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El Acuífero Gigante del Mercosur (Araújo, L.M. et al, 1995) o Acuífero Guaraní (Rocha, G.A., 1996) es uno de los mayores del mundo y cubre un área de 1.194.000 km2, que incluye toda la cuenca del Paraná y parte de la cuenca Chaco - Paraná . Con este nombre se indica al Sistema Hidroestratigráfico Mesozoico que incluye al Acuífero Triásico (Formaciones Piramboia / Rosario do Sul en Brasil y Formación Buena Vista en Uruguay) y al Acuífero Jurásico (Formación Botucatú en Brasil, Formación Misiones en Paraguay y Argentina y Formación Tacuarembó en Uruguay). El área de presencia del acuífero se encuentra bastante definido, pero las variaciones de la profundidad, de la columna litológica encima del mismo y de los espesores del basalto que lo confina, hacen que la geoeléctrica sea una herramienta potente para estimar parámetros que condicionan las inversiones a realizar para explotarlo. El presente trabajo pretende colaborar en la definición de criterios de interpretación de sondeos eléctricos verticales en la prospección del acuífero profundo descripto arriba. A partir de la medición de sondeos largos en distintas locaciones, del procesamiento de los datos obtenidos y de correlacionarlos con información de perforaciones profundas se logra dar comienzo a la definición de esos criterios.

Shrubs can provide an important contribution to the fodder resources for small ruminants in Mediterranean areas, but there is limited information on their feed value, including secondary metabolites and their seasonal differences. This study evaluated the effect of seasonal variation in chemical composition, in vitro digestibility and antioxidant activity of the aerial parts of plants of Cistus ladanifer of two age groups [young plants vs. older ones (2-6 years old)]. Aerial parts of C. ladanifer plants of both age groups were characterized by moderate cell-wall content [321-410 g NDF kg−1 dry matter ( DM)], high levels of phenolic compounds (55·1-106 g gallic acid equivalents per kg DM) and condensed tannins ( CT) (32·1-161 g kg−1 DM), low protein content (55-100 g kg−1 DM) and low digestibility (249-315 g of digestible organic matter per kg DM). During autumn and winter, C. ladanifer showed higher protein levels and lower cell-wall content than in the other seasons. The highest values of phenolic compounds, CT and antioxidant activity were achieved during summer. Young plants showed higher levels of phenolic compounds during spring, summer and winter, and higher CT contents in summer (more than 54 g kg−1 DM) compared to old plants. Aerial parts of C. ladanifer of both age groups may be used as a component of ruminant nutrition, but only as a supplement and associated with other feeding resources to complement its nutritional imbalances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of partial replacement of cereals by increasing levels of almond hulls (AH) was tested in twenty-four lambs distributed into three dietary treatments: 1) diet without replacement of cereals with AH (0AH); 2) diet with replacement of cereals with 9% of AH (9AH); and 3) diet with replacement of cereals with 18% of AH (18AH). All diets included 40% dehydrated lucerne and 5% soybean oil. Dry matter intake, growth performance, feed costs, carcass traits, meat quality, and lipid oxidative stability of raw and cooked meat during refrigerated storage were evaluated. Replacing part of the cereal with AH up to 18% did not affect the average daily gain but increased quadratically the feed conversion ratio and tended to decrease linearly the slaughter live weight. Diet cost per kg live weight gain was affected quadratically, with similar feed costs in 0AH and 18AH diets. The carcass and meat quality parameters were not affected by diet, except meat shear force that linearly reduced with the inclusion of AH in diets, meat flavour acceptability that showed lower values in 9AH diet, and lipid stability. Lipid oxidation increased in raw and cooked meat during storage, but the 18AH diet resulted in lower lipid oxidation in cooked meat than the other diets. Replacing part of the cereal with AH up to 18% in diets composed of 40% forage shown to be a dietary strategy applicable to fattening lamb, allowing high productive performances without relevant impact on feed costs, and improving lipid stability of cooked meat., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This work aimed to examine the effects of sex on meat and fat quality traits from thirty Portuguese Alentejano (AL) pigs reared in outdoor conditions. These pigs were divided into three groups and fed ad libitum . From ~40 to 130 kg LW, castrated (C group) and intact animals (I and IExp) consumed commercial diets. Until slaughter (~160 kg), C and I pigs remained on commercial diets, and IExp changed to a more sustainable experimental diet with locally produced pulses and byproducts. Samples were collected from the Longissimus lumborum (LL), Psoas major (PM), and dorsal subcutaneous fat (DSF). At ~160 kg, the PM muscle of intact