Search

The established correlations between subcutaneous fat thickness and the quality attributes of carcasses and beef are relevant for producers and the processing industry. The purpose of the study is to establish the characteristics of slaughter, chemical composition, sensory physical, and technological properties of beef made of young bulls belonging to the Ukrainian black-and-white dairy breed aged 18 to 24 months, depending on the thickness of the fat on the carcass. The colour of muscle and adipose tissue, the conformation of carcasses, the development of subcutaneous fat, marbling, chemical composition, and sensory attributes of beef and broth made of it were determined in the context of different fat thicknesses on the carcass. With an increase in the thickness of subcutaneous fat, the fleshiness (conformation) of carcasses increases by 55.2% (P>0.95), the cover of carcasses with fat increases by 43.5 (P>0.99), and muscle penetration improves by 45.8% (P>0.95). With the thickening of subcutaneous fat from 0.5 to 1.1 cm or more, there is a tendency of tendons and ligaments in carcasses to increase by 53.6%, with adipose tissue increasing by 25.6%, points for the juiciness of boiled beef increasing by 20.8%, its tenderness increasing by 12.5%, and the reduction in the m. longissimus dorsi 'loin eye' area increased by 7.3%, marbling increased by 19.0%, reduction of moisture content in meat increased by 27.8%, and its boiling properties increased by 7.9%. With an increase in the thickness of subcutaneous fat in beef, there was a tendency for the reduction of its acidity (pH), the amount of dry matter, the total content of fat and minerals, deterioration of taste, aroma, residue after chewing boiled meat, flavour, and aroma, concentration, and transparency of broth made of it. The practical significance of these studies is to obtain knowledge that allows the assessment of the quality characteristics of carcasses and beef by the thickness of subcutaneous fat for their further use by producers and processing industries.

The paper covers the peculiarities of the degree of meat shapes in the bulls of the Ukrainian meat breed, depending on the adipose tissue content under the skin and between the muscles. They were evaluated according to their productivity from 8 to 18, 21, and 23 months. Bulls with better development of meat shapes are characterized by fat deposition in the carcass and between the muscles earlier and more intensively. They have from 15.1 to 44.7% more fatty tissue in the carcass, including under the skin – from 3.8 to 44.1%. With a different degree of meat shapes, subcutaneous fat is deposited more than between muscles. The content of adipose tissue under the skin relative to its total amount in the body of animals tends to decrease by 6.5 points with age for a better degree of meat shapes, and on the contrary, to increase by 2.6 points for a worse degree. If the fat under the bull skin at 18 months in the best shapes is 72.1% of the fat in the carcass, and in the worst – 72.3%, then at 23 months, its amount decreases by 13.6 and 4.4 points, respectively. The fat between the muscles, on the contrary, increases from 27.9 and 27.7% by the same amounts, respectively. With a greater degree of meat shapes and subcutaneous fat thickness on the carcasses of 18-month-old bulls, intramuscular fat (marbling) content is lower by 75.0%. 18-month-old bulls with better-developed meat shapes have fat cuts off from the carcass by 15.2% more than animals with less developed shapes, 23 – by 11.3%. A large amount of produced waste in the body of animals in the best meat shape leads to excessive (from 0.9 to 14.5%) feed consumption (feed unit) for the increase in live weight. The subcutaneous fat content and the number of cuts off from 16 to 24 months positively correlate with the degree of meat shapes in bulls at 15 months and have correlation coefficients of 0.26 and 0.17, respectively.

