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Context Pasture is widely used in rural Mediterranean areas as a local resource for animal feeding in a sustainable food system. Aims The present study aimed at evaluating the effects of pasture from a Mediterranean environment on milk fatty acid profile and organoleptic characteristics in grazing Cilentana goats bred in Cilento (Salerno province, southern Italy). Methods Twelve Cilentana dairy goats, grazing on local feeding resources were studied for 5 months (from May to September), starting from 60 days after kidding. Bodyweight and milk yield were recorded, whereas milk samples were collected and analysed for milk chemical composition and fatty acid profile. Milk organoleptic characteristics were analysed using an instrumental sensory platform. Key results Season significantly (P

A feeding strategy that requires a forage:concentrate ratio equal to 70:30, with at least five different herbs in the forage and the use of silages prohibited, has recently been introduced in Italy. Despite the benefits in terms of human health (lower ω6:ω3 ratio, higher conjugated linoleic acid level) of the obtained milk, little information regarding the possible effects on cows’ health is available. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of such a feeding strategy in dairy cows (90 days in milk at the beginning of the trial) on milk yield and composition, and blood metabolic profile, including the evaluation of oxidative stress. The proposed feeding strategy, compared with a semi-intensive strategy, resulted in an improvement of animal oxidative status (lower levels of reactive oxygen metabolites, higher levels of antioxidant potential and anti-reactive oxygen metabolites) and a significant increase of milk urea only in the first part of the trial. No differences in milk yield and composition were detected throughout the trial.

Research on diet effects on buffalo meat quality may be critical to assess its possible consumption benefits in human nutrition. This study investigated, in growing buffalo bulls, the effects of two diets differing in total fat content and fatty acid profile on the activity and gene expression of Stearoyl-CoA Desaturase (SCD) in the adipose tissue and on meat quality. Twenty buffalo bulls, 6 months old, were randomly assigned to the two dietary treatments until slaughtering (about 400 kg body weight). No significant difference between the groups was observed for chemical composition, fatty acid profile and CLAs content of Longissimus thoracis as well as for the SCD gene expression. Such results seem to be in contrast with similar studies performed on other ruminant species, but confirm that important differences occur between buffalo and bovine species, such as the lower content in fat of buffalo meat. Our results also confirm that specific studies should be performed on buffalo, also in terms of the metabolic pathways activated by different diets.

The effect of pasture on the stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) and miRNA 103 expression was evaluated on dairy goats divided into two homogeneous groups (G, grazing, and S, stable). Group S was housed in a stall and received alfalfa hay as forage, while group G was led to pasture. The goats of both the groups received the same amount of concentrate. Milk yield did not differ statistically between the groups. Group G showed significantly higher fat (4.10% vs. 2.94%, p &lt, 0.01) and protein percentage (3.43% vs. 3.25%, p &lt, 0.05) than group S. Among milk fatty acids, group S showed significantly higher levels of saturated fatty acids (SFA) and lower values of mono-unsaturated fatty acid (MUFA). The percentages of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) were not different between groups even if pasture significantly affected the percentages of C18:3 and total omega 3. In group G, total CLAs were twice than in group S (0.646% vs. 0.311%, 0.01) mainly due to the differences in CLA cis9 trans 11 (0.623% vs. 0.304%, 0.01). Milk total CLA in grazing group was significantly (p &lt, 0.01) higher in August according to the highest value of both linoleic and &alpha, linolenic acids in the pasture. In grazing animals, SCD expression decreased from April to June, increased in July and decreased again in August, while it was almost unvaried along the trial in group S. By contrast, the expression of miRNA 103 showed a similar trend for both groups, decreasing from April to June, increasing in July and falling down in August. To our knowledge, this is the first observation of the effects of pasture on miRNA expression in milk from ruminant species.

