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Svinjogojska proizvodnja na području Banovine ima dugu tradiciju, te značajan udio u stočarskoj te ukupnoj poljoprivrednoj proizvodnji. S obzirom na trenutno stanje svinjogojske proizvodnje i komparativne prednosti, postoje pretpostavke za daljnji razvoj svinjogojstva na Banovini. To se posebno odnosi na poticanje ekološke proizvodnje svinjskog mesa i prilagodbu Europskom zelenom planu, marketinško pozicioniranje mesnih prerađevina s dodanom vrijednošću s područja Banovine te povezivanje mesne industrije s uzgajivačima svinja. Pri tome je potrebno napraviti dodatni iskorak u promjeni strukture farmi prema broju rasplodnih grla, posebice obiteljskih gospodarstava, te edukaciji uzgajivača. Uz ekološki prihvatljiviji način držanja, koji rasplodnim svinjama i tovljenicima omogućuje prirodno ponašanje i time povećanu dobrobit, može se postići dodana vrijednost suhomesnatih i drugih proizvoda. Posebnost predstavlja banijska šara svinja, čija rastuća populacija može doprinijeti razvoju i dodatnoj vrijednosti svinjogojske proizvodnje na području Banovine., Pig production in the Banovina region has a long tradition and a high share in livestock and overall agricultural production. Given the current state of pig production and comparative advantages, there are assumptions for the further development of pig farming in the Banovina region. This is especially important in the context of organic pork production and adaptation to the European Green Deal, positioning of cured meat products from the Banovina region on the market and integration of the already existing meat industry with pig farmers. In addition, it is necessary to take another step to improve the farm structure in terms of the number of sows per farm, focusing on family farms. The added value of cured meat products can be achieved with more environmentally friendly rearing methods, which allow for natural behavior of breeding and fattening pigs and thus higher welfare. A special feature is the Banija spotted pig with a growing population that can contribute to the development and added value of pig production in the Banovina region.

The Black Slavonian pig is an autochthonous pig breed in Croatia, which has recorded a continuous growth of the population followed by the higher number of breeders in recent years. The increase in population has removed the Black Slavonian breed from the category of endangered local breeds. The consequences of such a significant increase in population size in local breeds are often a high level of inbreeding, but also a high variability of the external traits of breeding individuals. Given that the main goal of the Breeding Program for Black Slavonian pigs is to preserve its phenotypic traits and breed-specific features, the paper presents the results of external traits analysis at 10 different points on the body, on a sample of 102 animals, aged between 10 and 24 months. Estimated mean values for wither’s height were 65 cm and 64 cm in boars and sows, respectively. Average body length was 128 cm for boars, and 126 cm for sows. The heart girth was 114 cm for both categories, while the height at the sacrum was 72 cm (boars), and 71 cm (sows). These results indicate very small or insignificant differences between male and female individuals, and refer that the body measurements of Black Slavonian pigs have not changed significantly in relation to its formation and development over time, as well as in relation to other local breeds from the neighbouring regions. With this in mind, selection work should be focused on control and preservation. Furthermore, the paper gives an overview of the population throughout history, as well as breeding practices., Crna slavonska svinja autohtona je pasmina svinja u Republici Hrvatskoj, koja posljednjih godina bilježi kontinuirani rast populacije i broja uzgajivača. Porast brojnosti populacije maknuo je crnu slavonsku pasminu iz kategorije ugroženih izvornih pasmina svinja u Republici Hrvatskoj. Posljedice takvog značajnog porasta populacije kod lokalnih pasmina kao što je crna slavonska svinja, nerijetko su visok stupanj uzgoja u srodstvu, ali i visoka varijabilnost rasplodnih jedinki u pogledu svojstava vanjštine. S obzirom da je glavni cilj Uzgojnog programa za crnu slavonsku svinja očuvati njezine fenotipske karakteristike i pasminsku specifičnost, u radu su prikazani rezultati mjerenja svojstava vanjštine, na uzorku od 102 životinje, u dobi od 10 do 24 mjeseci, na 10 različitih točaka na tijelu. Procijenjene srednje vrijednosti za visinu grebena kod nerasta su iznosile 65 cm, dok kod krmača 64 cm. Duljina tijela prema ovom istraživanju iznosila je 128 cm za neraste, te 126 cm za krmače. Opseg prsa iznosio je 114 cm za obje kategorije, dok je visina križa kod nerasta iznosila 72 cm, a kod krmača 71 cm. Ovi rezultati ukazuju na vrlo male, odnosno neznatne razlike između nerasta i krmača, te da se tjelesne mjere crne slavonske svinje nisu značajno promijenile u odnosu na njezino formiranje i razvoj tijekom vremena, kao i u odnosu na druge lokalne pasmine iz okruženja. Stoga ih sustavnim uzgojno-selekcijskim radom treba kontrolirati i očuvati. Također, u radu je dan osvrt na brojno stanje u populaciji kroz povijest, kao i na uzgojne prakse, koje su u određenoj mjeri utjecale na vanjštinu crne slavonske svinje.

