The aim of this study was to determine the effects of sex and hunting location on carcass characteristics and meat quality of wild-living mallard (
) from Croatia. Twenty-eight mallards (14 ♂; 14 ♀) ...were hunted at two hunting locations (HL I = 8 ♂, 8 ♀; HL II = 6 ♂, 6 ♀) in the Croatian lowlands. The carcasses were eviscerated, dressed, and dissected, and the individual internal organs and carcass parts were weighed. The breast muscle (
) was sampled and used to determine color, pH, drip loss, cooking loss, shear force, and proximate chemical and fatty acid composition. Sex and HL had a significant effect on the majority of carcass characteristics analyzed, but they had no effect on the physical meat parameters. The protein and ash content of mallard meat was significantly higher in HL II (23.16% vs. 22.67%; 1.45% vs. 1.36%, respectively) and the moisture content in females (72.40% vs. 71.59%). HL had a significant effect on SFA (II 33.96% vs. I 29.91%), PUFA n-3 (II 3.55% vs. I 2.69%), PUFA/SFA and n-6/n-3 ratios, and all lipid indices. Females had a significantly higher C22:6n-3 content, a higher PI index and a lower n-6/n-3 ratio. The data presented in this study contribute to a better understanding of game-bird meat quality originating from different regions.
For centuries, game meat has been an important source of proteins, vitamins and minerals in the human diet. Interest for game meat during last few decades is increasing, mainly due to lower ...ecological footprint and a preferred chemical composition in comparison to the meat of domestic animals. In recent years, Europe has been facing an overpopulation of wild boars, which affects the availability of game meat to a wider niche of consumers. Therefore, wild game meat is a great alternative to others red meats and it has a great advantage on the world meat market. Regarding physical parameters of wild boar meat wide range of values can be found depending on analysed muscle type, sex, age, season and/or hunting technique. In general, same as meat of other large game species, wild boar meat is darker (lower L*), more red (higher a*) and colour parameter values can highly vary depending on previously mentioned factors. pH value usually ranges between 5.5 to 5.8, but also variations are often as wild boars have different post-mortem pH decline than domestic pigs. Expected cooking loss of wild boar meat is about 30% and higher, while meat tenderness measured as Warner-Bratzler shear force is usually higher than 40 N.
This research aimed to determine the meat production indicators and carcass traits of Posavska crested hen, which is the Croatian indigenous chicken breed. The research was carried out on five ...strains of the Posavska crested hen breed: yellow vetch, vetch, red colourful, light gray, and golden brown. Feeding was ad libitum for the whole time, adapted to the age of the chickens from a nutritional point of view. Separation by sex was carried out at the age of four weeks, while slaughter of roosters and determination of carcass traits was done at the age of 18 weeks. The highest average body weight was achieved by roosters of light gray and yellow vetch strain (3542.63 and 3430.38 g, respectively) and light gray pullets (2562 g) at the age of 18 weeks. The lowest feed conversion ratio was achieved by the light gray strain (2.39) at four weeks of age, and by the the roosters of the light gray strain (4.07) and pullets of the light gray and golden brown strain (4.08) at 18 weeks of age. The average dressing percentage was 71.54%, while the highest average dressing percentage was established in the red colourful strain (72.48%). Regarding the proportion of individual parts of the carcass, a significant (P < 0.05) influence of the strain can be seen in the proportion of drumsticks in the carcass, the proportion of which was the highest in the yellow vetch strain (18.69%). A significant influence of the strain was also found regarding L* (P < 0.01) and a* (P < 0.05) skin color indicators. Considering the established differences between the strains, it is necessary to carry out further selection and work on the uniformity of the breed.
Milk urea concentration (MU) has been extensively studied and is often used to evaluate energy and protein balance in dairy cattle diets, but not to this extent in dairy goat diets. The aim of this ...study was to determine the relationship between MU concentration and crude protein content (CP) in the diet of Alpine goats in order to reduce excessive nitrogen excretion from the organism. For this purpose, 72 goats were randomly divided into three equal groups (24 animals) and fed a concentrate mix containing 14%, 16%, and 18% CP, respectively. The chemical composition of milk samples was determined and the ratio of milk fat to protein was calculated. Statistical analysis of the data was performed using the MIXED procedure (SAS V8 software package). Increasing CP from 14% to 16% in the diet increased daily milk yield by 0.4 kg (p<0.001), and MU concentration from 35.01 to 41.24 mg/100 mL (p<0.001). Based on the calculated inflection point of daily milk yield and protein content in milk, the range of MU concentration from 40.00 to 45.00 mg/100 mL can be considered optimal and is a good indicator of a balanced diet for goats.
