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Grape pomace is a winery byproduct that is rich in polyphenols with antioxidant capacity. This study investigated the effect of 0, 5, and 10% inclusion of dehydrated grape pomace (DGP) in finishing pig diets on the growth performance, carcass traits, fatty acid profile, fresh meat quality, and fat stability of a local pig genotype. A total of 36 pigs, 18 barrows, and 18 gilts (83.23 ± 6.03 kg and 132.1 ± 5.6 days old) were allotted in a randomized block design considering the initial weight (block) within sex, with six replicates of each sex per treatment. Including DGP in the diets did not affect daily weight gain or the feed-to-gain ratio; however, daily feed intake increased linearly (p < 0.05) and backfat thickness at the last rib, backfat thickness at the first sacral vertebrae, P2 backfat thickness, fat area, and the percentage of lean meat decreased linearly (p < 0.05) in pigs. The inclusion of DGP in pig diets did not affect the antioxidant potential evaluated by thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances in mini hamburgers or the quality characteristics of fresh meat, except for intramuscular fat (EE). The dietary inclusion of DGP linearly increased (p < 0.05) EE, saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids, and Σω-3 and reduced the ω-6:ω-3 ratio in a linear way (p < 0.05) in the loin of pigs. We concluded that it is feasible to include up to 10% of DGP in pig diets without affecting growth performance, but carcass quality may be impaired due to increased adiposity. Furthermore, meat quality can be improved by increasing intramuscular fat and ω-3 fatty acid content, but fat stability is not affected when DGP is included at up to 10% of the diet for 49 days prior to slaughter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Calcium and phosphorus are essential minerals required for animal health, especially in laying hens since they are important components in bone and eggshell formation. Diets with inadequate calcium and phosphorus can interfere with their absorption and digestibility, resulting in eggshell quality losses and reduced productive life, affecting egg production and welfare. Although mineral metabolism has been widely studied in young laying hens, the mechanisms of absorption, reabsorption, and mineral homeostasis of laying hens with advancing age are not well known. Therefore, we studied eight genes involved in Ca and P metabolism and observed that two of them (CYP24A1 and TRPC3) showed differential expression according to the Ca/P ratios provided in the diet. These results contribute to understanding how Ca and P metabolism are regulated in hens during their late laying cycle, allowing the development of new nutritional strategies to improve hens' productive life as well as their egg quality. Ca and P homeostasis across the egg-laying cycle is a complex process involving absorption in the small intestine, reabsorption/excretion in the kidneys, and eggshell gland secretion. Diets with inadequate calcium and phosphorus can interfere with their absorption and digestibility, resulting in eggshell quality losses and reduced productive life, affecting egg production and welfare. A better understanding of gene expression profiles in the kidneys of laying hens during the late egg-laying period could clarify the renal role in mineral metabolism at this late stage. Therefore, the performance, egg quality and bone integrity-related traits, and expression profiles of kidney candidate genes were evaluated in 73-week-old laying hens receiving different Ca and P ratios in their diet: a high Ca/P ratio (HR, 22.43), a low ratio (LR, 6.71), and a medium ratio (MR, 11.43). The laying hens receiving the HR diet had improved egg production and eggshell quality traits compared to the other two groups. Humerus length was shorter in the HR than in the other groups. The CYP24A1 and TRPC3 genes were differentially expressed (p.adj ≤ 0.05) among the groups. Therefore, their expression profiles could be involved in calcium and phosphate transcellular transport in 73-week-old laying hens as a way to keep mineral absorption at adequate levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rigid polyurethane foams are the better-performing material for the most common insulation purposes, like sandwich panels. Nevertheless, they are highly flammable materials, release toxic gases, and are manufactured from fossil sources. As an alternative, tannin foams are bio-based materials that work as innovative alternatives thanks to their great fire resistance, as well as lower smoke and harmful gases emissions. In the present study, lab-made foams of both materials were compared through morphology, thermal and fire degradation, mechanical