Search results for "Girgentana goat"
showing 10 items of 26 documents
Molecular characterisation of k-casein gene in Girgentana dairy goat breed and identification of two new alleles
2015
The k-casein fraction plays an important role in the formation, stabilisation and aggregation on casein micelles and thus affects technological and nutritional properties of milk. In this study, exon 4 of k-casein (CSN3) gene was sequenced and analysed in Girgentana goat breed. Analyses of the obtained sequences showed the presence of A, B, D, and G known alleles and two new genetic variants, named D’ and N. The new D’ allele differs from D in one transition, G284→A284, which did not cause amino acid change. The new N allele differs from A in five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs): T245/C245, G284/A284, G309/A309, G471/A471 and T591/C591, while it differs from C in one transition, i.e.…
Intake and milk production of goats grazing Sulla forage under different stocking rates
2010
This investigation aimed to individuate the dietary factors affecting the milk urea nitrogen (MUN) concentration in goats grazing herbaceous pasture and, particularly, to verify the relationship linking the diet crude protein (CP) content to MUN. A total of 205 individual observations regarding dietary and milk variables of 37 Girgentana goats involved in two experiments were used. Goats, averaging 154±14 days in milk and 38.1±5.4 kg of live weight, grazed on swards and received 500 g/d of barley meal. Sward biomass, herbage selected by goats and individual milk yield were measured and sampled weekly. The herbage intake and diet digestibility were estimated by the n-alkane method. Milk urea…
Development and validation of RP-HPLC method for the quantitative estimation of αs1-genetic variants in goat milk
2013
A high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method was developed and validated for separation and quantification of the most common genetic variants of as1-casein in goat’s milk, to evaluate the effect of as1-casein polymorphisms on casein content. Chromatography was carried out by binary gradient technique on a reversed-phase C8 Zorbax column and the detection was made at a wavelength of 214 nm. The procedure was developed using individual raw milk samples of Girgentana goats. For calibration experiments, pure genetic variants were extracted from individual milk samples of animals with known genotypes, considering that commercial standards for goat genetic variants were not available.…
Genetic characterisation of CSN2 gene in Girgentana goat breed
2014
Among calcium sensitive caseins, β-casein is the most abundant in goat milk, representing up to 50% of total casein content. The goat β-casein locus has been widely investigated and at least ten alleles have been identified in different goat breeds. The aim of this work was to investigate the polymorphisms of β-casein gene in Girgentana dairy goat breed in order to assess the genotype distribution and evaluate how frequencies have changed during the last 10 years, as genotype is known to influence technological and nutritional milk properties. Sequencing analysis and alignment of the obtained sequences of β-casein exon 7, showed the presence of C, C1, and A strong alleles, and 0' null allel…
The Girgentana Goat Breed: A Zootechnical Overview on Genetics, Nutrition and Dairy Production Aspects
2017
In recent years, there has been a great interest in recovering and preserving local livestock breeds. An interesting situation is represented by the Girgentana goat, an ancient local breed reared in Sicily. Over recent years, this breed has become almost extinct, in part as a consequence of the marked decrease in fresh goat milk consumption. On the basis of these considerations, several studies on its genetic structure and management aspects have been conducted in order to protect the Girgentana goat from the risk of extinction and recover its genetic and economic value. In this context, information on genetics, nutrition and dairy production aspects may have a crucial role in the improveme…
Beta-lactoglobulin polymorphism in Girgentana goat breed
2007
Beta-lactoglobulin (b-lg) is a globular protein belonging to the lipocalin family. It is the major whey protein in the milk of ruminants. It is also present in the milk of most mammals but is lacking in rodents, lagomorphs and humans. A large number of variants have been reported for cow and sheep milk. Several studies have shown association between b-lg variants and milk production and composition, even if the results are not always concordant. In goat, no b-lg variants related with amino acid change have been characterized at DNA level, but some authors described the presence of polymorphisms in the 3’UTR and in the proximal promoter region. Mutations in the promoter region could be those…
The influence of age at slaughter and litter size on some quality traits of kid meat
2002
Abstract To study variations in the carcass characteristics of Girgentana kids slaughtered at 25 or 35 days of age and litter size (single or twin), 27 male kids were slaughtered and body components, carcass joints, pelvic limb tissue composition, meat fatty acid composition and M. longissimus dorsi (LD) colour were evaluated. Girgentana kids slaughtered at 35 days had greater live weights (6.4 kg versus 5.0 kg; P ≤0.01), carcass weights (4.5 kg versus 3.6 kg; P ≤0.01), muscle contents (57.6% versus 54.9%; P ≤0.01) but similar dressing percentages (70.1% versus 70.6%) as compared to kids slaughtered at 25 days. Twin kids had a higher muscle percentage (57.3% versus 55.2%; P ≤0.05) and simil…
Use of weaning concetrate in the feeding of suckling kids: effects on meat quality
2006
A study was conducted to investigate the effect of a feeding supplementation with starter concentrate on “Capretto” meat production and its qualitative characteristics. To this end, 31 Girgentana kids, slaughtered at 59 days of age from two feeding groups (concentrate group (CG) and milk group (MG)) were utilised. Carcass measurements (body components, carcass joints, pelvic limb tissue composition, meat fatty acid composition and M. longissimus dorsi (LD) physical characteristics), body weight at birth, and at slaughter, were evaluated. The effect of concentrate supplementation did not influence the slaughter weight, slaughter and dissection data, tissue composition and meat chemical compo…
Multivariate factor analysis of Girgentana goat milk composition
2005
The interpretation of the several variables that contribute to defining milk quality is difficult due to the high degree of correlation among them. In this case, one of the best methods of statistical processing is factor analysis, which belongs to the multivariate groups; for our study this particular statistical approach was employed. A total of 1485 individual goat milk samples from 117 Girgentana goats, were collected fortnightly from January to July, and analysed for physical and chemical composition, and clotting properties. Milk pH and tritable acidity were within the normal range for fresh goat milk. Morning milk yield resulted 704 ± 323 g with 3.93 ± 1.23% and 3.…
Identification of two new alleles at k-casein (CSN3) gene in Girgetana goat breed
2013
In the milk of ruminants, more than 95% of proteins are synthesized by six structural genes, four caseins and two whey proteins. The κ-casein fraction plays an important role in the formation, stabilization and aggregation on casein micelles and thus affects technological and nutritional properties of milk. Goat κ-casein (CSN3) gene comprises five exons with the mRNA coding region for mature protein spanning from exon 3 to exon 4. The κ-casein locus has been widely investigated and several genetic variants have been found in different goat breeds. At protein level, AIEF and BIEF groups corresponding to isoelectric point 5.53 and 5.78, respectively, have been identified. In this study, exon …