The aim of this research was to determine the influence of the type of clotting agent on the physical and chemical parameters, as well as on the sensory quality of the Pag Island cheese, which was ...manufactured with the home-made (traditional) and the commercial rennet. Pag Island cheeses were produced with the home-made rennet obtained by extracting the enzyme from lamb rennet (abomasum), and with the commercially available powdered rennet obtained from the Italian manufacturer “Gruppo Clerici-Sacco”. The production included 7 batches of cheese, with two cheeses in each batch. During 120 days of ripening, the cheeses were periodically sampled after 0, 45, 90 and 120 days, in order to determine the content of dry matter, milk fat, proteins, salt concentration and the pH value of cheese. Also, the content of the total free amino acids from water extracts was determined and the analysis of proteins and polypeptides was conducted by urea polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (UREA-PAGE). The research did not show a significant (P>0.05) influence of the type of tested rennet on the observed parameters of cheese quality and on its yield. However, this research determined practical significance of the home-made rennet on the higher yield and shorter ripening time in the production of Pag Island cheese.
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.
Istrian sheep has the highest milk yield among indigenous Croatian sheep breeds though originally belongs to a group of sheep of combined production traits. Since milk of Istrian sheep is ...traditionally processed into cheese and that processing possibilities of milk, among other things, are defined by its chemical composition and hygienic quality, the aim of this study was to determine the influence of some environmental factors (year, parity, stage of lactation, season (month) of lambing) on daily and lactation milk yield, lactation length, milk chemical composition and the somatic cell count (SCC) in the milk of Istrian ewes. A total of 83 purebred, dairy Istrian sheep, during three consecutive lactations (from 2012 to 2014), were involved in this research. Due to conditions of feeding, care and housing, all ewes were kept in identical (semi-intensive) farming conditions throughout the whole study period. During milking period of lactation regular milking controls were carried out (AT method) and, on these occasions, individual milk samples for chemical composition analysis and determination of somatic cell count were taken. During average lactation length of 206 days Istrian ewes produced on average 190.77 kg of milk, or 1.1 kg of milk per day. Milk of Istrian ewes on average contained 6.81% fat, 5.90% protein, 4.32% lactose, 18.08% total solids and 11.31% non-fat solids. The geometric mean of SCC was 316*103*mL-1 of milk (log 5.50±0.02). A significant (P < 0.001) effect of the year is determined on the milk yield and the lactation length, as well as the chemical composition of milk (with the exception of protein) and SCC. Ewes in the fourth lactation achieved the highest average daily (P < 0.001) and lactation milk yield (P < 0.05), while the first-lambing ewes produced milk with the highest content of total solids, milk fat and proteins. Stage of lactation significantly (P < 0.001) affected the daily milk yield, milk chemical composition, as well as the somatic cell count in ewe’s milk. Ewes born in December produced significantly (P < 0.001) more milk than ewes born in January and February. There was a negative correlation between SCC (log10) and daily milk yield (P < 0.001), while the SCC (log10) was positively correlated (P < 0.001) with the contents of total solids, milk fat and proteins.
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.
Considering the facts that Istrian sheep is Croatian indigenous breed with the highest milk production, and increasing interest of local farmers for machine milking implementation, the aim of this ...study was to determine the factors affecting udder morphology traits of Istrian ewes. Ninetythree purebred Istrian ewes with symmetrical udders and no signs of clinical mastitis, from second to fourth lactation, were used for this study. Average udder depth of Istrian ewes was 15.85 cm, udder width 13.05 cm, udder circumference 39.66 cm, cistern height 1.44 cm, teat position 2.85 (scored from 1 to 5), teat angle 47.32°, teat length 3.43 cm and teat width 2.03 cm. The traits related to udder size (depth, width, and circumference) were significantly (P<0.01) affected by lactation milk yield. These traits were also in high and positive correlations (P<0.01) with daily milk yield. With the increase of parity, the morphological aptitude of udder to mechanical milking become worse, with an increase (P<0.01) of cistern height, teat angle and position. As lactation of Istrian ewes continued morphological traits defining udder aptitude for machine milking improved (decrease of cistern height, teat angle and position). Ewes with two and more lambs had larger udder (P<0.05) than ewes with a single lamb.
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.
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.
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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