Diet supplementation with polyphenols is a novel strategy to improve meat quality in livestock, by preventing oxidative deterioration of lipids and protein. Polyphenols have beneficial effects on both human and animal health and can be obtained from several sources, such as olive mill wastewaters (OMWW). These are severe environmental pollutants and therefore may be recycled and utilized in other sectors. The aim of this study was to evaluate growth performance, meat characteristics, fatty acid composition, antioxidant status, different forms of myoglobin and malondialdehyde formation in kids who received a diet supplemented with polyphenols obtained from OMWW. Weaned goat kids (n = 18) were divided into two homogenous groups: control (C) group (n = 9) received a fattening standard diet while the other group (n = 9) received the same diet, supplemented with 3.2 mg/day of polyphenols powder extract (PE group). Average daily gain (ADG) was calculated 10 days apart throughout the study. After 78 days, the kids were slaughtered and pH and carcass yield were evaluated. Longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscle was collected and utilized for chemical analysis, meat quality evaluation and oxidative stability. No differences were recorded in ADG, carcass weight, pH and dressing between the two groups. Furthermore a similar meat proximate composition, texture and color was observed. Dietary polyphenols supplementation significantly (P < 0.01) decreased short chains (<C12:0) (2.93 + 0.50 and 0.35 + 0.40 g/100 g of fatty acids, for C and PE Group, respectively), and saturated (49.22 ± 2.39 and 39.51 ± 1.95 g/100 g, in C and PE Group, respectively) fatty acids. Furthermore, a higher (P < 0.05) proportion of monounsaturated (34.35 ± 2.84 and 42.22 ± 2.32 g/100 g, in C and PE Group, respectively) fatty acids was recorded. Malondialdehyde formation was significantly (P < 0.05) lower in PE compared to C Group (0.25 ± 0.005 and 0.15 ± 0.005, in C and PE Group, respectively). Polyphenols dietary supplementation has positive effects on kid meat, improving fatty acid profile and reducing malondialdehyde contents. Furthermore the utilization of OMWW as the source of polyphenols may represent an innovative strategy to re-utilize agri-food industry wastes.

The measurement of milk electrical conductivity (EC) is a relatively simple and inexpensive technique that has been evaluated as a routine method for the diagnosis of mastitis in dairy farms. The aim of this study was to obtain further knowledge on relationships between EC, production traits and somatic cell count (SCC) in Italian Mediterranean Buffalo. The original dataset included 5411 records collected from 808 buffalo cows. Two mixed models were used to evaluate both the effect of EC on MY, PP and FP and EC at test-day, and the effect of EC on somatic cell score (SCS) by using five different parameters (EC_param), namely: EC collected at the official milk recording test day (EC_day₀), EC collected 3 days before official milk recording (EC_day₃), and three statistics calculated from EC collected 1, 3 and 5 days before each test-day, respectively. All effects included in the model were significant for all traits, with the only exception of the effect of EC nested within parity for FP. The relationship between EC and SCS was always positive, but of different magnitude according to the parity. The regression of EC on SCS at test-day using different EC parameters was always significant except when the regression parameter was the slope obtained from a linear regression of EC collected over the 5-day period. Moreover, in order to evaluate how well the different models fit the data, three parameters were used: the Average Information Criteria (AIC), the marginal R₂ and the conditional R₂. According to AIC and to both the Marginal and Conditional R₂, the best results were obtained when the regression parameter was the mean EC estimated over the 5-day period.

Nowadays climate change is affecting the planet’s biodiversity, and livestock practices must adapt themselves to improve production without affecting animal welfare. This work investigates the influence that some climatic parameters such as Environment Temperature, Relative Humidity, Thermal excursion and Temperature–Humidity Index (THI), can have on milk quantity and quality in two different dairy species (buffaloes and cows) raised on the same farm. A further aim was to understand if THI threshold used for cows could also be used for buffaloes. The climatic parameters were recorded daily through a meteorological station located inside the farm. Milk quantity (converted into ECM) and quality (Fat Percentage—FP; Protein Percentage—PP; Somatic Cell Count—SCC) were measured. Data were analyzed with Spearman’s correlation index, separately for buffaloes and cows. The results indicate a greater sensitivity of cows to heat stress and a strong negative correlation of the ECM with meteorological data (p < 0.01). The results of this study may stimulate the use of integrated technologies (sensors, software) in the dairy sector, since the IoT (sensors, software) helps to enhance animal well-being and to optimize process costs, with a precision livestock farming approach.

Nitrogen and phosphorus utilisation and excretion in dairy buffalo intensive breeding

Until now, the genetic evaluation of the Italian Mediterranean Buffalo has been mainly focused on production traits. However, female fertility affects the efficiency of the dairy industry as it is essential to maintain the profitability of dairy farms. Indeed, the estimation of its genetic component is crucial for its improvement. In this study, 3 measures of buffalo's fertility were analyzed: the age at first calving (AFC), the interval between first and second calving (CI1), and the interval between second and successive calvings (CI2_12). Milk yield at 270 d (MY270) was used as a correlated trait. First, genetic parameters were estimated using 7,915 buffalo cows with first calving from 1991 to 2018, then breeding values were calculated from 236,087 buffalo cows. Genetic parameters were estimated by Bayesian inference fitting a multiple-trait animal model using the GIBBS1F90 program while BLUPF90 was used for estimation of breeding value. The heritability and repeatability estimates of fertility traits were low. The genetic correlations among fertility traits ranged from 0.10 (AFC-CI1) to 0.92 (CI1-CI2_12). Genetic correlation between MY270 and fertility traits was unfavorable, ranging from 0.23 to 0.48. The results from this study can be used as a basis for the future genetic improvement of fertility traits in the Italian Mediterranean Buffaloes.