The influence of replacing silage with sorghum silage in the diet of dairy buffalo cows on metabolic status and on milk yield, chemical characteristics, and fatty acid profile was studied. Forty dairy buffalo cows were included in the trial and divided into two homogeneous groups (SS, sorghum silage and CS, corn silage). Blood was collected at the end of the trial (120 days), individual milk yield was registered daily. Samples of milk were monthly collected and analyzed for fat, protein, and lactose. Moreover, fatty acid profiles of silages and milk were determined. Buffalo cows fed sorghum silage showed an average milk yield higher than group CS (kg/d 10.120 vs. 9.270, p &lt, 0.05), probably due to the lower lignin content of sorghum silage (31.0 g/kg dry matter (DM)) compared to corn silage (47.0 g/kg DM) and, by consequence, to the higher digestibility of SS diet. The percentage of linoleic acid was significantly higher in milk of group CS (C18:2: 1.27 vs. 2.05%, 0.01) due to the higher content of these acids in corn than in sorghum silage. The omega 6/omega 3 ratio was significantly lower in milk from buffalo cows fed sorghum than those fed corn silage (7.8 vs. 12.9, 0.01). Serum biochemistry showed no negative effects of the corn replacing with sorghum.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of Aloe arborescens on organic matter digestibility (OMD), cumulative gas (OMCV) and short chain fatty acids (SCFA) production, using the in vitro gas production technique (IVGPT). Three adult cats were fed with a commercial diet (CP 31.21; EE 16.64% as fed) for 20 days before the collection of their faeces used as inoculum. The same diet, used as substrate, was incubated in vitro supplemented with different amounts (0, 0.7, 1.6 and 3.2%) of lyophilised Aloe arborescens. OMD, OMCV and SCFA significantly decreased with the increase of Aloe addition; an increase of l-lactic acid production was detected, even if pH was within physiological range. A potential prebiotic role of the Aloe arborescens carbohydrates was hypothesised in cats, but it needs further investigations. As a whole, our results show that IVGPT can represent a useful tool for nutritional evaluation of novel ingredient and/or additive also in cats.

Excessive energy intake may evoke complex biochemical processes characterized by inflammation, oxidative stress, and impairment of mitochondrial function that represent the main factors underlying noncommunicable diseases. Because cow milk is widely used for human nutrition and in food industry processing, the nutritional quality of milk is of special interest with respect to human health. In our study, we analyzed milk produced by dairy cows fed a diet characterized by a high forage:concentrate ratio (high forage milk, HFM). In view of the low n-6:n-3 ratio and high content of conjugated linoleic acid of HFM, we studied the effects of this milk on lipid metabolism, inflammation, mitochondrial function, and oxidative stress in a rat model. To this end, we supplemented for 4 wk the diet of male Wistar rats with HFM and with an isocaloric amount (82 kJ, 22 mL/d) of milk obtained from cows fed a diet with low forage:concentrate ratio, and analyzed the metabolic parameters of the animals. Our results indicate that HFM may positively affect lipid metabolism, leptin:adiponectin ratio, inflammation, mitochondrial function, and oxidative stress, providing the first evidence of the beneficial effects of HFM on rat metabolism.

a b s t r a c t The in vivo and post mortem performance and serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) concentration in kids born from goats fed conventional (group C) or genetically modified (group T) soy- bean meal were evaluated. The goat colostrum quality, in terms of chemical composition, as well as immunoglobulin concentration, and the presence of feed DNA fragments were also investigated. Kid birth weights were similar, while significantly (P < 0.05) higher in those born from goats in group C at day 30 and at slaughtering. In addition, kids from mothers fed conventional soybean recorded significant (P < 0.05) higher height at the withers and chest width. Concerning the post mortem measurements, only carcass weights were significantly affected by the treatment resulting in lighter T kids (P < 0.05). Colostrum from the treated groups recorded a significantly (P < 0.01) lower percentage of protein and fat. Similarly, both chemical parameters significantly differed in milk collected 15 days after kidding, although these differences disappeared in the successive samplings. Both colostrum and kids serum IgG concentration were significantly (P < 0.01) lower in the treated groups. Transgenic target DNA sequences (35S and CP4 EPSPS) were not detected in colostrum from goats that received a diet containing conventional soybean meal. By contrast, transgenic DNA fragments were amplified (P < 0.05) in samples from goats that received the transgenic soybean.