Extensive and semi-extensive production based on local swine breeds such as Majorcan Black Pig, Cinta Senese, Gascon, Krškopolje and Turopolje is becoming extremely rare and on the verge of disappearing in Europe. In this context, the main aim of this study was to assess the potential feasibility of marketing strategies to act as guidelines for stakeholders along the supply chain to create and improve added value and match market demands. The sustainability of five production systems was evaluated together with 60 stakeholders representing five local swine breeds, using a World Café (WC) method combined with an Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP). The results showed that the proposed strategies could differ slightly depending on each system, while the product strategy was a common marketing priority for most of the stakeholders and represented all the systems evaluated. Diversifying production toward quality, innovative products, enhanced standardization, and quality labeling or seals of guarantee, such as the protected geographical indication or the protected designation of origin, would contribute to the sustainability of these chains. Advertising the storytelling of the meat products and emphasizing their healthier properties were also considered as positive strategies. To this effect, promotion should involve improving knowledge of the local systems and raising the profile of the meat products via public relations (networks, web pages, food and gastronomic events, workshops and so on) in the Hotels, Restaurants and Catering (HORECA) sector, stores selling top-quality products and local food shops. Better showcasing of these products and keeping the price in the premium segment would indirectly help the primary sector. By way of conclusion, other more developed local swine systems could be strong competitors, hence it is extremely important to effectively identify and trace all autochthonous swine breed products throughout the production chain. Furthermore, the entire chain must place greater emphasis on grazing (extensive or semi-extensive), the origin of the swine and their meat products. However, of utmost importance is cooperation between farms, firms and institutions.

BackgroundIntensive selection of modern pig breeds resulted in genetic improvement of productive traits while local pig breeds remained less performant. As they have been bred in extensive systems, they have adapted to specifical environmental conditions resulting in a rich genotypic and phenotypic diversity. This study is based on European local pig breeds genetically characterized using DNA-pool sequencing data and phenotypically characterized using breed level phenotypes related to stature, fatness, growth and reproductive performance traits. These data were analyzed using a dedicated approach to detect selection signatures linked to phenotypic traits in order to uncover potential candidate genes that may be under adaptation to specific environments.ResultsGenetic data analysis of European pig breeds revealed four main axes of genetic variation represented by Iberian and modern breeds (i.e. Large White, Landrace, and Duroc). In addition, breeds clustered according to their geographical origin, for example French Gascon and Basque breeds, Italian Apulo Calabrese and Casertana breeds, Spanish Iberian and Portuguese Alentejano breeds. Principal component analysis of phenotypic data distinguished between larger and leaner breeds with better growth potential and reproductive performance on one hand and breeds that were smaller, fatter, and had low growth and reproductive efficiency on the other hand. Linking selection signatures with phenotype identified 16 significant genomic regions associated with stature, 24 with fatness, 2 with growth and 192 with reproduction. Among them, several regions contained candidate genes with possible biological effect on stature, fatness, growth and reproduction performance traits. For example, strong associations were found for stature in two regions containing theANXA4andANTXR1genes, for fatness containing theDNMT3AandPOMCgenes and for reproductive performance containing theHSD17B7gene.ConclusionsThe present study on European local pig breeds used a dedicated approach for searching selection signatures supported by phenotypic data at the breed level to identify potential candidate genes that may have adapted to different living environments and production systems. Results can be useful to define conservation programs of local pig breeds.

