Search results for "zootecnica"
showing 10 items of 358 documents
Genome-wide diversity and runs of homozygosity in the “Braque Français, type Pyrénées” dog breed
2018
Objective Braque Français, type Pyrénées is a French hunting-dog breed whose origin is traced back to old pointing gun-dogs used to assist hunters in finding and retrieving game. This breed is popular in France, but seldom seen elsewhere. Despite the ancient background, the literature on its genetic characterization is surprisingly scarce. A recent study looked into the demography and inbreeding using pedigree records, but there is yet no report on the use of molecular markers in this breed. The aim of this work was to genotype a population of Braque Français, type Pyrénées dogs with the high-density SNP array to study the genomic diversity of the breed. Results The average observed (\docum…
Genome-wide variation, candidate regions and genes associated with fat deposition and tail morphology in Ethiopian indigenous sheep
2019
Variations in body weight and in the distribution of body fat are associated with feed availability, thermoregulation, and energy reserve. Ethiopia is characterized by distinct agro-ecological and human ethnic farmer diversity of ancient origin, which have impacted on the variation of its indigenous livestock. Here, we investigate autosomal genome-wide profiles of 11 Ethiopian indigenous sheep populations using the Illumina Ovine 50 K SNP BeadChip assay. Sheep from the Caribbean, Europe, Middle East, China, and western, northern and southern Africa were included to address globally, the genetic variation and history of Ethiopian populations. Population relationship and structure analysis se…
Effect of saffron addition on the microbiological, physicochemical, antioxidant and sensory characteristics of yoghurt
2018
The impact of added saffron on the characteristics of yoghurt was evaluated during storage. The fat content was lower in the saffron yoghurt. All colour variables were significantly affected by saffron and storage. From the 15th day of storage, bacterial numbers in the saffron yoghurt were higher than those of the control yoghurt. Sensory analysis data suggested that colour, odour and texture impacted consistently on the overall acceptability of the saffron yoghurt. Saffron addition significantly increased polyphenol content and antioxidant activity, providing evidence that the enrichment of natural yoghurt with saffron yields an innovative fermented product useful for supplementing antioxi…
Population genetic structure and milk production traits in Girgentana goat breed
2017
The aim of this work was to evaluate the genetic status of the Girgentana goat, an endangered breed from Sicily (Italy), using microsatellite markers. Furthermore, as the main purpose of the Girgentana breed is milk production, quantitative milk traits were investigated, including fatty acid profile. Molecular data from CSN1S1, CSN2, CSN1S2, and CSN3 casein genes were also used to infer haplotypes. A total of 264 individuals were collected. Samples of Maltese (n = 41) and Derivata di Siria (n = 33) goat breeds were also used to understand the genetic relationship among breeds. Test-day records for milk production were collected to determine daily milk yield, fat, protein, casein, lactose, a…
Prickly Pear By-Product in the Feeding of Livestock Ruminants: Preliminary Investigation
2020
Simple Summary The question of sustainability of animal nutrition has become a popular topic. The gains made by recycling safe, yet otherwise valueless, by-products and wastes from human food and fiber production (green feeds) may lessen the competition between humans and animals for crops and decrease the environmental impact of food production. In this context, prickly pear by-product, which results from Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill. fruits processed for juice extraction, could be an optimum by-product to ruminant feeding. This study evaluates the nutritional characteristics and its stability during storage using potassium metabisulfite as a preservative agent. This preliminary investig…
Retrospective study on the hygienic quality of fresh ricotta cheeses produced in Sicily, Italy
2018
The present work was carried out to investigate the microbiological profile of Sicilian ewes’ ricotta cheeses during fifteen years of investigations (2002-2016). The samples were collected between those conferred to the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia (IZSSi) Adelmo Mirri, Palermo (Italy), by the competent authority during official control, by food business operator in HACCP systems and in research projects. Enterobacteriaceae, Escherichia coli and coagulase-positive staphylococci (CPS) were found only in some samples. Bacillus cereus was detected in c.a. 16% of samples but the level of contaminations did not reach the threshold that leads to significant toxin production…
Effect of the inclusion of fresh lemon pulp in the diet of lactating ewes on the properties of milk and cheese
2017
This study investigated the effects of fresh lemon pulp (FLP), as a natural antioxidant in the diet, on the intake of feed and the production of milk and cheese of Valle del Belice lactating ewes during the hot summer in Sicily. A total of 15 second-lambing ewes, kept individually in 3 × 3 m pens, were divided into 3 homogeneous groups fed with 3 diets in a 3 × 3 Latin square design, with 3 experimental phases of 21 days each. The diets were: mixed hay ad libitum plus 600 g/day of concentrate (FLP0); mixed hay ad libitum plus 400 g/day of concentrate and 1 kg/day of FLP (FLP1); and mixed hay ad libitum plus 200 g/day of concentrate and 2 kg/day of FLP (FLP2). Nine experimental Pecorino chee…
Legume grain-based supplements in dairy sheep diet: Effects on milk yield, composition and fatty acid profile
2016
With the aim to find protein sources that are free of genetically modified organisms, the effects of legume grain-based concentrates, used as alternatives of a mixed concentrate feed containing soybean, were evaluated on sheep milk production. Twelve lactating ewes were divided into four groups, fed hay and, according to a 4 × 4 Latin square design, supplied with 800 g/day of a commercial mixed concentrate feed (MCF) containing maize and soybean, or the same amount of isoprotein concentrates consisting of chickpea (CH), faba bean (FB), or pea (PE) mixed with barley. The ewes ingested more of the concentrates with legume grains than the MCF (702, 702, 678 vs 587 g/day DM for CH, FB, PE and M…
Effects of different genotypes at the CSN3 and LGB loci on milk and cheese-making characteristics of the bovine Cinisara breed
2017
The Cinisara is an autochthonous Sicilian bovine breed reared mainly for production of Caciocavallo Palermitano, a typical stretched-curd cheese. The distribution of A and B alleles at both the β-lactoglobulin (LGB) and κ-casein (CSN3) loci in Cinisara cows and their influence on milk traits and cheese yield and composition were analysed. The LGB alleles are associated with significantly different effects on whey protein level (lower for BB genotype, P < 0.01), and casein index (higher value for BB genotype, P < 0.001), while CSN3 alleles were associated with significantly different effects on milk yield and coagulation properties; the BB genotype showed higher values for milk yield (…
Genomic inbreeding estimation in small populations: evaluation of runs of homozygosity in three local dairy cattle breeds
2016
In the local breeds with small population size, one of the most important problems is the increase of inbreeding coefficient (F). High levels of inbreeding lead to reduced genetic diversity and inbreeding depression. The availability of high-density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays has facilitated the quantification of F by genomic markers in farm animals. Runs of homozygosity (ROH) are contiguous lengths of homozygous genotypes and represent an estimate of the degree of autozygosity at genome-wide level. The current study aims to quantify the genomic F derived from ROH (F-ROH) in three local dairy cattle breeds. F-ROH values were compared with F estimated from the genomic relati…