BACKGROUND Three cultivars of Lupinus albus L. (Lutteur, Lublanca and Multitalia) were assessed for proximate composition, fatty acids, alkaloids and in vitro fermentation characteristics over three harvest years. RESULTS The chemical composition varied greatly during the three harvest years. Crude protein content ranged from 353 to 456 g kg−1 dry matter (DM), neutral detergent fiber content from 209 to 321 g kg−1 DM and lignin content from 3.0 to 63.9 g kg−1 DM. Lublanc showed the highest crude protein (417 g kg−1 DM) and lignin (35 g kg−1 DM) contents. High levels of lipids (89.9 g kg−1 DM) and starch (93.3 g kg−1 DM) were found in all samples. Alkaloid content ranged from 3.63 to 165 mg per 100 g. Lutteur and Lublanc showed more favorable n-3/n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid ratios (from 0.44 to 0.73) and lower values of the anti-quality factor ‘erucic acid’ (from 5.8 to 20.9 g kg−1) than Multitalia. Lutteur showed higher degradability (897 g kg−1), gas production (330 mL g−1 organic matter (OM)) and volatile fatty acid production (117 mmol g−1 OM) than the other varieties. CONCLUSION The present data suggest L. albus L. cv. Lutteur to be a promising crop as food thanks to its high nutritive traits and most constant yield over time. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry

The effect of pasture fatty acid profile along the year on the Stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) expression was evaluated over 5 months using 30 pluriparous goats, delivered in February. The animals had free access to pasture constituted by 60% Leguminosae and 40% Gramineae, and received 500g/head/day of concentrate. From the second half of April, goats were milked twice a day for 5 months. Daily milk yield was recorded and, monthly, representa- tive individual milk and pasture samples were analysed for chemical composition and fatty acid profile. The SCD expression was studied by extraction of mRNA from milk somatic cells and analysed by RT-PCR. Average milk yield, fat and protein were 1420 (g/d), 4.45 (%) and 3.62 (%), respectively. Milk yield decreased along the lactation (P < 0.01) while milk fat was higher in August. Milk total CLA showed the highest levels (P < 0.01) in June and August (mg/100 g fat: 0.98 and 1.21, respectively) as consequence of the highest levels of pasture C18:2 and C18:3 in June (% of total FA: 34.1 and 42.7, respectively) and August (% of total FA: 42.7 and 46.3, respectively). The grazing season as well as lactation stage affected the SCD mRNA abundance determined from milk somatic cells with values (arbitrary units) that progressively decreased from April (1.95) until June (1.40), increased in July (1.70) and decreased again in August (0.83).

In the paper the short- and long-term glycaemic response after 4 diet programmes was evaluated. Each diet programme was alternatively administered to 6 healthy cats for 30 days. At the end of each period cats were weighed and underwent blood sampling for glucose and fructosamine determination. Glycaemia was measured every 2 hours for 24 hours using an automated glucometer. Very high protein level and low starch (VHP÷LS) and high protein and moderate starch level (HP÷LS) diets showed glucose (Mean and Peak) and fructosamine values signi cantly lower compared to the moderate protein and high starch diets (MP/HS). It is likely that these results are due to the contemporary e ect of the following nutritional characteristics: protein level, protein/starch ratio and dietary bre. All these parameters were higher in VHP/LS and HP/MS diets. These preliminary results suggest that the use of diets with high protein/starch ratio and soluble bre levels favours the carbohydrate metabolism of healthy cats.

Sixteen Italian Mediterranean Buffalo young bulls were divided into two groups fed isoprotein and isoenergy diets and only differing for protein source of concentrate: faba bean (FB) vs soybean (SB). Animals were slaughtered at 350 kg BW. Meat from FB group showed significantly lower fat, protein, cholesterol and saturated fatty acids than SB group. Significant differences were also found between the three muscles analysed [ Longissimus thoracis (LT), Semitendinosus (ST) and Iliopsoas plus Psoas minor (IP)]. ST showed the most favourable fatty acids profile: lower SFA, higher PUFA, MUFA, ω-3, ω-6, CLA and, consequently, lower values for both atherogenic and thrombogenic indexes. Results showed that faba bean can be used as a protein source alternative to soybean in the diet of young buffalo bulls for the production of high quality meat.