16 Pág. Departamento de ​Mejora Genética Animal, ROHs are long stretches of DNA homozygous at each polymorphic position. The proportion of genome covered by ROHs and their length are indicators of the level and origin of inbreeding. Frequent common ROHs within the same population define ROH islands and indicate hotspots of selection. In this work, we investigated ROHs in a total of 1131 pigs from 20 European local pig breeds and in three cosmopolitan breeds, genotyped with the GGP Porcine HD Genomic Profiler. plink software was used to identify ROHs. Size classes and genomic inbreeding parameters were evaluated. ROH islands were defined by evaluating different thresholds of homozygous SNP frequency. A functional overview of breed-specific ROH islands was obtained via over-representation analyses of GO biological processes. Mora Romagnola and Turopolje breeds had the largest proportions of genome covered with ROH (~1003 and ~955 Mb respectively), whereas Nero Siciliano and Sarda breeds had the lowest proportions (~207 and 247 Mb respectively). The highest proportion of long ROH (>16 Mb) was in Apulo-Calabrese, Mora Romagnola and Casertana. The largest number of ROH islands was identified in the Italian Landrace (n = 32), Cinta Senese (n = 26) and Lithuanian White Old Type (n = 22) breeds. Several ROH islands were in regions encompassing genes known to affect morphological traits. Comparative ROH structure analysis among breeds indicated the similar genetic structure of local breeds across Europe. This study contributed to understanding of the genetic history of the investigated pig breeds and provided information to manage these pig genetic resources., This work has been funded by University of Bologna RFO 2016-2019 programs and by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (TREASURE project – grant agreement no. 634476). The content of this work reflects only the authors’ view and the European Union Agency is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.

The Banija spotted pig (BS) is a Croatian autochthonous breed that was officially recognised in 2018. The breed remains threatened with extinction and is on its way to establishing a production cycle that will ensure long-term conservation and sustainability. However, there is a general lack of data on the production traits of BS pigs. The aim of this work was therefore to identify the main fattening, carcass and meat quality traits of the BS pig and to assess the suitability of the breed for sustainable pork production. A total of ten pigs were fattened in a semi-free-range production system up to the average final body weight of 162 ± 17.3 kg. At the end of fattening, the growth, carcass and meat quality traits (pH, meat colour and water holding capacity) of the BS pig were determined and the gross margin based on the production of value-added meat products was calculated and compared with other Croatian local pig breeds. The results, which are to be considered preliminary due to the small data set, show that the fattening and slaughter characteristics of the BS pig are satisfactory and consistent with the characteristics of the breed and the husbandry practices adapted to semi-free-range farming. Furthermore, the meat quality showed suitability for processing for most traits, while the calculation of gross profit confirms the advantage of this breed for a well-rounded production cycle compared with related local pig breeds.

14 Pág. Departamento de ​Mejora Genética Animal, Coronaviruses silently circulate in human and animal populations, causing mild to severe diseases. Therefore, livestock are important components of a "One Health" perspective aimed to control these viral infections. However, at present there is no example that considers pig genetic resources in this context. In this study, we investigated the variability of four genes (ACE2, ANPEP and DPP4 encoding for host receptors of the viral spike proteins and TMPRSS2 encoding for a host proteinase) in 23 European (19 autochthonous and three commercial breeds and one wild boar population) and two Asian Sus scrofa populations. A total of 2229 variants were identified in the four candidate genes: 26% of them were not previously described; 29 variants affected the protein sequence and might potentially interact with the infection mechanisms. The results coming from this work are a first step towards a "One Health" perspective that should consider conservation programs of pig genetic resources with twofold objectives: (i) genetic resources could be reservoirs of host gene variability useful to design selection programs to increase resistance to coronaviruses; (ii) the described variability in genes involved in coronavirus infections across many different pig populations might be part of a risk assessment including pig genetic resources., This work has received funding from the University of Bologna RFO 2016-2019 programmes, the Italian MIUR 2017 PigPhenomics project, from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 634476 for the project with acronym TREASURE, from the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) Secretariat, project “Application of animal genomics and data mining to predict and monitor novel coronavirus potential infections (VirAnimalOne)”, the EGI call for COVID-19 research projects (AnGen1H project) and from the Por Fesr Emilia-Romagna 2014-2020 (actions 1.1.4 and 1.2.2—Bando per sostenere progetti di ricerca ed innovazione per lo sviluppo di soluzioni finalizzate al contrasto dell’epidemia da COVID-19—Project LIVESTOCK-STOP-COVI). The content of this article reflects only the authors' view and the European Union Agency is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.

