in the fillet meat quality between cachara and hybrid cachapinta tested in this study. In conclusion, both genetic groups had similar processing yield and fillet meat quality characteristics when produced in net cages. The perceived improvements in growth and disease-resistance generated by hybrid vigour are the main reasons for interest and use of hybrid fishes. It is difficult to systematically predict processing yield and meat quality obtained from hybrids. Processing yields and meat quality are similar for cachara and hybrid cachapinta produced in net cages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of dietary replacement of soybean meal (SBM) with two different protein sources (cowpea [CWP] and chickpea [CKP]) on growth performance (GP), blood parameters and breast meat fatty acids (FA) content were evaluated. A total of 780 one-d-old broiler chicks (Cobb 500) were allocated, over 2 growth phases (starter, 0–21 d; finisher, 22–42 d), to 5 dietary treatments as follow: (1) a corn-SBM basal diet as control; (2) 10% raw cowpea; (3) 20% raw cowpea; (4) 10% raw chickpea and (5) 20% raw chickpea. The results indicated that CWP and CKP diets conducted to similar GP (body weight, body weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion ratio) when compared to the SBM diet, but changes in the content of blood parameters were observed. Glucose and total cholesterol decreased significantly in birds fed CWP (p<.0001) and CKP (p<.001) diet. Also, the use of CWP and CKP had a significant effect on the content of breast muscle FA, especially for alfa-linolenic (p <.0001), eicosapentaenoic (p<.0001), docosapentaenoic (p=.034) and docosahexaenoic (p =.003), which were higher than those fed SBM diet. In addition, there was a significant interaction between the protein source and the inclusion level (S × L) for the majority of the FA's. Based on the results obtained, it can be concluded that CWP and CKP seeds represent an interesting alternative protein sources, which can improve broilers performance, health status and breast fatty acids composition. Cowpea (CWP) and chickpea (CKP) can be used as replacement for soybean meal in broiler chickens diets, at inclusion levels up to 200 g/kg. Dietary use of CWP and CKP decreased plasma cholesterol and glucose concentration. Use of CWP and CKP in broilers diets positively modified breast meat fatty acids, especially α-linolenic acid, eicosapentaenoic or docosahexaenoic acids with potential benefits to human nutrition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]