properties, and water affinity in order to fill the technological gap between them and their related sandwich panels. It was observed that tannin foams are still relatively inhomogeneous (since formaldehyde was not used) and present a high affinity for water but have higher thermal and fire resistance. The flat compression strength of the polyurethane sandwiches was greater than that of tannin sandwiches (3.61 and 3.09 MPa, respectively) thanks, mainly, to the crosslinking degree difference between the resins. Also, tannin foams presented a lower weight loss (−70.684% lower weight loss in flammability tests than polyurethane foams) and the ability to self-extinguish the flame. Therefore, sandwich panels with tannin foam cores could be successful materials in areas that require protection against fire, such as the building engineering and automotive industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to fit water disappearance and manure production curves at growing–finishing commercial pig farms and compare the curve that best describes the evolution of parameters evaluated, according to three variables: age, body weight, and pigs' housing period. Accordingly, 33 production cycles were evaluated considering a housing period of 105 days (13,276 pigs—nine weeks old and 24.5 kg average body weight) during 13 months in 15 commercial pig farms located in southern Brazil. The variables analyzed were used to adjust the water disappearance and manure production curves (Brody, Gompertz, Logistic, Richards, and Von Bertalanffy) and to estimate its biological parameters according to the NLMIXED SAS procedures. It was found that the Logistic model was the one that best described both the water disappearance and the manure production, displaying an asymptotic adjustment and estimated values measured in farms, e.g., pigs age (water: R² = 0.989, absolute error: 1.11 L/pig/day, and prediction error = 1.32%; manure: R² = 0.995, absolute error = 0.04 L/pig/day, and prediction error = 0.96%). It is emphasized that the models determined in this research are the basis of the development of an instantaneous measuring device that allows the producer to visualize both the water disappearance (plotting the daily measures) as well as manure production in the farm and compare the values with the estimated curves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Meat product inspection is one of the procedures adopted more than a century ago to guarantee food quality and safety for consumption. Due to technology and regulation advancement for farming and slaughtering pigs, a change in zoonotic profile attributed to pork has been identified. Thus, a global movement began to establish inspection parameters based on epidemiological risk profiles, culminating in the publication of a new regulation in Brazil in 2018. This normative instruction establishes that slaughterhouses under federal inspection must implement risk-based inspection until 2028. Changes in the inspection system can generate questions and objections on the part of customers and consumer markets. In order to assess microbiological contamination when adopting a risk-based inspection system, the occurrence of Salmonella spp. and the quantification of Enterobacteriaceae and mesophilic aerobic counts were compared in pig carcasses slaughtered under traditional and risk-based inspection systems. A statistical significance reduction was identified regarding the quantification of Enterobacteriaceae (log −0.18 to −1.61 CFU/cm2) and mesophilic aerobic counts (log 4.60 to 3.49 CFU/cm2). The occurrence of Salmonella spp. did not show a significant difference (4% to 5.3%). The results allowed us to conclude that adopting risk-based inspection systems improves food safety through Enterobacteriaceae and mesophilic aerobic counts reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The poultry production worldwide needs to use feed additives in order to avoid disease. One of the most common diseases is coccidiosis, which affects the poultry gut. In case the disease happens, birds stop eating, which might cause their death as well as generating great losses to the farmer. Nicarbazin is one of the widely used anticoccidials to prevent coccidiosis. However, some non-compliances have been reported by the regulatory agencies, which made us explore chicken litter to verify if it was a contamination source in chicken tissues because birds have coprophagic habits. Therefore, our team conducted an experiment with three different nicarbazin treatments commonly used in commercial poultry production, under reused litter conditions. We evaluated the possible residue left from this anticoccidial in fillet and liver during 2 years. The outcomes have relevant implications: (a) litter is not a cause of