Genetska raznolikost unutar autohtonih pasmina svinja se smanjuje kao posljedica smanjenja veličina populacija. Stoga se posljednjih godina posebna pozornost pridaje očuvanju genetske raznolikosti takvih pasmina. Cilj istraživanja bio je utvrditi genetsku raznolikost banijske šare svinje koristeći podatke o porijeklu životinja. Podaci o porijeklu sadržavali su 721 zapis o porijeklu svinja banijske šare pasmine u razdoblju od 2010 do 2017. godine. Referentna populacija sadržavala je sve životinje iz porijekla. Kvaliteta i cjelovitost pedigrea utvrđena je korištenjem slijedećih parametara: prosječni maksimalni broj generacija praćenih unatrag, prosječan broj punih generacija, te prosječan broj ekvivalentnih generacija. Genetska raznolikost populacije opisana je slijedećim parametrima: prosječni koeficijent uzgoja u srodstvu (F), stopa promjene koeficijenta uzgoja u srodstvu (ΔF), efektivna veličina populacije (Ne), prosječna srodnost u populaciji, te efektivni broj začetnika (Nef). Genetski intervali za četiri selekcijska puta izraženi su kao prosječna dob roditelja u trenutku rođenja potomaka. Prosječni maksimalni broj generacija iznosio je 2,47, prosječan broj punih generacija 1,50, dok je prosječni broj ekvivalentnih generacija iznosio 2,00. Prosječni koeficijent uzgoja u srodstvu iznosio je 3,68%, a stopa promjene uzgoja u srodstvu 1,74% po generaciji. Prosječna srodnost u populaciji iznosila je 9,32%, dok je efektivna veličina populacije iznosila 28,81. Prosječno trajanje generacijskog intervala iznosilo je 2,17 godine. Rezultati analize porijekla pokazali su potrebu za ulaganjem dodatnih napora kako bi se očuvala genetska raznolikost unutar populacije banijske šare svinje. Tome može pridonijeti plansko sparivanje životinja te primjena selekcije s optimiziranim doprinosom., Genetic diversity of local and autochthonous populations of pigs is contracting due to reduced population sizes of such populations. In recent decades special attention is given to the preservation of genetic diversity of local and autochthonous populations of pigs. The aim of this study was to estimate the genetic diversity and breed structure of BS pig breed using pedigree data. Complete pedigree file contained 721 animals of Banija spotted pig. The reference population contained all pigs born between 2010 and 2017. Quality and integrity of the pedigree information were evaluated by the following parameters: by the average number of maximum generations traced back, the average number of full generations, and the average number of complete equivalent generations. Genetic diversity of the population was described by the following parameters: average inbreeding coefficient (F), inbreeding rate (ΔF), effective population size (Ne), average relatedness, and effective number of founders (Nef). Generation intervals for four selection paths were expressed as average age of parents when the offspring were born. The average maximum number of generations was 2.47, average number of full generations was 1.50, while average number complete equivalent generations was 2.00. The inbreeding coefficient obtained by pedigree analysis was 3.68%. The inbreeding rate per generation was 1.74% and effective population size was 28.81. Average generation interval was 2.17 years. Results of the genetic diversity analysis by the pedigree data showed that further efforts in conservation of Banija spotted pig breed should be focused on the creating mating schemes with a goal to control of the rate of inbreeding and further loss of genetic diversity.