pigs presented lower intramuscular fat content than that of C pigs, while total collagen was higher. Additionally, PM myoglobin was lower and lightness ( L *) was higher in intact pigs. Regarding DSF, moisture and total protein contents were higher and total lipids were lower in intact than in castrated pigs, while color parameters were not significantly different. Finally, antioxidant capacity measured in the LL muscle showed an overall lower value in intact pigs. However, lipid oxidation values were not significantly different between the experimental groups and only increased with storage time. Outdoor-reared intact AL pigs produced leaner and less saturated pork and fat compared to castrated ones. Despite the lower antioxidant activity observed in the LL muscles of intact pigs, the lipid oxidative stability of cooked meat was not different among the experimental groups.

Two groups of 8 individually housed young crossbred-bulls, in the finishing period, were used to test the effect of a Total Mixed Ration diet with high forage content (54% DM), low starch content (14% DM), supplemented with sunflower seeds (10% DM) (HFS) on growth performance, carcass and meat quality, fatty acid profile and carbon footprint, with reference to a conventional concentrate-based (90% DM) (Control) diet. The experiment lasted 64 days before slaughter. During the experiment, feed intake was monitored daily and live weight every 14 days. Individual CH 4 emissions were assessed at 16-days intervals, using a GreenFeed for Large Animal unit. Feed intake and feed conversion ratio were higher for HFS diet, but average daily weight gain and feeding costs were similar for the two diets. Dressing percentage was reduced with HFS diet. The HFS increased redness, yellowness and Chroma of subcutaneous fat, but did not compromise commercial value of the carcasses. Meat colour, shear force, or sensory parameters were not affected by diet. The HFS diet allowed a healthier FA profile, due to the higher proportions of 18:3n-3, t11-18:1 and c9,t11-18:2 and the lower proportion of t10-18:1. The HFS diet did not reduce the carbon footprint in the finishing period of young bulls, due to increased digestive CH 4 emissions. The results of this experiment showed that the HFS diet can be an alternative to the conventional diets used in finishing young-bulls. Although it may result in a slight reduction in animal performance, it has a strong impact on reducing dependence on inputs from outside the farm., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Thirty-two bulls were assigned to four total mixed biodiverse haylage-based diets to evaluate the effects of partial substitution of grains by agroindustrial byproducts, sunflower seeds (SS) supplementation and haylage level on growth, in vitro methane production and carcass and meat quality. Dietary treatments included a grain-based diet with 30% grain and haylage:concentrate ratio (H:C) of 60:40 (DM basis) (MCe); a by-product-based diet where 50% of the grain was substituted for by-products (H:C, 60:40) (MBp); a byproducts diet with 10% sunflower seed and 90% (DM) MBp (H:C, 54:46) (MBpSS); and a byproducts, SS diet with increased haylage (H:C, 67.5:32.5) (HBpSS). Dry matter intake and growth rate were lower in HBpSS, but feed conversion ratio was unaffected by diet. In vitro methane emissions were reduced by SS. Meat colour and shear force were similar among diets. Lipid oxidation in cooked meat was reduced and fatty acid composition was improved with SS. Biodiverse haylage-based diets may be a viable option for finishing bulls., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Condensed tannins (CTs) are widely distributed in plants, and due to their recognized antioxidant activity are considered as possible natural antioxidants for application in ruminant diets. A wide range of CT-rich sources has been tested in ruminant diets, and their effects on animal antioxidant status and oxidative stability of their products are reviewed in the present work. Possible mechanisms underlying the CT antioxidant effects in ruminants are also discussed, and the CT chemical structure is briefly presented. Utilization of CT-rich sources in ruminant feeding can improve the animals' antioxidant status and oxidative stability of their products. However, the results are still inconsistent. Although poorly understood, the evidence suggests that CTs can induce an antioxidant effect in living animals and in their products through direct and indirect mechanisms, which can occur by an integrated and synergic way involving: (i) absorption of CTs with low molecular weight or metabolites, despite CTs' poor bioavailability; (ii) antioxidant action on the gastrointestinal tract; and (iii) interaction with other antioxidant agents. Condensed tannins are alternative dietary antioxidants for ruminants, but further studies should be carried out to elucidate the mechanism underlying the antioxidant activity of each CT source to design effective antioxidant strategies based on the use of CTs in ruminant diets.

