This study aimed to assess consumer knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions toward dairy products from sheep and goats. A web-based survey was conducted in Latin America (Mexico and Chile), Europe (Italy, Spain, Greece, and Denmark), and Asia (Bangladesh). From March to June 2021, adult participants answered an online survey available in 5 languages. In total, 1,879 surveys were completed. Categorical and ordinal data were analyzed as frequencies and percentages. To determine the relationship between the variables for purchasing and consumption behaviors of respondents who declared that they consume dairy products, a multiple correspondence analysis was carried out. Most completed surveys were from Mexico and Italy (30% and 33.7%, respectively). Most respondents were between 18 and 29 yr old, female, highly educated, and employed. The majority of respondents (70.8%) declared that they consume dairy products from small ruminants. Consumers preferred products from both sheep and goats (49.4%); however, it was observed that in Mexico, Denmark, and Bangladesh, more than 50% preferred goat dairy products. The most-consumed products were mature and fresh cheeses. Mature cheese was the most-preferred product in Chile; in Mexico, Italy, Greece, and Denmark, it was fresh cheese. Unlike the rest of the countries, in Bangladesh, dairy product consumption from small ruminants was observed by more than 30% of respondents. In Mexico, a higher percentage of people do not consume sheep or goat dairy products because they are unfamiliar with them. In Mexico, Chile, and Bangladesh, limited market availability was also a variable responsible for nonconsumption. In European and Asian countries, sheep and goat dairy products are not consumed because consumers dislike them, in addition to a greater awareness of sustainability and climate change issues. The multiple correspondence analysis defined 5 dimensions. Dimension 1 was associated with the geographic location of the respondent (country and continent), the type of milk (sheep or goat), and the consideration of well-being and health as characteristics associated with the consumption of dairy products from small ruminants. Dimension 2 was associated with the respondent's country of origin and the frequency of consumption. Dimension 3 was associated with gender, education, and employment status. Dimension 4 was associated with the respondent's age, the association of the "healthy" concept of sheep and goat dairy products, and the consideration of the nutritional benefits of dairy as responsible for considering them healthy. Dimension 5 was associated with a "strong smell and taste" of sheep and goat dairy products. This study showed that consumer attitudes toward dairy products from sheep and goats vary between continents. In conclusion, results showed consumer interest in animal welfare and environmental impact issues related to small ruminant farming as well as a general attraction to local products. It seems that these factors contribute to consumers' perception of the quality of dairy products, so the industry and select farmers should carefully consider incorporating them into their supply chain.

The increasing salinization of agricultural soils urges us to find alternative and sustainable farming systems in order to allow the exploitation of areas that are otherwise becoming less suitable for conventional crops. Thanks to their adaptation to extreme saline conditions, halophytes are promising plants for resilient farming systems, such as intercropping with glycophytes, to ameliorate their productivity in saline soils. This research aimed to evaluate whether the nutritional profile and the content of some health-promoting compounds of the edible portion of Salicornia europaea were influenced by its cultivation in consociation with tomato plants. Moreover, the antioxidant, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties of S. europaea were studied to characterize its bioactivity. The farming system did not influence the concentration of nutrients and bioactive compounds, except for flavonoids. The antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties of Salicornia extract suggested the importance of this halophyte for animal and human health.