Banija spotted pig breed was created at the end of 19th century by crossing domestic white sows with drooping ears and/or Turopolje pig sows with black Berkshire. After a period of stagnation in breeding, the population is newly recognized only few years ago and is currently in the process of breed valorisation. The aim of this study was to assess genetic diversity and structure of Banija spotted pig (BS) in comparison with geographically close populations, and to assess the differentiation level of Banija spotted pig. Based on the genotypes obtained for 24 ISAG-FAO recommended pig microsatellite markers, basic genetic diversity indicators were determined for 30 samples of BS, 20 samples of Turopolje and Crna Slavonska pig each, and 17 samples of Landrace population. Observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.36 to 0.6 and was high in BS population (0.58). Average allelic richness (range 2 – 5.2) and the rarefacted number of private alleles (range 9 to 27) were the highest in BS. Inbreeding coefficient in BS was estimated 0.06 (bootstrapping confidence interval 0.022 to 0.123). Structure analysis showed that there are five clusters in the four analysed populations, where BS are clearly distinguished from other populations and substructured. Wright’s fixation index estimates are in accordance with the clustering results. In conclusion, the population of Banija spotted pig shows great genetic diversity and is genetically different from neighbouring (geographically close) pig populations.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) represent an important contaminant group in a variety of food products. Since PAHs are commonly present in meat products, this study aimed to determine PAH content in four types of Croatian dry-cured hams (Dalmatian, Drniš, Krk and Istrian) produced by four different processing methods. Determination and quantification of PAHs were performed by High performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (HPLC-FLD). Out of 15 investigated PAHs, 13 compounds were detected. The total average benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) and PAH4 levels obtained from dry-cured hams ranged from 0.05-0.10 µg/kg and 0.41-0.67 µg/kg, respectively. Even though Krk and Istrian dry-cured ham manufacturing processes do not include the smoking phase, no significant differences were found between investigated dry-cured hams in terms of BaP, PAH4, PAH8 and PAH 15 contents. The presence of detected PAHs in non-smoked dry-cured hams could be a result of the addition of spices in the salting phase. BaP and PAH4 contents found in dry-cured ham samples did not exceed the currently legal levels according to the European legislation.

Microsatellites (MS) have been, for the last two decades, widely used for parentage analysis in all types of livestock, including pigs. Conservation efforts on Banija spotted pigs included genetic characterization of the breed with MS markers. Since recent comparison of pedigree and MS data revealed some inconsistencies, the aim of this study was to develop a set of highly polymorphic and heterozygous MS markers, which could be used for parentage analysis and to prevent pedigree errors. 12 MS markers with the polymorphic information content (PIC) above 0.62 were chosen and combined into a single multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The combined non-exclusion probability for one candidate parent (NE-1P) was 0.00246149, the combined NE-1P given the genotype of a known parent of the opposite sex (NE-2P) was 0.00003739 and combined non- exclusion probability for a candidate parent pair (NE-PP) was 0.00000003. Due to a high information content of selected MS markers it was possible to obtain high accuracy in parentage assignment, which was confirmed by analyzing actual data with known genetic relationships