contamination, allowing farmers to reuse it for economical purposes; and (b) chicken tissues are safe for human consumption. Nicarbazin (NCZ) is a worldwide used anticoccidial in poultry farming to avoid coccidiosis disease when chickens are reared on conventional poultry litter. If proper dosage and withdrawal time are not followed, the component dinitrocarbanilide (DNC) of NCZ may be present in chicken tissues, therefore posing a risk to consumers if the residues are above 200 µg/kg. Litter reuse is a common and important practice in commercial chicken production. Literature is lacking about the influence of litter reuse on DNC deposition in chicken tissues and its impact on food safety. We aimed to evaluate DNC residues in breast and liver by LC-MS/MS from broilers from an experiment with 10 consecutive flocks during 2 years. The experiment included three treatments containing NCZ in the diet (T1 = 125 mg/kg, 1–21 d; T2 = 125 mg/kg, 1–32 d; T3 = 40 mg/kg, 1–32 d). DNC residues in chicken breast at 21 d in T1 ranged from 648.8–926 µg/kg, at 32 d in T2 and T3 varied, respectively, from 232–667 µg/kg and 52–189 µg/kg. Regarding liver, DNC residues at 21 days in T1 ranged from 11,754–15,281 µg/kg, at 32 days in T2 and T3 varied, respectively, from 10,168–15,021 µg/kg and 2899–4573 µg/kg. When NCZ was withdrawn from feed, DNC residues dropped to

Flame-resistant materials are key components in buildings and several other engineering applications. In this study, flame retardancy and thermal stability were conferred to a highly flammable technical thermoplastic—polypropylene (PP)—upon compositing with a carbonaceous tannin-based particulate (CTP). Herein, we report on a straightforward, facile, and green approach to prepare self-extinguishing thermoplastic composites by thermoblending highly recalcitrant particulate. The thermal stability and mechanical properties of the composites are tethered to the CTP content. We demonstrate that the addition of up to 65 wt% of CTP improved the viscoelastic properties and hydrophobicity of the PP, whereas having marginal effects on bulk water interactions. Most importantly, compositing with CTP remarkably improved the thermal stability of the composites, especially over 300 °C, which is an important threshold associated with the combustion of volatiles. PP-CTP composites demonstrated great capacity to limit and stop fire propagation. Therefore, we offer an innovative route towards thermally resistant and self-extinguishing PP composites, which is enabled by sustainable tannin-based flame retardants capable of further broadening the technical range of commodity polyolefins to high temperature scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Featured Application: Our results can provide occurrence trends of veterinary drugs from poultry products in Brazil and help regulatory agencies to established safe protocols regarding the number of samples that need to be annually analyzed. Brazil chicken production is around 13 million tons and about a third is exported to over 150 countries, placing Brazil as the world largest chicken meat producer, and therefore it is crucial to follow the legislation of all importer markets. This study conducted a survey by chance in 45 meat industries able to export. Therefore, 2580 chicken meat samples were collected and submitted to 11 analyte extraction and chromatographic verification of compliance in an accredited laboratory. Ten chemical residues (amoxicillin, bacitracin, colistin, dinitolmide + zoalene, spectinomycin, roxarsone, tiamulin, tylosin, trenbolone acetate and virginiamycin) were investigated in chicken meat and one (halofuginone hydrobromide) in chicken liver. The results showed that no compound exceeded the maximum residue limits established by seven legislations. All residue concentrations found were below the method quantification limit, thereby confirming the capability of Brazilian chicken meat industries in complying to foreign markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maclura tinctoria is a tree species native from Brazil and rich in phenolic compounds. Since plant antibacterial activity is highly associated with phenolic compound concentration, we aim to evaluate the in vitro antimicrobial activity of different extracts against fish pathogenic bacteria. In addition, some phenolic compounds have central depressant effects and can be useful in aquaculture due to possible sedative and/or anesthetic effects. Four M. tinctoria extracts were extracted separately with ethanol; leaves (LE), bark (BE), heartwood (HE), and the sapwood (SE). In vitro antimicrobial activity was tested against Aeromonas strains at concentrations of 6400 to 3.125 μg/mL. The sedative effect was evaluated for 24 h with 30 and 100 mg/L concentrations. Chemical