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Sheep milk production is a complex process that is influenced by various factors. This study aims to investigate how the litter size (single vs. twins), birth type (male vs. female), age of the ewes and body weight affect the milk composition and fatty acid profile of milk fat. Milk samples were collected from 119 Najdi ewes that were the subject of this study. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MASS) was used to quantify the fatty acids (FAs). The results showed that the twins birth type (female/female) has a significant influence (P

Simple Summary: Sustainability is a hotly debated topic, and the livestock sector is considered one of the most important contributors to global warming. The use of by-products as animal feed is beneficial both socioeconomically and ecologically. Prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica L. Mill) is widely grown in the arid regions of multiple continents, and its by-products can be used as ruminant feed, but their seasonality and chemical properties pose several problems for their preservation and utilization. Ensiling could be the optimal preservation technology. In this study, the chemical composition, nutritional properties, polyphenols, antioxidant activity, and mineral content of prickly pear by-products were evaluated for their persistence after ensiling. It was found that prickly pear by-products are a low-cost and suitable raw material for ensiling; peel silage and "pastazzo" (peel, pulp, and seeds) silage exhibits optimal pH and organic acid content, high polyphenol content, and antioxidant activity and appears to be a source of minerals. Italy is the third largest producer of Opuntia fruits in the world after Mexico and the United States, and 97.72% of these fruits produced by Italy are grown in Sicily. The use of prickly pear fruits or juice leads to a high production of by-products. In this study, ensiling was chosen to preserve prickly pear peels (PPPs) and "pastazzo" (PPS) mixed with 12% wheat bran. PPP silage presented a lower DM than PPS silage (20.03 vs. 41.37%; p < 0.01), as well as aNDFom (25.31 vs. 66.66% DM; p < 0.01), but had the best protein content (12.02 vs. 9.55% DM; p < 0.01). For both by-products, fermentation proceeded rapidly with increasing temperature, with the temperature for PPS (38 °C) being higher than that for the PPP (30 °C). Mesophilic LAB (lactic acid bacteria) were detected at higher levels than thermophilic LAB, and rod counts were higher than cocci counts. The detected organic acids and silage pH indicate an optimal fermentation process for these by-products. PPP silage had a higher polyphenol content than PPS silage (30.24 vs. 24.22 mg GAE/g DM; p < 0.01) and, consequently, also higher antioxidant activity. The results of this study on the mineral composition and macro- and micro-nutrients in silage highlight that these by-products are sources of minerals, with high levels of potassium, calcium, and magnesium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sheep milk production is a complex process that is influenced by various factors. This study aims to investigate how the litter size (single vs. twins), birth type (male vs. female), age of the ewes and body weight affect the milk composition and fatty acid profile of milk fat. Milk samples were collected from 119 Najdi ewes that were the subject of this study. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MASS) was used to quantify the fatty acids (FAs). The results showed that the twins birth type (female/female) has a significant influence (P < 0.05) on the concentration of linoleic acid (LA), alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), behenic acid (C22:0) and polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA). On the other hand, saturated fatty acids (SFA), docosahexaenoic acid (C22:4; DHA), and odd-chain fatty acids (OCFA), such as C15:0-antiso and C19:1-cis 10, increased significantly (P < 0.05) with the increasing age and body weight of the ewes, while the ALA and unsaturated fatty acids (UFA) significantly decreased (P < 0.05). The principal component analysis (PCA) revealed a positive association between the age and the OCFA, ALA and small-chain fatty acids (C6:0 and C8:0). In addition, the type of birth showed a positive association with the fat, lactose and palmitoleic acid C16:1 cis9. Conversely, there is a negative association between the UFA, monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and PUFA. In addition, the body weight (BW) and litter size were negatively associated with the protein, SFA and medium-chain fatty acids (C10:0, C12:0, C14:0 and C16:0). The physiological factors generally suggested that the milk quality and essential FA, such as ALA, were influenced by the type of the lamb’s birth and the age of the ewes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is an editorial titled "Alternative and novel livestock feed: reducing environmental impact" published in the journal Frontiers in Veterinary Science. The editorial discusses the use of alternative feeds and additives in livestock production to reduce the environmental impact and improve animal performance. It highlights various studies that have investigated the effects of different alternative feeds on ruminants, pigs, and poultry. The editorial concludes that alternative feeds and additives have the potential to reduce the environmental impact of livestock production without negatively affecting animal performance, but further research is needed to determine the optimal dosage and avoid adverse effects. [Extracted from the article]

Colostrum provides newborns with nutrients and immunoglobulins that play a major role in the immune system. In this survey, the immunoglobulin G (IgG) content, gross composition, mineral content, and fatty acid composition were determined in the colostrum of Valle del Belice ewes with the aim of evaluating the effect of lambing of season. In total, we analysed 60 bulk tank colostrum samples taken after lambing during two seasons (summer and winter). The IgG content and Brix mean values were 40.35 g/L and 21.02%, respectively. The colostrum fat, protein, casein, and lactose percentages were 8.01, 12.10, 8.51, and 3.13%, respectively. The lambing season significantly influenced the pH and somatic cell count, with higher values observed in winter than in summer. The most common fatty acids were palmitic (27.75 vs. 24.84 g/100 g), oleic (24.57 vs. 18.15 g/100 g), myristic (12.55 vs. 12.16 g/100 g) and stearic (7.02 vs. 6.16 g/100 g) detected in the summer and winter seasons, respectively. The winter season significantly increased the polyunsaturated fatty acid values (11.18 vs. 6.41). Additionally, the lambing season determined different mineral composition levels in the colostrum, particularly copper (8.50 vs. 5.35 µmol L−1) and manganese (3.35 vs. 0.80 µmol L−1), which were higher in the summer. Based on IgG content, the quality of the colostrum was excellent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND In recent decades, grain amaranths have attracted attention due to their valuable combination of nutritional traits, with higher protein and oil content than conventional cereals. Before they can be proposed as an unconventional ingredient in animal feed, many aspects still need to be investigated from field production to nutritive value. The present research aimed to study the agronomic traits, proximate composition, and digestibility/degradability, fatty acid profile, antioxidant activity, and total phenolic content of two grain amaranth species, Amaranthus cruentus and Amaranthus hypochondriacus (for a total of six accessions), grown in a Mediterranean environment. RESULTS: Both species showed seed yields comparable to or higher than the traditional cereal crops in the same environment. On the whole, A. cruentus resulted in a higher seed production than A. hypochondriacus. Mexico and Montana accessions, both belonging to A. cruentus, showed the highest yield (3.73 t ha−1, on average). Few differences emerged in nutritive value between species and accessions: the Illinois accession of A. cruentus showed the best performance in terms of in vitro degradability and gas production, but not for volatile fatty acid production; the fermentation kinetics was slowest in the Illinois accession and fastest in the Montana accession of A. cruentus and the India accession of A. hypochondriacus. CONCLUSION: From a health perspective, the Nebraska accession of A. hypochondriacus represents the best accession, with the lowest saturated fatty acid content and the highest polyunsaturated fatty acid content. © 2022 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]