This study addresses the application of native, multiple strain starter cultures for standardization of game meat sausages production. The designed starter cultures consisting of two indigenous Lactobacillus sakei and one Leuconostoc mesenteroides strains. These strains were used in both, the encapsulated and non-encapsulated form, in the game meat dough, individually or in combination, with eight treatments in total. Microbiological and physicochemical characteristics of the sausages were monitored throughout the manufacturing process, while sensory properties, biogenic amine content, and volatile compounds were evaluated in the final products. As revealed by rep-PCR, native starter cultures, encapsulated or non-encapsulated, had survived the whole sausage production process; however, to varying degrees. The application of indigenous decarboxylase negative Lb. sakei strains significantly (P 0.05) between tested treatments were found, although treatment with the Lb. sakei strains received the highest scores for the sensory traits including cross-section, odour, hardness, aroma, and overall acceptability. Combination of multi-strain Lb. sakei starter cultures resulted in growth prevention of undesirable microbiota, reduction of tyramine content and increased the acceptability parameters of full-ripened sausages, which make them good candidates for industrial as well as artisanal application. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s13197-020-04587-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The aim of the research was to investigate the influence of terminal sire line (TSL) and male category (MC) on carcass and meat quality of commercial fatteners. The study was performed on 180 pigs originating from three terminal sire lines: A (Pietrain &times, Large White), B (pure Pietrain), and C (Pietrain &times, Duroc &times, Large White), being assigned to three groups according to MC: immunocastrates (IC, n = 60), surgical castrates (SC, n = 60) and entire males (EM, n = 60). TSL affected most of the carcass and meat quality traits, together with the androstenone concentration. At the same time, MC had a significant effect on fat thickness, ham circumference, drip loss, cooking loss and androstenone and skatole concentrations. A significant interaction effect was observed for carcass length and ham circumference, as well as for most of the measured meat quality traits (except cooking loss, CIE L*, CIE b*, and Warner Bratzler Shear Force (WBSF)). Among the three investigated sire lines, immunocastration was shown to be most beneficial for fatteners sired by the TSL C. However, if deciding to raise EM, fatteners from the TSL B are recommended in terms of carcass and meat quality, although strategies for avoiding boar taint in their carcasses must be taken into consideration.

Proizvodnja nekastriranih muških svinja i imunokastrata, kao alternativa kirurškoj kastraciji muških odojaka, rezultirala je brojnim novim izazovima u svinjogojskoj proizvodnji. Novi momenti u proizvodnji vezani su prvenstveno uz otkrivanje i smanjenje pojave neugodnog mirisa i okusa mesa koja se javlja u nekih nekastriranih mužjaka (tzv. nerastovsko svojstvo), smanjenje agresije i pitanje dobrobiti životinja, specifične hranidbene potrebe i uvjete držanja, kvalitetu trupova i mesa, te potrošačku prihvatljivost. U radu su predstavljene najvažnije prednosti i nedostatci u proizvodnji svinjskog mesa s nekastriranim muškim svinjama i immunokastratima., The production of immunocastrated and entire male pigs, as an alternative to surgical castration of male piglets, resulted in numerous new challenges in the pig production. The novel matters in this production are mainly related to detection and mitigation of boar taint and aggressive behaviour of intact male pigs, as well as to animal welfare issues, specific nutritional needs and housing conditions, carcass composition, meat quality traits and acceptability by the consumers. The current paper gives an overview of main advantages and drawbacks in the production of pork with entire male pigs and immunocastrates., Aus der Produktion von nicht kastrierten männlichen Schweinen (Ebermast) und Immunokasatraten als einer Alternative zur chirurgischen Kastration von männlichen Ferkeln haben zahlreiche neue Herausforderungen in der Schweinezuchtproduktion resultiert. Neue Momente in der Produktion hängen vorrangig mit der Feststellung und Reduktion des unangenehmen Ebergeruchs und Fleischgeschmacks, der bei einigen nicht kastrierten männlichen Schweinen (sog. Ebereigenschaft) vorkommt, mit dem Abbau von Aggression und der Frage des Wohlbefindens der Tiere, mit spezifischen Futterbedürfnissen und Haltebedingungen, mit der Qualität von Rümpfen und Fleisch und mit der Verbraucherakzeptanz zusammen. In der Arbeit sind die wichtigsten Vorteile und Nachteile bei der Produktion von Schweinefleisch aus nicht kastrierten männlichen Schweinen und Immunokastraten dargestellt., La producción de cerdos machos enteros e inmunocastrados, como alternativa a la castración quirúrgica de lechones machos, ha dado lugar a una serie de nuevos desafíos en la producción porcina. Los nuevos desafíos en la producción están relacionados principalmente con la detección y reducción del olor y sabor desagradable de la carne que ocurre en algunos machos enteros (el olor de verraco), la reducción de la agresión y el bienestar del animal, las necesidades nutricionales específicas y los condiciones de alojamiento, la calidad de los canales y de la carne y la aceptabilidad del consumidor. La investigación presenta las ventajas y desventajas más importantes en la producción de la carne de cerdo de machos enteros e inmunocastrados., La produzione di maiali maschi non castrati e maiali immunocastrati, come alternativa alla castrazione chirurgica dei suinetti maschi, ha determinato numerose nuove sfide nella produzione suinicola. Nuovi aspetti nel processo produttivo riguardano prevalentemente la rilevazione e la riduzione del fenomeno dell’odore e del sapore spiacevoli propri delle carni che si manifesta in alcuni suini maschi non castrati (il c.d. odore di verro), la riduzione dell’aggressività e la questione del benessere dell’animale, le specifiche necessità alimentari e le condizioni d’allevamento, la qualità delle carcasse e delle carni e l’accettabilità del consumatore. Nello studio vengono evidenziati i principali vantaggi e svantaggi nella suinicoltura con verri e maiali immunocastrati.