Short Retraction Notice The paper does not meet the standards of "Food and Nutrition Sciences". This article has been retracted to straighten the academic record. In making this decision the Editorial Board follows COPE's Retraction Guidelines. The aim is to promote the circulation of scientific research by offering an ideal research publication platform with due consideration of internationally accepted standards on publication ethics. The Editorial Board would like to extend its sincere apologies for any inconvenience this retraction may have caused. Editor guiding this retraction: Prof. Dr. Alessandra Bordoni (EiC of FNS) The full retraction notice in PDF is preceding the original paper, which is marked "RETRACTED".

The trial was performed on 36 goats (50.3 ± 2.6 kg body weight) having free access to pasture, constituted by 60% Leguminosae and 40% Graminee, equally divided into three groups (CTR, SC, AS) homogeneous in parity and milk production at the previous lactation. Concentrate of groups SC and AS was supplemented with 20 g/head/day of Saccaromyces cerevisiae and Aspergillus oryzae fermentation extract plus S. cerevisiae respectively, while group CTR was CTR was not supplemented and was used as control. Average milk yield did not differ statistically among the groups (g/head/day 1480 vs 1630 vs 1630 for CTR, SC and AS, respectively). By contrast, milk fat percentage was significantly (P < 0.01) lower in SC and AS compared to CTR. Group AS showed significantly (P < 0.01) lower milk protein percentage than CTR. Lactose was unaffected by treatments. Finally, milk fatty acid profile was unaffected by treatments. In conclusion, the supplementation of diet with live yeast and fungal extracts does not appear useful when goats are fed on pasture.

A 150-day trial was carried out on 40 Italian Mediterranean buffalo cows that, immediately after calving, were equally divided into two homogeneous groups (M and O) based on the number of calving events and previous milk yield. The animals were fed (16 kg dry matter (DM)/head) two isoenergy/isoprotein diets (NEl: 6.39 MJ/kg DM; 15.4 CP% DM), composed of corn (diet M) or barley silage (diet O) concentrate, alfalfa hay, and a vitamin-mineral supplement. The fermentation characteristics of both silage diets were evaluated by an in vitro gas production technique, and their nutritional values were calculated as follows: NEl (MJ/kg DM) = 0.54+0.0959 GP + 0.0038 CP + 0.0001733 CP 2 , where GP is the gas production after 24 h of incubation (ml/200 mg DM) and CP is the protein content of silage (g/kg DM). The nutritional values of the silages were slightly different (4.16 vs. 4.14 MJ/kg DM for M and O, respectively) likely due to the high content of hemicellulose in the O diet (22.0 vs. 16.9%). Average milk yield did not differ between the groups; instead, milk fat (8.39 vs. 9.06%; P

Aim of the study was to compare corn and sorghum forages, before and after ensiling, in terms of chemical-nutritional characteristics and fermentation kinetics, to substitute corn silage with sorghum silage. The trial was performed using sorghum (Sorghum vulgare) and corn (Zea mais) incubated in vitro at 39°C for 120 h with buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) rumen fluid. The in vitro gas production technique was used to describe the fermentation kinetics and to estimate the enery value of forages. From chemical composition and in vitro fermentation emerged that for corn the ensiling caused more modification compared to sorghum in terms of loss of soluble fractions.

