Ewes can lamb at 1 year of age without affecting other productivity objectives.

The Insulin-like Growth Factor 2 gene (IGF2) is known as an important regulator of growth, development and differentiation of skeletal muscle. In this study, the polymorphism of the IGF2 gene and the effect of IGF2 genotypes on the quality of meat from Italian autochthonous Suino Nero Lucano breed were investigated. IGF2 genotypes were associated with different effects on both muscle mass and meat quality characteristics. As a consequence, in the SNL population it is possible to choose sires and dams according to the destination of the final product.

In an animal breeding program, selection accuracy can be increased using appropriate genetic model analysis. In the present study, a repeatability model will be developed. Accordingly, efficiency of animal improvement can be increased.

The paper is about the selection method for high-quality pork. In the research, the investigators identified genetic markers that regulate meat quality in Berkshire pigs. These meat quality-associated markers can be applied to pig breeding to produce high-quality pork.

Selection of production animals may be compromised when there is no knowledge of the relationships between genotype and the environment in which a particular animal is inserted. This work aimed to investigate the impact of the genotype environment interaction on the performance of cows in the postweaning phase. It was verified that in Nellore individuals there was no significant impact of the environment on the genotype of the animals, concluding that the same selection criteria can be adopted between the mentioned regions in the studied regions.

Intramuscular fat and fatty acid composition significantly affect meat quality, but the regulation mechanism of lipid metabolism among multiple muscles is unclear. Here, we found seven genes associated with lipid deposition in muscle tissues, and identified the relationship between muscle fibre types and monounsaturated fatty acids/saturated fatty acids. These results added beneficial information to improve meat quality, and provided potential genetic markers for the study of fatty acid composition.

The results that weaned piglets were protected from bacterial endotoxins by placing piglets on a taurine-supplemented diet will provide theoretical basis for the application of taurine in piglets. Dietary taurine prevented weaned piglets from intestinal damage by lipopolysaccharide of Gram-negative bacteria. The beneficial effects of taurine were due to decreased stimulation of the immune response to lipopolysaccharide and an improvement in intestinal epithelial barrier function.

The present study evaluated the effects of supplemental nano-selenium (NSe) and nano-zinc oxide (NZn-O) particles during in vitro maturation (IVM) on DNA damage of cumulus cells, glutathione concentration in bovine oocytes, subsequent embryo development and the re-expansion rate of vitrified warmed blastocysts. Optimal embryo development was partially dependent on the presence of NSe and NZn-O during IVM. NSe and NZn-O during oocyte maturation act as good cryoprotective agents of vitrified, warmed blastocysts.

Gilt retention and fertility are the bedrock of swine farm profitability, and methods to improve these measures that do not impact animal welfare are needed. This study examined the optimal use of an in-feed product for oestrus synchronisation and improved breeding management. The observed higher fertility associated with a longer feeding period provides for evidence-based recommendations for optimal product use.

Infrared thermography contributes to animal nutrition studies as a non-invasive tool to capture heat digestion in ruminants. Infrared thermography was able to detect differences in the body temperature of animals associated with different fibre proportions in the diets. The sensitivity of infrared thermography in capturing small temperature variations and its non-invasive nature make it a useful tool in different fields of study that require the measurement of temperature differences of objects, plants, animals or humans.

As is known to all, milk has a great influence on our health, so we should pay attention to the feeding and management of dairy cows. The present study indicated that the novel carbohydrate balance index, ‘CBI’, may regulate the growth and development of cows. In future work, the CBI level may be applied in feed formulation for dairy cows.

Many producers avoid grazing vegetative cereal crops with reproducing ewes because of a suspected risk of metabolic disease. Monitoring of the mineral status of wheat, oats and barley, and of the pregnant ewes grazing these crops indicated an imbalanced mineral supply from crops and consequent low mineral status of ewes on some farms. Strategies to minimise the risk of hypocalcaemia and hypomagnesaemia are required.

