Textile industry is one of the most important branches of the economy of many countries in the world and the importance of wool is still huge. Due to the unique properties of natural animal fibers and their positive effect on the human organism, the authors decided to evaluate and compare the quality of fibers and yarn coming from three animal species, i.e., sheep, goats, and alpacas. The study was included the physico-mechanical analysis of properties of fiber and yarn: such as diameter, breaking force, elongation at break, Young modulus, breaking strain and strain energy. The study on the selected physical and mechanical properties of the fibers showed that goat fibers are the stiffest, but concurrently the most durable, while the yarn made of sheep fibers is the most resistant, the yarn of alpaca fibers is the most elastic, and that of goat fibers is the most rigid.

This study aims to evaluate an effect of pig diet supplementation with ethyl esters derived from linseed oil with a high content of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) on the fatty acids profile of meat. The study was conducted on Polish Landrace fatteners supplemented for a period of 7 weeks (control and experimental groups of 8 animals each, 16 in total). After this period, loin (Longissimus dorsi) and ham (Biceps femoris) samples were collected for laboratory analysis, including basic composition (fat, protein, ash, dry matter) and fatty acids (FAs) profile. The supplementation caused a significant increase in the level of ALA acid, decrease in the content of saturated fatty acids (SFAs), increase in unsaturated FAs level, and resulting decrease in the ratio of n-6/n-3. The indices of atherogenicity and thrombogenicity were beneficially altered in the experimental groups. It can thus be supposed that meat enriched this way may be considered as an interesting choice for consumers who are aware of the importance of diet consumed.

When humans began interfering with the environment to produce food, some free-ranging animal species adapted to live on typical farmland, sometimes choosing it as their main habitat. They use it on the basis of symbiosis or as a pest. The animals affect farms in different ways, and the same concerns farms affecting animals. There are negative, from a human perspective, as well as positive aspects of this interaction. The aim of this study was to review and propose the solutions to reconcile these two factors, agriculture and wildlife, using Poland as an example. Two major problems were observed: the negative impact of agriculture on the occurrence or abundance of certain species, and wildlife damage caused mainly by wild boars (Sus scrofa) and Cervidae. The most important issue for agricultural economy is the strict control and limitation of the wild boar population, while the farmer’s approach to cultivation and the environment are important for the wildlife. For years, man has been undertaking various activities using and subordinating elements of the environment, and each even small interference in the system that creates a harmony will have far-reaching consequences.

The study aimed to investigate the effect of supplementation of fish oil after the process of low-temperature crystallization (LTC-FO) enriched with long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs) on cow milk parameters. The experiment was carried out on 24 Polish Holstein Friesian cows. For 4 weeks, experimental (EXP) group animals (n = 12) were fed LTC-FO (1% of dry matter). Milk was collected two times: on days 14 and 30. LTC-FO supplementation decreased milk fat yield and concentration (p < 0.01). Higher levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), including these with beneficial biological properties, i.e., eicosapentaenoic (EPA), docosahexaenoic (DHA), docosapentaenoic (DPA), CLA, alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), and TVA (p < 0.01), and lower levels of SFAs, especially short- (p < 0.01) and medium-chain ones (p < 0.05, p < 0.01), were found in the EXP group. The addition of LTC-FO reduced the value of atherogenic and thrombogenic indices as well as SFA/UFA and n-6/n-3 ratios and increased the content of n-3 PUFA and functional fatty acids (p < 0.01). The addition of LTC-FO also increased the delta-9 desaturase index for CLA/TVA and decreased it for pairs C14:1/C14:0 and C16:1/C16:0 (p < 0.05, p < 0.01).

Dyslipidemia is a serious condition affecting an increasing number of people, and thus, preventive measures, including supplementation, are being developed. We aimed to compare the effect of linseed oil, its ethyl esters and fish oil supplementation on the serum lipid profiles of rats fed a high-fat diet. Wistar rats were divided into nine groups. Four of them were fed a high-fat diet for the whole experiment, four groups were fed a high-fat diet before the supplementation period and then the control one with supplements, and one was fed a control diet without supplements. The whole experiment lasted 12 weeks. A significant reduction in blood triglycerides, total cholesterol and the LDL fraction was noted in supplemented groups compared to the controls, especially in groups supplemented with ethyl esters of linseed oil and linseed oil compared to fish oil groups. The results were also more beneficial in groups where, in addition to supplementation, there was also a diet change from a high-fat diet to a control diet during the supplementation period. We may conclude that supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids, combined with a healthy diet, may be a good way of preventing or alleviating dyslipidemia.

For decades, skin has been assigned the main role of an insulator of the inside of the body from the external environment, but it also plays a role in maintaining homeostasis. In this study, the level of selected bacterial phyla (Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria) was assessed in three sheep breeds (Świniarka sheep, Uhruska sheep and BCP line (synthetic sheep breed; n = 6) and in two breeds of goats (Boer, Saenian; n = 6) living in the same environment and fed on the same feed, where the aim was to identify differences in terms of race, species and individual differences. Significant differences were found in Firmicute, Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria phyla (p ≤ 0.05). Statistically significant and positive correlations were demonstrated between Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria, Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes or Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes. The obtained results suggest that the species and racial differences in the level of the studied bacterial phyla may also result from the physicochemical differences of the skin surface, as they could exacerbate the variations in humidity, temperature, composition of antimicrobial peptides (AMP) and lipid content. In addition, individual differences were observed, which indicate a similar effect of an individual on the microbiological composition of its organism.