Aim of this study was to investigate the effects of supplementing dairy goat diets with hydrogenated palm oil (HPO; 50 g/day/head) on milk yield and composition, and on milk fatty acids profile and Stearoyl-CoA desaturase gene expression. Compared with the control diet (C), supplementation with HPO increased milk yield and fat percentage. By contrast, milk protein percentage was not different between groups. Supplementation with HPO increased (P < 0.01) short and medium chain fatty acids, as well as C14:0 and C16:1 cis-9 acids (P < 0.05). Milk from control group showed significantly (P < 0.01) higher concentration of C18:0 and lower (P < 0.05) of cis-9 trans-11CLA. Concerning the desaturase index, the HPO addition sig- nificantly affected C16:1/C16:0 and cis-9 trans-11CLA/C18:1 trans-11 (P < 0.01) and C18:1/C18:0 (P < 0.05) ratios. The SCD gene expression (arbitrary units) was higher, even if not significantly, in the control com- pared to the treated group and in both groups decreased along the trial (May: 0.55 vs 0.41; June: 0.51 vs 0.38; July: 0.50 vs 0.37 for C and T group, respectively). Concerning health properties of milk, showing beneficial (CLAs and palmitoleic acid increase) and adverse (myristic acid increase) effect, our results suggest that further studies are needed to address a risk/benefit assessment of HPO supplementation in goats.

Three cultivars of Lupinus albus L. (Lutteur, Lublanca and Multitalia) were assessed for proximate composition, fatty acids, alkaloids and in vitro fermentation characteristics over three harvest years.The chemical composition varied greatly during the three harvest years. Crude protein content ranged from 353 to 456 g kg(-1) dry matter (DM), neutral detergent fiber content from 209 to 321 g kg(-1) DM and lignin content from 3.0 to 63.9 g kg(-1) DM. Lublanc showed the highest crude protein (417 g kg(-1) DM) and lignin (35 g kg(-1) DM) contents. High levels of lipids (89.9 g kg(-1) DM) and starch (93.3 g kg(-1) DM) were found in all samples. Alkaloid content ranged from 3.63 to 165 mg per 100 g. Lutteur and Lublanc showed more favorable n-3/n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid ratios (from 0.44 to 0.73) and lower values of the anti-quality factor 'erucic acid' (from 5.8 to 20.9 g kg(-1) ) than Multitalia. Lutteur showed higher degradability (897 g kg(-1) ), gas production (330 mL g(-1) organic matter (OM)) and volatile fatty acid production (117 mmol g(-1) OM) than the other varieties.The present data suggest L. albus L. cv. Lutteur to be a promising crop as food thanks to its high nutritive traits and most constant yield over time.

The role of inoculum (rumen liquor - RL vs faeces - FA) from cow or buffalo with respect to feed evaluation using in vitro gas systems was estimated in a trial using 8 substrates. The substrate influenced significantly all fermentation characteristics; with each inoculum the substrates were ranked according the same trends for organic matter digestibility (dOM) and cumulative gas volume per gram of OM incubated (OMCV). The animal species affected dOM and OMCV which were significantly higher in buffalo and cow, respectively. Buffalo showed significantly higher values of acetic, propionic, butyric acids and total VFA, while isobutyric, isovaleric and valeric acids were higher in cow. The inocula influenced the fermentation characteristics in both species: while in cow all parameters, except OMCV, were higher with FA than RL, in buffalo dOM, OMCV, acetic and total VFAs were higher with RL. The results confirmed the lower cellulolytic activity of FA micropopulation than RL one. All the data suggest that, while there may be scope for faeces to replace rumen fluid as inoculum for some end-point measures, is not possible to replace cow inocula to buffalo.

Four groups, each consisting of 684 weaned (35 days) hybrid Hyla rabbits were fed ad libitum the same commercial concentrate supplemented, respectively, with antibiotics (AGP group: colistin sulphate 144 mg/kg; tylosin 100m g/kg and oxytetracyclin 1000 mg/kg) or with mannan oligosac- charides (MOS) at 0.5 (group MOS_0.5), 1.0 (group MOS_1.0) and 1.5 g/kg (group MOS_1.5). Up to 60 days, mortality rate was recorded daily. For each group, 64 rabbits were controlled weekly for live weight to calculate daily weight gain (DWG). Feed intake (and, by consequence, feed conversion ratio) was measured, weekly, per group. No differences were observed for live weight during the trial, while DWG showed an alternate trend, in general, significantly lower for AGP group, exclusive of the third week (49- 56 days). Exclusive of the first week of the trial feed intake was higher for AGP than the other groups and the feed conversion ratio was more favourable for MOS groups. Mortality rate was significantly higher (34.2%) in AGP groups. The lowest mortality was recorded in MOS_1.0 group (7.75%).