The aim of the study was to ascertain the acceptability of Traditional (T) and Innovative (IT) pork products by European consumers considering also the influence of the sensory properties. The tests were performed in Barcelona, Bologna, Toulouse and Zagreb, with products from autochthonous pig breeds Porc Negre Mallorquí (patties), Cinta Senese (dry-fermented sausages), Gascon-Noir de Bigorre (dry-cured hams) and Turopolje (dry-cured hams), respectively. The methodological approach relied on the expectancy-disconfirmation model and the assimilation theory (blind, expected and informed tests). All consumers had a similar behaviour: higher expectations of T and IT differentiating them significantly from the remaining products, except in Barcelona test, because consumers in this city were not acquainted with the production system. Innovation in T products focusing on healthy and process innovation highlighted the need to provide information about the breed and the production system, but we can conclude that the sensory quality had a significant role on the preferences of consumers. info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersion

Coronaviruses silently circulate in human and animal populations, causing mild to severe diseases. Therefore, livestock are important components of a “One Health” perspective aimed to control these viral infections. However, at present there is no example that considers pig genetic resources in this context. In this study, we investigated the variability of four genes (ACE2, ANPEP and DPP4 encoding for host receptors of the viral spike proteins and TMPRSS2 encoding for a host proteinase) in 23 European (19 autochthonous and three commercial breeds and one wild boar population) and two Asian Sus scrofa populations. A total of 2229 variants were identified in the four candidate genes: 26% of them were not previously described; 29 variants affected the protein sequence and might potentially interact with the infection mechanisms. The results coming from this work are a first step towards a “One Health” perspective that should consider conservation programmes of pig genetic resources with twofold objectives: i) genetic resources could be reservoirs of host gene variability useful to design selection programmes to increase resistance to coronaviruses; ii) the described variability in genes involved in coronavirus infections across many different pig populations might be part of a risk assessment including pig genetic resources.

Background Natural and artificial directional selection in cosmopolitan and autochthonous pig breeds and wild boars have shaped their genomes and resulted in a reservoir of animal genetic diversity. Signatures of selection are the result of these selection events that have contributed to the adaptation of breeds to different environments and production systems. In this study, we analysed the genome variability of 19 European autochthonous pig breeds (Alentejana, Bísara, Majorcan Black, Basque, Gascon, Apulo-Calabrese, Casertana, Cinta Senese, Mora Romagnola, Nero Siciliano, Sarda, Krškopolje pig, Black Slavonian, Turopolje, Moravka, Swallow-Bellied Mangalitsa, Schwäbisch-Hällisches Schwein, Lithuanian indigenous wattle and Lithuanian White old type) from nine countries, three European commercial breeds (Italian Large White, Italian Landrace and Italian Duroc), and European wild boars, by mining whole-genome sequencing data obtained by using a DNA-pool sequencing approach. Signatures of selection were identified by using a single-breed approach with two statistics [within-breed pooled heterozygosity (HP) and fixation index (FST)] and group-based FST approaches, which compare groups of breeds defined according to external traits and use/specialization/type. Results We detected more than 22 million single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) across the 23 compared populations and identified 359 chromosome regions showing signatures of selection. These regions harbour genes that are already known or new genes that are under selection and relevant for the domestication process in this species, and that affect several morphological and physiological traits (e.g. coat colours and patterns, body size, number of vertebrae and teats, ear size and conformation, reproductive traits, growth and fat deposition traits). Wild boar related signatures of selection were detected across all the genome of several autochthonous breeds, which suggests that crossbreeding (accidental or deliberate) occurred with wild boars. Conclusions Our findings provide a catalogue of genetic variants of many European pig populations and identify genome regions that can explain, at least in part, the phenotypic diversity of these genetic resources.