Cistus ladanifer (rockrose) is a perennial shrub quite abundant in the Mediterranean region, and it is a rich source in secondary compounds such as condensed tannins (CTs). Condensed tannins from C. ladanifer were able to change the ruminal biohydrogenation (BH), increasing the t 11-18:1 and c 9, t 11-18:2 production. However, the adequate conditions of the C. ladanifer CTs used to optimize the production of t 11-18:1 and c 9, t 11-18:2 is not yet known. Thus, we tested the effect of increasing the doses of C. ladanifer CT extract (0, 25, 50, 75 and 100 g/kg dry matter (DM)) on in vitro rumen BH. Five in vitro batch incubations replicates were conducted using an oil supplemented high-concentrate substrate, incubated for 24 h with 6 mL of buffered ruminal fluid. Volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and long chain fatty acids (FA) were analyzed at 0 h and 24 h, and BH of c 9-18:1, c 9, c 12-18:2 and c 9, c 12, c 15-18:3, and BH products yield were computed. Increasing doses of C. ladanifer CTs led to a moderate linear decrease ( p < 0.001) of the VFA production (a reduction of 27% with the highest dose compared to control). The disappearance of c 9-18:1 and c 9, c 12-18:2 as well as the production of t 11-18:1 and c 9, t 11:18:2 was not affected by increasing doses of C. ladanifer CTs, and only the disappearance of c 9, c 12, c 15-18:3 suffered a mild linear decrease (a reduction of 24% with the highest dose compared to control). Nevertheless, increasing the C. ladanifer CT dose led to a strong depression of microbial odd and branched fatty acids and of dimethyl acetals production (less than 65% with the highest dose compared to control), which indicates that microbial growth was more inhibited than fermentative and biohydrogenation activities, in a possible adaptative response of microbial population to stress induced to CTs and polyunsaturated fatty acids. The ability of C. ladanifer to modulate the ruminal BH was not verified in the current in vitro experimental conditions, emphasizing the inconsistent BH response to CTs and highlighting the need to continue seeking the optimal conditions for using CTs to improve the fatty acid profile of ruminant fat.