Background: Dietary supplements based on tannin extracts or essential oil compounds (EOC) have been repeatedly reported as a promising feeding strategy to reduce the environmental impact of ruminant husbandry. A previous batch culture screening of various supplements identified selected mixtures with an enhanced potential to mitigate ruminal methane and ammonia formation. Among these, Q-2 (named after quebracho extract and EOC blend 2, composed of carvacrol, thymol, and eugenol) and C-10 (chestnut extract and EOC blend 10, consisting of oregano and thyme essential oils and limonene) have been investigated in detail in the present study with the semi-continuous rumen simulation technique (Rusitec) in three independent runs. For this purpose, Q-2 and C-10, dosed according to the previous study, were compared with a non-supplemented diet (negative control, NC) and with one supplemented with the commercial EOC-based Agolin^® Ruminant (positive control, PC). Results: From d 5 to 10 of fermentation incubation liquid was collected and analysed for pH, ammonia, protozoa count, and gas composition. Feed residues were collected for the determination of ruminal degradability. On d 10, samples of incubation liquid were also characterised for bacterial, archaeal and fungal communities by high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA and 26S ribosomal large subunit gene amplicons. Regardless of the duration of the fermentation period, Q-2 and C-10 were similarly efficient as PC in mitigating either ammonia (−37% by Q-2, −34% by PC) or methane formation (−12% by C-10, −12% by PC). The PC was also responsible for lower feed degradability and bacterial and fungal richness, whereas Q-2 and C-10 effects, particularly on microbiome diversities, were limited compared to NC. Conclusions: All additives showed the potential to mitigate methane or ammonia formation, or both, in vitro over a period of 10 d. However, several differences occurred between PC and Q-2/C-10, indicating different mechanisms of action. The pronounced defaunation caused by PC and its suggested consequences apparently determined at least part of the mitigant effects. Although the depressive effect on NDF degradability caused by Q-2 and C-10 might partially explain their mitigation properties, their mechanisms of action remain mostly to be elucidated.

Tannins and essential oils (EOs) have been previously described for their properties to mitigate ruminal methane and ammonia. Their combination might be even more efficient, as they have different modes of action on rumen pathways. This study aimed to screen in vitro the mitigating properties of variously combining tannins with EO in a total of 48 treatments: 12 single additives, 10 mg of EO or 20 mg of tannins/g diet, to establish their basal efficiency; 36 combinations of 20 mg of tannins/g + 10–15 mg of EO. Quebracho (Q) and chestnut (C) tannins defined C, Q and C/Q groups of mixtures with EO blends, formulated with oregano, thyme and clove EO, citrus peel, carvacrol, thymol, eugenol, α-pinene, and bornyl acetate. Supplements were added to a control diet, which was also incubated alone as a basis for comparisons with supplemented treatments, in a total of six runs. Effects on rumen pH, protozoal count, and proportions of individual volatile fatty acids (VFA) were limited. The tannins extracts seemed to cause most of the mitigating effects by suppressing ammonia by up to 31% and methane yield by up to 15%, with the highest reductions obtained with tannins-based supplements. However, this occurred by contemporary affecting the feeding value of the substrate, as indicated by reductions in total VFA and in vitro organic matter digestibility. Overall, six mixtures of C and Q groups were the most efficient and they need further studies to understand the mechanisms of actions and the synergistic effects occurring among compounds.

Exposure to air and light lowers the meat quality of chickens, which is mainly determined by the color alteration and accumulation of detrimental products from lipid oxidation. This study tests the effects of 2 supplements rich in polyphenols, Oxilem (OX) and OxiGem (OG), on broiler Ross 308 performance and meat quality in comparison to a control group (C). A total of 105 one-day-old Ross 308 male chicks were allocated to 21 pens and randomly assigned to 1 of the 3 treatments. The trial lasted 42 d. Individual live weight and feed intake per pen were recorded. Proximate analysis, color, cholesterol content and cholesterol oxidation products (COPs), fatty acids (FAs), volatile aldehydes profile, and secondary oxidation products of meat FAs were determined, with analyses for detecting oxidative alterations conducted on breast burgers preserved for 7 d at 4°C. Birds fed OG grew 7 g/d more than those receiving OX, reaching a higher final weight. After slaughtering, meat from the OX group had a higher yellow index compared to C. After 7 d of air and light exposure, the influence on the color parameters of the OG and OX burgers was significantly less pronounced than that of C. Secondary oxidation products of the FAs of the burgers were not significantly affected by the diet regimens. In addition, OX and OG burgers exhibited lower amounts of volatile aldehydes, triol and COPs. These results confirm the effectiveness of OX and OG supplementation against lipid oxidation at the inclusion level used in this trial.