This research aimed to evaluate the effect of extruded linseed in the diet of grazing goats on milk concentrations of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). Thirty dairy goats were divided into two groups: C, control and L, which received extruded linseed in the concentrate. Milk yield and fat percentage did not differ between groups, whereas group L showed higher (P \ 0.05) levels of total CLA and c9t11CLA. The results were affected by sampling month; Indeed, the differ- ences were significant in July when linoleic and linolenic acids in the pasture decreased.

Urolithiasis is a common clinical problem in dogs. Struvite and calcium oxalate are the predominant mineral types in dog urolithiasis. The aim of the present study was to compare the effect of two commercial dry foods formulated for the management of struvite urolithiasis with different anion–cation balance on urinary pH. For the trial, twelve privately owned adult dogs showing struvite urolithiasis were studied. The dogs were randomly divided into two groups (A and B) and fed two dissolving diets for 3 months. The analyses of urine were repeated six times. In both diets, the anion–cation balance was negative ( − 203 and − 192 for diets A and B, respectively). At the first urine analysis, pH values of all the dogs were close to 8·0, and bacteria were present in about 70 % of the samples and thus an antimicrobial was administered for 1 week. Both groups showed a progressive decrease in pH values, and after 2 months, in both cases, the recommended pH values for stone dissolution were achieved. From the sampling at 30 d, group A showed pH values significantly (P

Seven feeds were tested in vitro using faecal inoculum from pigs. Sugar beet pulp, wheat bran, soybean hulls, grapecake, glutamic beet pulp, citrus by-product and fructo-oligo - saccharides (FOS) were fermented for 96 h. Cumulative gas production was measured as indicator of the fermentation kinetics. At the end of incubation organic matter disappearance and fermentation end-products (short-chain fatty acids and NH3) were also measured. The gas production profiles were fitted with a multiphasic model. Significant differences were detected between grapecake and FOS: the very low gas production for the first one was probably due to the high lignin and tannins contents of this by-product, while the higher organic matter cumulative gas volume (OMCV) and organic matter disappearance (OMD) values for FOS were due to the high soluble fibre proportion. Soybean hulls and citrus by-product, showed similar values of degradability and gas production and were characterised by different fermentation profiles. Grapecake showed the lower fermentation, while citrus by-product was characterized high gas and short-chain fatty acids production. These characteristics could be particularly useful to optimize the caecum-colon fermentation in order to obtain a high butyrate acid production.

There is great interest in producing bioethanol from biomass and there is much emphasis on exploiting The effect of pasture and of diet linseed supplementation on fatty acid profile of milk was evaluated using 45 pluriparous goats, equally divided after kidding into three homogeneous groups (H, P and L). Group H (control) and L were housed in a stall receiving alfalfa hay, while group P was led to pasture. The groups received concentrate which for group L had linseed as ingredient. Average milk yield did not statistically differ between the groups. Groups P showed significantly higher fat content than group H and L (4.62% vs 3.70%, and 3.90% respectively for groups P, H and L; P < 0.01). On the contrary, milk from goats of group H and L had significantly higher content of lactose (4.65% and 4.61% vs 4.57%, respectively for groups H, L and P; P < 0.05). The levels of C18:1 cis9, C18:1 trans11 and MUFA in milk were significantly (P < 0.05) increased by both the pasture and linseed, while linoleic acid (C18:2) and PUFA were significantly (P < 0.05) higher in group P compared either to H or to L groups. The highest values of CLAs, either as t11 CLA and t10 c12 CLA or as SCLA, have been registered in milk of group P, the lowest in group H. These parameters in milk of group L were significantly (P < 0.05) lower or higher than those of group P and H, respectively.