composition was analyzed by HPLC-DAD-MS. The HE extract had the best MIC (400 μg/mL) and MBC (800 μg/mL) compared to the LE, BE, and SE extracts. LE extract induced deep sedation and the BE, SE, and HE extracts induced light sedation. Additionally, BE, SE, and HE induced a normal behavior without side effects. Polyphenolic compounds with antimicrobial activity and sedative effects were identified mainly in HE. Thus, HE extract is safe and can be used as a sedative for silver catfish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the animal protein production activities, world aquaculture has the highest growth rate, and is mainly practiced in ground-excavated ponds. However, with great productivity comes the concern about the increasing generation of effluents, mainly at the moment of fish removal, when high loads of organic matter and nutrients are released into the environment. Thus, this study evaluated the quality of effluents through the principal component analysis (PCA) in samples from nurseries of different sizes in four sampling scenarios. Analysis was performed during the process of fish removal in Nile Tilapia intensive fish farming sites at various properties in the Western region of Paraná State in Brazil. Twenty physical and chemical parameters were analyzed in each effluent sample using standard methods of effluent analysis. The results indicated that the concentrations of Suspended Solids (SS), Total Solids (TS), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), and Total Phosphorus (TP) increased significantly at the end of the fish removal process, which caused a progressive deterioration in the effluent released into the environment. Hence, regulating water management during cultivation, as well as mitigating the effects of effluent generated in fish removal, is indispensable to maintain the legality, profitability, and sustainability of this sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zika virus (ZIKV) was discovered in Uganda in 1947 and was originally isolated only in Africa and Asia. After a spike of microcephaly cases in Brazil, research has closely focused on different aspects of congenital ZIKV infection. In this review, we evaluated many aspects of the disease in order to build its natural history, with a focus on the long-term clinical and neuro-radiological outcomes in children. The authors have conducted a wide-ranging search spanning the 2012–2021 period from databases PubMed, PubMed Central, Web of Science, Medline, Scopus. Different sections reflect different points of congenital ZIKV infection syndrome: pathogenesis, prenatal diagnosis, clinical signs, neuroimaging and long-term developmental outcomes. It emerged that pathogenesis has not been fully clarified and that the clinical signs are not only limited to microcephaly. Given the current absence of treatments, we proposed schemes to optimize diagnostic protocols in endemic countries. It is essential to know the key aspects of this disease to guarantee early diagnosis, even in less severe cases, and an adequate management of the main chronic problems. Considering the relatively recent discovery of this congenital infectious syndrome, further studies and updated long-term follow-up are needed to further improve management strategies for this disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aerogels are 3-D nanostructures of non-fluid colloidal interconnected porous networks consisting of loosely packed bonded particles that are expanded throughout their volume by gas and exhibit ultra-low density and high specific surface area. Cellulose-based aerogels can be obtained from hydrogels through a drying process, replacing the solvent (water) with air and keeping the pristine three-dimensional arrangement. In this work, hybrid cellulose-based aerogels were produced and their potential for use as dressings was assessed. Nanofibrilated cellulose (NFC) hydrogels were produced by a co-grinding process in a stone micronizer using a kraft cellulosic pulp and a phenolic extract from Maclura tinctoria (Tajuva) heartwood. NFC-based aerogels were produced by freeze followed by lyophilization, in a way that the Tajuva extract acted as a functionalizing agent. The obtained aerogels showed high porosity (ranging from 97% to 99%) and low density (ranging from 0.025 to 0.040 g·cm−3), as well a typical network and sheet-like structure with 100 to 300 μm pores, which yielded compressive strengths ranging from 60 to 340 kPa. The reached antibacterial and antioxidant activities, percentage of inhibitions and water uptakes suggest that the aerogels can be used as fluid absorbers. Additionally, the immobilization of the Tajuva extract indicates the potential for dentistry applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]