Growth performance, carcass and meat quality of 16 Alentejana bulls fed for 90 days with a conventional cereal-based (Control) or a high-fibre and low-starch (HFLS) diet were studied. The HFLS diet included 20% alfalfa hay, 4.8% soybean oil, 6% soybean hulls, 6% dehydrated citrus and 6% sugar beet pulps in substitution of grain. Ryegrass hay was offered to a maximum of 20% of total intake in both diets. Bulls were individually housed, weighed every 14 days, and feed intake was registered daily. Average daily weight gain, dry matter intake, carcass and most meat quality traits were not affected by the diet (P > .05). Feeding an HFLS diet, therefore, can improve beef fatty acid profiles without negatively impacting animal performance or meat quality., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Making cheese manufacturing environmentally sustainable is a major concern in the integrated management of this industrial sector. This concern is mainly due to the environmental impact of the discharge of its wastewaters, carrying heavy loads of salinity, nutrients, organic matter, solids and oils and fats. These discharges must meet increasingly stringent quality requirements. Some physicochemical (e.g. coagulation-flocculation, precipitation, oxidation) and biological (e.g. aerobic and anaerobic bioreactors and wetlands) treatments have been studied to address this problem. However, these treatments involve costs that some producers cannot sustain, face difficulties with biological reactor operational stability and often fail to consistently produce effluents compatible with discharge standards. In this context, aiming at the design of a simple and economical treatment method, several precipitation processes were tested using a fixed dosage of CaCO 3 (75 g/L), combined with different dosages of FeCl 3 , FeSO 4 or Ca(OH) 2 . The goal of the treatment was to produce a supernatant that would be evaluated as to its suitability for discharge into natural water courses or municipal treatment systems, or for reuse applications. The generated sludge would be evaluated for possible agricultural valorization. Through the measurement of the relevant supernatant quality parameters and using statistical analysis, it was possible to choose the best dosages for each of the tested coagulants (1.0, 1.0 and 0.6 g/L for FeCl 3 , FeSO 4 and Ca(OH) 2 , respectively). Among these, the most efficient treatment was obtained with CaCO 3 75 g/L + FeSO 4 1.0 g/L. For this best-case scenario, the treatment led to removal yield values of 55.1% for chemical oxygen demand (COD), 92.0% for total phosphorus, 95.7% for turbidity, 59.1% for total phenols, 94.3% for nitrates, 71.0% for nitrites, 51.0% for total solids (TS) and 97.2% for oils and fats. The treatment did not produce an effluent supernatant with adequate quality for direct discharge into water courses, serving however as an efficient pretreatment for agricultural reuse. All the sludges generated in these treatments showed good potential for agricultural valorization due to their high nutrient content, along with pH and conductivity values within the acceptable ranges for soil application. Thus, this work contributes for a better integration of the cheese manufacturing industry in the overall aims of water and nutrient resources recovery in rural, agricultural areas., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interests The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the dietary inclusion of Cistus ladanifer L. and vegetable oils on intramuscular fat composition, muscle antioxidant status and lipid oxidative stability, and explore the mechanism by which dietary Cistus ladanifer limits the lipid oxidation. Lambs were assigned 9 diets, corresponding to 3 levels of Cistus ladanifer (50, 100 and 200 g/kg DM) and 3 levels of oil (0, 40 and 80 g/kg DM). Oil supplementation increased highly peroxidizable fatty acid content and the peroxidizability index (P < .05). Muscle phenolic content, reducing ability and radical scavenging ability were not affected by Cistus ladanifer (P > .05). The highest level of Cistus ladanifer enhanced muscle resistance to lipid oxidation (P = .006) and increased α-tocopherol content (P = .005), reducing meat lipid oxidation over 7 days of storage (P < .001). Results showed that Cistus ladanifer has a protective effect against lipid oxidation through increasing α-tocopherol concentration in the muscle., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Cistus ladanifer L. is a shrub from Cistaceae family, widespread in Mediterranean countries. Fatty acids (FA) have multiple roles in plants and are involved in adaption mechanisms to environmental conditions. This work evaluated the FA content and composition of each morphological fraction of C. ladanifer (leaves, stems, flower buds, flowers and seed heads) throughout a full year. Cistus ladanifer plants were collected in southern Portugal, during four consecutive seasons (18 plants/season), and the different morphological plant fractions (leaves, stems, flower buds, flowers and seed heads) were separated. Cistus ladanifer morphological fractions showed distinct FA compositions, being possible to discriminate three groups-the leaves that showed to be dominated by saturated FA (main 20:0) and contain branched-chain FA (iso-19:0 and iso-21:0); the stems that are composed mainly by SFA (main 22:0); and the reproductive organs that showed higher contents of polyunsaturated FA (PUFA) and the 16:0 as the main SFA. The FA composition of leaves changed over seasons, with replacement of the PUFA by monounsaturated FA and branched-chain FA during hot seasons. Regarding the other C. ladanifer morphological fractions, the FA composition was more stable over seasons, suggesting that leaves are more prone to adaptations to environmental changes.