Avocado is one of the most valuable products, as it is characterized by a high content of biologically active substances, including vitamins, mineral elements, fats, and dietary fibers. According to a complex of organoleptic and physicochemical indicators, the consumption properties of avocado fruits from different countries of origin, which are sold in Ukraine, have been investigated. Among the organoleptic indicators, the state of peel and pulp, taste, and smell has been determined according to the developed scoring scale. It has been established that the Haas type (Colombia) fruits have a light green pulp and a deep green peel that does not lag well behind the flesh, they are quite firm, the taste is watery, and there are no significant defects, the stem is not damaged. Haas (Israel) avocados had light green pulp and a brownish-black peel that separated from the flesh very well, with little evidence of pollination, a nice buttery flavour, and a nice texture. There is a slight peel defect (pollination mark) with an area of less than 4 cm2, which does not affect the fruit's flesh, and the stem is not damaged. The fruit of the Fuerte type (Israel) had a light green pulp and a deep-green peel that did not lag well behind the flesh, a somewhat grassy taste, and a loose flesh texture. The fruit had a defect in the peel (lens) with an area of less than 6 cm2, which does not affect the fruit's flesh, and the stem is not damaged. It has been found that the researched types of avocado fruits from different countries of origin differ in shape, size, and the ratio of peel, pulp, and stone. From the physicochemical parameters, the mass fraction of moisture, the content of dry soluble substances, active acidity, the content of ascorbic acid, and the fatty acid composition of lipids of avocado fruits have been determined.

Mastitis is one of the most common diseases on dairy farms. It causes significant economic damage associated with the cost of treating sick cows, reduced milk yield and quality indicators of dairy products, and the risk of premature culling of animals. Treatment of cows with mastitis on dairy farms is carried out mainly with antimicrobial drugs, which are usually used without a preliminary test to identify the causative agent of the disease and determine its sensitivity to antimicrobial substances, which is an important part of the effectiveness of therapy. Increasing the resistance of bacteria to antimicrobial substances poses a threat not only to the animal but also to humans, as a consumer of dairy products. The availability of data on the sensitivity of mastitis pathogens to antimicrobial drugs makes it possible for veterinary doctors to choose the most effective antibiotic for treating animals with the shortest duration of treatment. The presented results of studies of breast secret samples taken from cows indicate that in 57.5% of cases, contagious pathogens of mastitis were identified. In particular, Streptococcus agalactiae made 24.1%, Staphylococcus aureus – 18.4%, Corynebacterium spp. – 7.2%, Streptococcus dysgalactiae– 5.6%, Streptococcus uberis – 2.2%. Environmental pathogens accounted for 42.5% of the total number of isolated isolates, among which Streptococci represented gram-positive microflora at 11.5 Streptococcuscus spp. (6.2% Streptococcuscus parauberis (4.4% Streptococcuscus Bovis (0.9%) and Staphylococcus spp. – 10.3%. Gram-negative microflora is 20.6%, among which the largest percentage belongs to E. coli – 8.4% and Klebsiella pneumonia – 1.9%. Mastitis caused by yeast accounted for 1.4% of all diagnosed pathogens. Antimicrobial sensitivity was evaluated using the disk diffusion method (Kirby-Bauer). According to the results of determining the sensitivity of mastitis pathogens to antimicrobial substances, it was found that the highest sensitivity of the isolated isolates was to Ceftiofur, Amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, Rifampicin, Amoxicillin, Gentamicin, Ampicillin, Bacitracin, Cephalexin, Cloxacillin, Enrofloxacin, Trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, Oxytetracycline, Lincomycin. The least sensitive – to Spiramycin, Tylosin, streptomycin, neomycin, Marbofloxacin, Tilmicosin, and Danofloxacin.

This scientific work describes research that aims to determine the physicochemical parameters of homogenized honey and its safety indicators based on the determination of toxic metals and radionuclides. A series of experimental studies were conducted to develop and study recipes for honey water based on different types of honey collected in the Lviv region of Ukraine, namely acacia, buckwheat, sunflower, coriander, goldenrod, linden, and weeds. According to the results of experiments, it was found that the studied honey meets all the requirements presented in the standard for natural honey. And the results obtained to determine the dry matter content and pH allowed to blend different types of honey and get honey drinks, which will expand the range of non-carbonated products, which is very popular, especially in summer, and drink this drink during the year. To prolong the shelf life of honey drinks, it is recommended to add citric acid in an amount of 1% by weight of the drink and sodium benzoate as a preservative in an amount of 0.1%. The quality of the obtained honey water samples was assessed using organoleptic evaluation and physicochemical parameters. The resulting beverages have good organoleptic characteristics and can be offered for products in the industry.