In this study, we identified copy number variants (CNVs) in 19 European autochthonous pig breeds and in two commercial breeds (Italian Large White and Italian Duroc) that represent important genetic resources for this species. The genome of 725 pigs was sequenced using a breed‐specific DNA pooling approach (30–35 animals per pool) obtaining an average depth per pool of 42×. This approach maximised CNV discovery as well as the related copy number states characterising, on average, the analysed breeds. By mining more than 17.5 billion reads, we identified a total of 9592 CNVs (~683 CNVs per breed) and 3710 CNV regions (CNVRs; 1.15% of the reference pig genome), with an average of 77 CNVRs per breed that were considered as private. A few CNVRs were analysed in more detail, together with other information derived from sequencing data. For example, the CNVR encompassing the KIT gene was associated with coat colour phenotypes in the analysed breeds, confirming the role of the multiple copies in determining breed‐specific coat colours. The CNVR covering the MSRB3 gene was associated with ear size in most breeds. The CNVRs affecting the ELOVL6 and ZNF622 genes were private features observed in the Lithuanian Indigenous Wattle and in the Turopolje pig breeds respectively. Overall, the genome variability unravelled here can explain part of the genetic diversity among breeds and might contribute to explain their origin, history and adaptation to a variety of production systems. info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersion

Surgical castration of piglets without pain relief is still common practice in many countries. Possible alternatives for surgical castration are application of pain relief or anaesthesia or production of boars (entire males) and immunocastrates. Each of these alternatives faces advantages and disadvantages which may result in different citizen attitudes and consumers acceptability. Understanding which practice is acceptable to whom and why may further stimulate implementation. Consumer (n = 3251) and stakeholder (n = 1027) attitudes towards surgical castration without pain relief, surgical castration with anaesthesia, immunocastration, and production of boars were surveyed from April to June 2020 via an online questionnaire in 16 countries (&gt, 175 respondents per country). Surgical castration without pain relief was separated from each of the alternatives due to animal welfare and showed the lowest acceptability (32%). Within the alternatives, a further partitioning between the alternatives was based on perceived quality and food safety, with an acceptance of 85% for applying anaesthesia, 71% for immunocastration, and 49% for boar production. Differences depending on professional involvement and familiarity with agriculture could be observed, mainly for the acceptance of surgical castration without anaesthesia, immunocastration, and boars. Castration with anaesthesia was highly accepted by all types of respondents.

Autochthonous pig breeds provide products of differentiated quality, among which quality control is difficult to perform and insufficient for current market requirements. The present research evaluates the predictive ability of near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy, combined with chemometric methods as a rapid and affordable tool to assure traceability and quality control. Thus, NIR technology was assessed for intact and minced muscle Longissimus thoracis et lumborum samples collected from 12 European autochthonous pig breeds for the quantification of lipid content and fatty acid composition. Different tests were performed using different numbers of samples for calibration and validation. The best predictive ability was found using minced presentation and set with 80% of the samples for the calibration and the remaining 20% for the external validation test for the following traits: lipid content and saturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, which attained both the highest determination coefficients (0.89, 0.61, and 0.65, respectively) and the lowest root mean square errors in external validation (0.62, 1.82, and 1.36, respectively). Lower predictive ability was observed for intact muscles. These results could contribute to improve the management of autochthonous breeds and to ensure quality of their products by traditional meat industry chains., This research was funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program, grant number 634476, for the project with acronym TREASURE. The content of this article reflects only the authors’ view and the European Union Agency is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains. Junta of Extremadura and the European Social Fund for the pre-doctoral grant (PD16057) and the GR18098.