Thirty-two crossbred Merino branco male lambs were randomly allocated to eight diets, combining two forms of alfalfa presentation (chopped or ground), with four barley grain levels (0%, 11.2%, 21.3% and 33% dry matter (DM)), balanced by low starch agro-industrial by-products (LSBP). The diets were supplemented with 6% soybean oil and included 40% of alfalfa in DM. The lambs were individually housed and the trial lasted six weeks. Intake of DM, average daily weight gain (ADG) and carcass weight were higher with ground alfalfa (P < 0.01). Replacing barley grain by LSBP reduced linearly DM intake and ADG (P < 0.001) but increased meat tenderness (P = 0.046). Regardless of the treatments, meat showed a healthy biohydrogenation fatty acid (FA) profile, with high proportions of t11-18:1, c9,t11-18:2 and a t10-18:1/t11-18:1 ratio clearly below 1. The reduction of barley in diet had a moderate positive impact on meat FA composition, decreasing t10-18:1, which was enhanced by the increase of forage particle size., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Thirty-six lambs were used to evaluate the effect of three levels of Cistus ladanifer condensed tannins (CT; 0, 1.25 and 2.5%) and two ways of CT supply (C. ladanifer aerial parts and C. ladanifer CT extract) on lamb growth performance, carcass composition, meat quality and FA composition of intramuscular and subcutaneous fat. The basal diet was composed of dehydrated lucerne supplemented with 60 g/kg of soybean oil. The highest amount of CT (2.5%) had detrimental effects on growth performance, particularly when the aerial part of C. ladanifer was used. Conversely, 1.25% CT in diets did not affect growth performance and meat quality, and inclusion of C. ladanifer CT extract in diet at this level increased t11-18:1, but not c9,t11-18:2 content in fat. Feeding C. ladanifer CT extract might be a good approach for enhancing the nutritional value of ruminant fat, but further studies are needed to ensure upregulation of endogenous synthesis of c9,t11-18:2., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The treatment of slaughterhouse wastewater was investigated by both acid precipitations and by oxidation processes. Precipitation tests were developed using three acids (H 2 SO 4 , HCl and HNO 3 ) at different operating pH (1-6). A decrease of the precipitation pH led to an increase of the conductivity values of the supernatant. Precipitation processes allowed the removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD) (41-97%), turbidity (56-99%) and total phosphorus (27-56%). Total phenols were removed (15-96%) from pH ≥ 2, depending on the precipitation process. Generally, precipitation processes decreased the hydroxide and bicarbonates species. Additionally, three different oxidation processes were tested at different concentrations (1-15 g L -1 ): Ca(ClO)₂, H 2 O 2 and CaO₂. When Ca(ClO)₂ and CaO₂ were applied, an increase of the supernatant conductivity was achieved. COD removal ≥71% and turbidity elimination in the range of 85-100% were achieved by using oxidation processes. CaO₂ was very effective to remove total phosphorus (81-96%). The increase of the oxidant concentration in H 2 O 2 and Ca(ClO)₂ oxidation processes led to a decrease in the removal of total phenols and bicarbonates species. Optical density of the microorganism cultures was efficiently eliminated (up to 100%) by oxidation processes. In addition, acid precipitation and oxidation allowed to remove total solids (TS), total volatile solids (TVS), total suspended solids (TSS), ammonia nitrogen, nitrates and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD 5 ). Acid precipitation and oxidation produced sludge rich in organic matter and nutrients (Ca, Mg, P, Cl, Na and K). Despite the high removal efficiencies, a post-treatment following the precipitation and oxidation processes can be required., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)