The problem of the erosion of animal genetic resources is evident in certain local donkey breeds, and their long-term sustainability can be achieved by economically repositioning them. To develop ...alternative and sustainable commercial programs, the meat and milk production characteristics of Istrian donkey and Littoral Dinaric donkey breeds were investigated. The meat production characteristics were examined in mature males, whose carcasses were dissected, and meat composition was determined using NIT spectrophotometry and gas chromatography. Milk yield and milk composition were determined in jennies in second or subsequent lactations by measuring milk volume and using infrared spectrometry and gas chromatography. Compared to the Littoral Dinaric donkey, the Istrian donkey has a higher carcass weight and dressing percentage (
< 0.001). The share of boneless meat in relation to live weight was 28.27% in the Istrian donkey and 26.18% in the Littoral Dinaric donkey. The absolute masses of primal cuts of meat in E, I, and II classes were significantly greater in Istrian donkeys than in Littoral Dinaric donkeys (
< 0.01), although the differences in the proportions of primal cuts were not significant. The breed did not have a significant impact on the color, pH, or meat composition. A significant influence of breed on milk yield, lactose, protein, and the fat content of milk was observed (
< 0.01). A significant influence of breed on the ratio of n-6/n-3 PUFA fatty acids in donkey milk was observed (
= 0.002). The values of the atherogenic and thrombogenic indexes were favorable, considering potential beneficial effects of donkey milk and meat on consumer health. The findings of this research suggest that local donkey breeds hold significant potential for meat and milk production, focusing on the uniqueness and quality of their products rather than the quantity of meat and milk they can produce.
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.
To improve beef quality, a selection of specific breeds for crossbreeding, genotyping, and selection of specific candidate genes in breeding animals can be some of the solutions. The objective of ...this study was to determine the effects of FASN, SCD, and GH genes on carcass fatness and fatty acid (FA) composition of intramuscular lipids of crossbred Holstein × beef breeds (Simmental, Belgian Blue, Limousin, and Piemontese). The allelic and genotypic distribution of polymorphisms in the FASN, SCD, and GH genes was studied in 80 crossbreed animals. Genomic DNA was isolated from musculus longissimus dorsi, whose chemical composition was determined by near infrared transmittance spectrophotometry, while the fatty acid composition was determined by gas chromatography. DNA polymorphism was analyzed by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. The FASN (g. 17924A>G) polymorphism was significantly associated with C19:1 n-9 and C24:1 n-9, whereas GH (g.2141C>G) was significantly associated with C16:0 and C20:1 n-9. The SCD (g.8586C>T) polymorphism was significantly associated with C16:0, C18:0, C20:0, C14:1 n-5, C16:1, C18:1, C18:2 n-6, C18:3 n-3, C20:2 n-6, and C20:4 n-6, and analyzed the sum and ratios of fatty acids. Sex had significant effect on carcass fatness and fatty acid composition. This study provided useful results for the above candidate genes and their association with some FA, supporting their influence as genes associated with fats and fatty acid composition in beef meat.
The two native Croatian donkey breeds (Littoral-Dinaric donkey and Istrian donkey) were marginalized in the second half of the 20th century and were on the verge of biological extinction. The aim of ...this study was to analyze the demographic and genetic status of two donkey breeds, two decades after the start of protection by analyzing their pedigrees and genetic structure. The average generation interval was higher for the Istrian donkey (7.73) than for the Littoral-Dinaric donkey (7.27). The rate of the effective number of founders compared with the effective number of ancestors in the Littoral-Dinaric donkey (1.03; 325/316) and in the Istrian donkey (1.08; 70/65) revealed no evidence of a genetic bottleneck. The inbreeding coefficient (F) and the average relatedness coefficient (AR) was lower in the Littoral-Dinaric donkey population (0.99%; 0.13%) than in the Istrian donkey population (1.77%; 1.10%). Genetic microsatellite analysis showed relatively high genetic diversity in Littoral-Dinaric donkey and Istrian donkey breeds, expressed by mean allele number (5.92; 5.85) and expected heterozygosity (0.650; 0.653). Genetic differentiation between the Littoral-Dinaric donkey and the Istrian donkey has not significantly increased in the last two decades (FST = 0.028). Genetic analysis also showed no evidence of high inbreeding or genetic bottleneck in both breeds. A total of 11 haplotypes including 28 polymorphic sites were found in 30 samples. Analysis of mtDNA has shown that the Littoral-Dinaric donkey and Istrian donkey breeds belong to the Equus asinus africanus group. The study confirms the need to use different analytical approaches to get a regular and complete insight into the situation and trends within and between breeds, so that the existing diversity can be fully preserved.
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.
The Croatian Posavina horse (CPH) is native Croatian breed under a conservation program and under various programs of economic use (ecosystem services, agrotourism, and meat production). The aim of ...this study was to analyze the status of the CPH population through an analysis of their pedigree (28,483 records), phenotype (292 licensed stallions, 255 mares), and genetic structure (292 licensed stallions). The average generation interval was 8.20 years, and the number of complete generations was 1.66. The effective number of founders and ancestors was 138 and 107, respectively, with a ratio of 1.29, and the genetic conservation index was 4.46. As for the morphometric characteristics, the average withers height of the stallions was 142.79 cm, the chest circumference was 194.28 cm, and the cannon bone circumference was 22.34. In mares, the withers height, chest, and cannon bone circumference were lower (139.71 cm, 190.30 cm, and 20.94 cm, respectively). Genetic microsatellite analysis of the 29 sire-lines showed high genetic diversity, expressed as the mean allele number (7.7), allele richness (4.0), and expected heterozygosity (0.740). There was no evidence of high inbreeding or a genetic bottleneck. The genetic and phenotypic data indicate that the CPH is an important and diverse reservoir of genetic diversity and can be conserved because of its special characteristics (adaptability).
Nitrates are the most common chemical pollutant of groundwater in agricultural and suburban areas. Croatia must comply with the Nitrate Directive (91/676/EEC) whose aim is to reduce water pollution ...by nitrates originating from agriculture and to prevent further pollution. Podravina and Prigorje are the areas with a relatively high degree of agricultural activity. Therefore, the aim of this study was, by monitoring nitrates, to determine the distribution of nitrates in two different areas, Podravina and Prigorje (Croatia), to determine sources of contamination as well as annual and seasonal trends. The nitrate concentrations were measured in 30 wells (
N
= 382 samples) in Prigorje and in 19 wells (
N
= 174 samples) in Podravina from 2002 to 2007. In Podravina, the nitrate content was 24.9 mg/l and 6 % of the samples were above the maximum available value (MAV), and in Prigorje the content was 53.9 mg/l and 38 % of the samples above MAV. The wells were classified as correct, occasionally incorrect and incorrect. In the group of occasionally incorrect and incorrect wells, the point sources were within 10 m of the well. There is no statistically significant difference over the years or seasons within the year, but the interaction between locations and years was significant. Nitrate concentrations’ trend was not significant during the monitoring. These results are a prerequisite for the adjustment of Croatian standards to those of the EU and will contribute to the implementation of the Nitrate Directive and the Directives on Environmental Protection in Croatia and the EU.
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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