Pigs are fed mainly with cereals as energy sources, and fats and oils, due to their high energy content, represent an attractive ingredient. Nonetheless, fats are usually more expensive than cereals and high levels in the diet are not well tolerated by pigs. In this study, we tested the use of a crystallised powdered oil mix produced by a technology process and included at levels close to 10% and this resulted in improved digestion efficiency and in a better growth performance in pigs.

The ban on the use of antibiotic growth promoters has motivated nutritionists to determine the effects of available alternatives to improve performance. This study was conducted to determine the effect of dietary phytogenic additives on the performance of sows during gestation and the lactation period, and their litter performance as well. The results indicated that addition of phytogenic blends to the diet of gestating and lactating sows could improve the performance of the piglets.

Natural additives can modulate ruminal fermentation on high energetic density diets. The aim of this work was to study the effect of essential oils and yeast inclusion on cattle diets. Addition of natural compounds (oregano, castor bean, cashew oils and yeast) improved bull performance, without changing significantly meat characteristics. Natural additives could be an alternative for ionophores substitution.

Natural food preservatives derived from blood can be an alternative for artificial additives widely used in food and the pharmaceutical industry. Hydrolysates obtained by enzymatic hydrolysis of porcine blood were assessed for their antioxidant and antimicrobial efficacy. The study revealed that porcine blood hydrolysate (whole and fractions) can be a potential source of natural preservatives for shelf-life extension in food.

Comprehensive understanding of the effect of pig breed and sex on meat quality and post-mortem muscle conditions will be necessary to estimate post-mortem meat quality. Here, we applied multiple regression and principal component analysis on multiple breeds and sexes. We observed that muscle pH, lightness, and drip loss are useful for estimating ultimate pork quality.

Can growth and carcass traits be enhanced in prime lambs using omega-3 oil supplements? Crossbreds had better carcass weight, dressing percentage and fat depth than purebred Merinos. Prime lamb producers can better match genetics with feed resources by supplementing first-cross lambs with pellets containing 5% canola oil or 5% flaxseed oil pellets in an intensive finishing period of 10 weeks.

Growth, health and production performances of progeny can differ depending on their maternal environment such as sow parity number. This study aimed to identify the influence of sow parity on the meat quality of progeny. We identified that maternal parity may affect pork quality in progeny and the younger stage group could have better meat quality than the older group.

High concentrate diets with increasing linseed oil concentration were offered to steers and heifers to evaluate quality traits of meat. The higher linseed oil concentration increased the levels of important fatty acids such as n-6 and n-3. The inclusion of linseed oil is a strategy to produce meat with benefits for human health.

The use of agribusiness co-products as replacers of other cereal grains can decrease costs on cattle feed. The aim of this work was to study the feasibility of replaced soybean meal by sunflower cake (up to 60%) in heifers finished on pasture. The qualitative and sensory characteristics of meat were not altered, proving the viability of this kind of feed replacement.

Composition and colour of porcine meat are strongly involved in meat quality and may be affected by the nutritional management and the genotype of the animals. In this paper, we show that, even under identical nutritional treatments, significant differences exist on composition, mineral content, fatty acid profile and colour of meat between Iberian and lean pigs, at different growing stages. Characteristics such as the high amount of intramuscular fat, the great concentration of heme pigments and the high level of monounsaturated fatty acids are among the more relevant quality aspects of Iberian muscles.

Consumption of lamb meat has decreased considerably, in addition to preference for first class pieces only. In order to increase carcass value and consumption, lamb burgers were prepared from different parts of the carcass and spices. The results showed that the manufacture of these meat products could optimise the value of lamb carcass.

Comparative study between Chinese native pig breeds and commercial crossbred pigs can provide information on meat colour and antioxidant capacity of different breeds. This is a preliminary study on antioxidant capacity in Chinese native pig breeds, exhibiting higher antioxidant capacity than commercial crossbred pig. This discovery could provide a new perspective on meat colour and antioxidant capacity, and these results implied that there was a strong relationship between meat colour and antioxidant capacity.