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The aim of this study was to determine effect of diet-based seasonal changes on fatty acid composition of Jersey milk in mountain region of Croatia. Bulk milk samples (200 mL) were collected during ...total-mixed ratio (TMR)-based, intermediate and pasture-based diet. Fatty acid composition of milk was determined by gas-chromatography. We found that pasture-based diet has positive effect on fatty acid composition of Jersey milk considering human nutrition. During pasture-based diet, Jersey cows produced milk with lower (P<0.05) saturated fatty acid and higher (P<0.05) polyunsaturated fatty acid content. Namely, regarding individual fatty acids, milk produced during pasture-based diet had lower (P<0.05) C16:0 and higher (P<0.05) C18:2n-6, C18:3n-6 and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) content than milk produced during TMR and intermediate diet. Milk produced during pasture-based diet can be valuable source of health-beneficial PUFA in diet.
In recent years there has been an increasing trend in research of sheep and goat udder morphology, not only from the view of its suitability for machine milking, but also in terms of milk yield and ...mammary gland health. More precisely, herds consisting of high-yielding sheep and goats as a result of long-term and one-sided selection to increase milk yield, have been characterised by distortion of the udder morphology caused by increasing the pressure of udder weight on its suspensory system. Along with the deteriorated milking traits, which is negatively reflected on the udder health, some udder morphology traits are often emphasized as factor of production longevity of dairy sheep and goats. Since the intention of farmers and breeders nowadays is to increase the milk yield of sheep and goats while maintaining desirable udder morphology and udder health, the aim of this paper is to give a detailed overview of the current knowledge about the relationship of morphological udder traits with milk yield, and the health of the mammary gland of sheep and goats. External measures of udder size (circumference, width and depth of the udder) are strongly correlated with milk production in sheep and goats. The morphological udder traits determining its suitability for machine milking (such as teat position and teat angle, udder depth, teat size, cistern height) are related to the mammary gland health in sheep and goats. Thus, the incidence of mastitis is noticeably higher in the udders of unsuitable shape for machine milking (deep and hung udders, unfavourable position of teats, etc.). Consequently, the morphological udder traits that affect the milkability of sheep and goats are indirectly related to milk yield.
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The predation of livestock by gray wolf (Canis lupus; hereafter, wolf) is a problem throughout eastern Europe and poses a threat to sustainable pasture-based livestock production in some areas. In ...Croatia, farmers have alarmed the public with news of frequent wolf attacks in the last decade, and wolves, as protected animals, are perceived as a pest and a threat. The aim of this study was to analyze and present the frequency of attacks and killed/injured domestic animals in Croatia. During the ten-year period (2010–2020), 13,359 attack events were reported, where it was determined, with certainty, that the attack was by the wolf. In these attacks, 19,111 domestic animals were killed and 4634 were injured. Predation events occurred predominantly (92.71%) in three counties located in southern Croatia (sub-Mediterranean Croatia), whose total area is 11,170 km2 (19.74% of the total area of Croatia). The most frequently killed species were sheep (64.78% of all killed animals), which was followed by goats (19.28%) and cattle (9.59%). The highest frequency of attacks and animals killed was recorded in the summer followed by spring and autumn, and the lowest was in winter. The majority of attacks (79.57%) occurred in the morning and during the day. The animal with the highest average number killed per attack was sheep (1.64), which was followed by goats (1.38), cattle (0.99), horses (0.94), donkeys (0.95), and guardian dogs (0.92). During the studied period, in the three counties with the most frequent attacks, 11.72% of the average goat population, 6.34% of the cattle population, and 5.61% of the sheep population were killed. Wolf predation in sub-Mediterranean Croatia presents a threat to the population of domestic ruminants dominantly kept in pastoral livestock systems, and additional efforts need to be made to achieve co-existence between the wolf population and farmers.
The aim of this study is to examine the effect of sex and age on proximate chemical, fatty acid, amino acid and mineral content of axis deer (Axis axis Erx.) meat. Sixteen (n = 16) animals were ...hunt-harvested and assigned to groups according sex and age (sub-adult and adult). All analyses were made on m. longissimus thoracis sampled between the 9th and 13th ribs. Minor differences in nutritional composition of axis deer meat were found between analysed sex and age groups. Axis deer meat has a high protein (22.8%) and low fat (1.39%) content. Saturated fatty acids accounted for 44.97% and polyunsaturated for 29.66% of the total fatty acids. Ratios of fatty acids were within the recommended values. Glutamic and aspartic acid were the most abundant non-essential, and lysine and leucine the most common essential amino acids. The ratio of essential to non-essential amino acids was <1. Potassium and phosphorous were the dominant macro-minerals, while iron and zinc were the dominant micro-minerals. The results of this study show that regardless of sex or age, axis deer meat can be considered a good source of basic macro- and micro-nutrients, and can be recommended as a substitute for red meat from domestic animals.
