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.
Glutamate is one of the most abundant amino acids in nature, accounting for up to 8-10% of most dietary proteins and peptides and most tissues. Only the free form of glutamate has taste-enhancing ...properties as a unique umami taste, and when glutamate is bound to proteins, it is tasteless with no umami taste. Fermentation, ageing, ripening and heat cooking are typical natural processes of protein hydrolysis during which free glutamate is released. The food industry most commonly uses it in the form of monosodium glutamate (MSG) in amounts between 0.1 and 0.8% as a flavour enhancer. Since the beginning of the 21st century, its use as a flavour enhancer in meat and meat products with reduced salt content has become more widespread. The sodium content of MSG (12.28 g/100 g) is one-third that of salt (39.34 g/100 g), making MSG a promising salt alternative in sodium reduction strategies. There is no one-sided and conclusive scientific information reporting adverse human health effects of MSG in the general population, and it is still considered safe. However, in the wake of "clean label" initiatives, many consumers would prefer not to have additives or flavour enhancers such as glutamates in their food. This can be overcome by the known synergistic effect of natural 5'-ribonucleotides and glutamates found in seaweed, cheese, fish sauce, yeast extract, soy sauce, fermented soybeans and tomatoes, as they enhance the overall perception of umami flavour.
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.
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.
The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of individual udder shapes in three dairy sheep breeds, as well as the relationship of udder shape with the production and chemical composition ...of sheep's milk. For this purpose, the research included 111 Pag sheep, 93 Istrian sheep and 80 East Friesian sheep. During the milking period in all flocks included in the research, milking control was carried out using the AT method, while the udder shape assessment in all studied ewes was carried out by the same person once during lactation when conducting the first milking control (after weaning of lamb(s)). In Pag sheep four distinct forms or types of udder (types I, II, III and IV) were clearly identified, in Istrian sheep the existence of three udder shapes (types II, III and IV) was determined, while in East Friesian sheep were found two udder shapes (type II and III). In all three breeds the most frequent were ewes with the udder type III. in all three breeds, higher production of milk was observed in sheep with low and (almost) vertically positioned teats and with a pronounced longitudinal furrow between the udder halves (udder types III and IV) than in sheep with highly placed and horizontally positioned teats (udder types I and II). However, differences in milk production between sheep of different udder shapes were found to be statistically significant (P<0.05) only in East Friesian sheep. Irrespective to breed, the poorest average milk chemical composition was found in ewes (udder types) with the highest average daily and lactation milk yield.
The aim of this study was to determine quality parameters of Croatian traditional meat products (TMPs) via the analysis of their sensory and nutritive parameters, including physicochemical ...properties, fatty acid profile, mineral content, and amino acid composition. Over 2020 and 2021, a diverse collection of 242 dry-fermented sausages and dry-cured TMPs from various rural households was assessed. Sensory evaluations highlighted their satisfactory qualities, with moderate salinity and a unique taste profile characterized by a slight bitterness, with low sweetness and sourness levels. Detailed analyses revealed significant differences (p<0.05) across samples in key parameters such as water activity, pH, moisture, ash, fat, protein, carbohydrate, and NaCl content, as well as in the fatty acid profile and mineral content, underscoring the diversity and richness of these products. Amino acids such as alanine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, and proline were present in high amounts in all samples, largely varying in their content within the same product type. The findings underscore the high quality and distinctiveness of Croatian TMPs, attributed to varied recipes and production techniques across different regions, suggesting the potential for standardization and further quality enhancement. Despite the presence of saturated fats and salt, the nutritional value of these TMPs, marked by high protein content and essential minerals, aligns with health-conscious consumer trends, presenting an opportunity for increased global appreciation of these artisanal products. The positive results from the sensory analysis underscore the TMPs' ability to align with consumer taste preferences, thereby affirming their reputation as a national delicacy. This could represent a promising direction for future research, focusing on the refinement of production and marketing strategies to attract a global audience, especially those with a preference for health-conscious and traditional culinary options.
Livestock industry, with dairy sector as one of the fastest growing, largely contributes to the atmospheric/soil pollution and greenhouse gases emissions (i.e. methane, carbon dioxide, and nitrous ...oxide) on the global scale. The goal of this paper is to present a short synthesis of published scientific works aiming to reduce dairy ruminants’ environmental footprint by mitigating land degradation, water pollution and depletion, and greenhouse gasses emissions (GHG) by implementing novel nutritional, biotechnological, microbiological, animal management, and manure management strategies. In order to mitigate land degradation, suggested strategies include the introduction and adjustment of grazing fees and lease rents, and addressing pollution by establishing a “provider gets - polluter pays”. Improving water use efficiency is the most important in animal feed production. Contamination of water with microorganisms and parasites from manure should be prevented to avoid a public health hazards. With respect to methane and nitrous oxide emissions, the most common nutritional strategy for mitigating GHG emissions is using forages with lower fiber and higher soluble carbohydrates content or grazing less mature pastures. Although many of feed additives (organic acids, secondary plant components, and lipids) can be effective to some extent in reducing rumen methanogenesis, much in vivo research is still needed to clarify which amounts and combinations of additives are the most effective in mitigating methane emission. In order to successfully respond to the increasing global demand for raw milk and milk products, the dairy industry will have to mitigate future negative impacts on the environment, modifying the current production systems, and maintain at the same time high quality of final products at an economic price acceptable for the consumers.
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