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The optimal concentration of urea in cow's milk is known and is often used to assess the balance of energy and protein in diets. While in goat (and sheep) milk it is not controled nor defined. Main ...determinants of urea formation in milk are the amount of crude protein intake and the ratio betwwen protein and energy proportion in diet. Goat diet with excessive amount of crude protein and energy unbalanced diet cause the excess of nitrogenous substances in rumen along with release of ammonia and rise in concentration of urea in blood and milk, which adversely affects the production, milk coagulation propreties, environmental pollution and reproductive capabilities of goats. However, besides diet, there are other factors that influence milk urea concentration: breed, stage of lactation, parity, season, body mass, litter size, production and chemical composition of milk. Numerous studies conducted on cow milk included the influence of sources of variability listed above, while there are only few studies available for goat milk due to its less economic importance, seasonal polyesterity and different way of breeding and keeping goats. The aim of this paper is to comparatively and critically combine the previous research results on the importance of determining the milk urea concentration as well as on individual sources of variability of urea concentration in goat milk.
The aim of this study was to determine concentrations of retinol, β-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin in Jersey milk during different seasons and their correlation with milk colour parameters. During a ...sixmonths period the Jersey cows (n=77) were kept free-stall and fed with total mixed ratio (TMR; farm season), for the next three months the
cows were kept for four hours on pasture and the rest of the day free-stall fed with TMR (transition season), and for the remaining three
months they were kept predominantly on pasture (grazing season). A bulk
milk samples (200 mL) were collected during the last week of each month
in the period between May 2018 and April 2019. Retinol and carotenoids concentrations in cow milk were quantified using high performance liquid
chromatography, while milk chemical composition was analysed by a MilkoScan FT 120 infra-red analyser. The season significantly (P<0.05) affected chemical composition of milk, and the highest (P<0.05) content of milk fat, protein and non-fat dry matter was found during the farm season. Retinol, β-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin
concentrations (μg/100 mL) were as follows: 2.56±0.29, 4.15±0.27, 4.43±0.40 and 0.97±0.04. Lutein and retinol concentrations in Jersey milk were affected (P<0.05) by the season. The highest lutein concentration was found during the grazing season, while the farm season
yielded the highest retinol concentration. Moderate and positive correlations (P<0.05) were found between β-carotene and lutein concentrations and colour parameter b*, resulting in a more intense yellow colour i.e. high values of colour parameter b*. The obtained results suggest that milk colour could be used to estimate carotenoid concentrations in milk.
Cilj ovog rad bio je utvrditi utjecaj sezone na koncentraciju retinola, β-karotena, luteina i zeaksantina u mlijeku Jersey krava, te njihovu povezanost s pokazateljima boje mlijeka. Krave (n=77) su tijekom šestomjesečnog razdoblja držane u staji i hranjene kompletno miješanim obrokom (TMR; farmska sezona), tijekom tri mjeseca boravile se četiri sata na pašnjaku i ostatak dana u staji te hranjene TMR-om (prijelazna sezona), dok su tri mjeseca cijeli dan držane na paši uz dohranu koncentratom (pašna sezona). U razdoblju od svibnja 2018. do travnja 2019. godine tijekom zadnjeg tjedna svakog mjeseca prikupljani su skupni
uzorci mlijeka (200 mL). Koncentracije retinola i karotenoida u mlijeku
su kvantificirane primjenom tekućinske kromatografije visoke djelotvornosti, dok je kemijski sastav mlijeka određen primjenom uređaja
MilkoScan FT 120. Sezona je imala značajan (P<0,05) utjecaj na kemijski sastav mlijeka te je najveći (P<0,05) prosječni sadržaj mliječne masti, bjelančevina i bezmasne suhe tvari u mlijeku utvrđen tijekom farmske sezone Prosječne koncentracije (μg/100 mL) retinola, β-karotena, luteina i zeaksantina u mlijeku su iznosile: 2,56±0,29; 4,15±0,27; 4,43±0,40; i 0,97±0,04. Utvrđen je značajan (P<0,05) utjecaj sezone na koncentracije luteina i retinola pri čemu je najveća koncentracija luteina utvrđena je tijekom pašne sezone, dok je najveća koncentracija retinola utvrđena u mlijeku tijekom farmske sezone. Umjerene i pozitivne korelacije (P<0.05) utvrđene su između kon-centracije β-karotena, odnosno koncentracije luteina i b* parametra boje mlijeka što se očituje u žućoj boji mlijeka, odnosno većoj vrijednosti parametra boje b*. Stoga, boja mlijeka može poslužiti u procjeni koncentracije karotena u mlijeku.
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