We conducted the first nutritional analysis of dairy products from the traditional Roja Mallorquina sheep breed. Samples of bulk raw milk were taken twice a month from December 2015 to March 2016 from sheep fed using a part-time grazing system, and fresh soft (FC, n = 8) and ripened (RC, n = 8) cheeses were made. The variability in vitamins, total phenolic compounds (TPC), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and fatty acid (FA) content was influenced by the cheese-making process (differences between the cheese and the original milk) and by the type of cheese-making technology (mainly related to heating, the use of starter culture, and ripening). The most notable physicochemical characteristic of the cheeses was low fat content (24.1 and 29.6 g/100 g for FC and RC). Milk and RC were characterised by major concentrations of retinol (211.4 and 233.6 μg/100 g dry matter (DM), respectively) and TPC (18.7 and 54.6 μg/100 g DM, respectively), while FC was characterised by major concentrations of retinol (376.4 μg) and α-tocopherol (361.7 μg). The fat-soluble components of the FC generally exhibited better nutritional value for human health than those of the milk and RC, with a higher level of retinol and α-tocopherol; lower values for saturated FA, atherogenic, and thrombogenic indices; and higher levels of monounsaturated FA, polyunsaturated FA, n-3, and n-6. Acids, alcohols, and ketones comprised almost 95% of the volatile compounds detected. Acetoin and products of lactose and citrate metabolism played an important role in the development of the aromatic attributes of both kinds of cheese. This preliminary study can contribute to add value to these traditional products according to healthy nutritional criteria and supports the implementation of strategies to promote their commercialisation and obtain product labelling as “pasture-fed” or specific marks.

Well-performing grazing systems play an important role in improving and maintaining environmental and social conditions of mountain areas. The aim of this paper is to analyze the relationship between the economic and social viability of pastoral goat farming systems and their feeding management schemes in order to improve their sustainability. Sixteen goat grazing farms in southern Spain were monitored monthly from January to December 2011, including 42 quantitative and 9 social variables. A multivariate two-step analysis was followed (principal component and cluster analysis) and three clusters were identified. Cluster 1 grouped small herd-size and low-productivity farms with medium dependence on external inputs for animal feeding; Cluster 2 grouped medium herd-size and high-medium productivity farms which depended most on external inputs for animal feeding; Cluster 3 grouped large herd-size, high-medium productivity farms with low dependence on external inputs. There was no difference between Clusters 2 and 3 regarding milk productivity and there were few differences in terms of labor, economic, or technical indicators. According to these results, it is possible to obtain a satisfactory level of productivity and profitability, minimizing the amount of feed purchased. In general, farmers’ job satisfaction was high and no differences were observed between groups.

Goats are essential in mountainous areas where farms are under traditional grazing management. To conserve these rangeland systems it is important to gain knowledge of the feeding and reproductive management of the animals. 16 goat-grazing farms were monitored monthly. Using the indicator net energy percentage provided by grazing, the farms were classified into three groups: high, medium, and low grazing. The main strength of the pastoral farms was that the season with greatest supply of pasture coincided with the lactation of most breeding goats when energy requirements were highest. Farms that make more use of the pasture under this management and use goat breeds adapted to grazing can ensure their viability.

Our aim was to characterize the organoleptic and nutritional properties of meat from suckling (one-month-old) and light (around three-months-old) lambs in local breeds on the Spanish Mediterranean islands, using meat from male lambs of the Mallorquina and Roja Mallorquina breeds. The lambs were kept with their mother at all times under an extensive management system and fed on mother’s milk until naturally weaned. In the Mallorquina breed, suckling lambs (n = 20) were slaughtered after weaning and the light lambs were bred using natural pasture (n = 20) or concentrate (n = 20), and the Roja Mallorquina light lambs were fed pasture and concentrate (n = 20). The pH, colour, texture, water-holding capacity, fatty acids, volatile compounds and sensorial attributes of the meat were analyzed. No differences in meat colour or texture were observed. The highest levels of non-desirable fatty acids were observed in lambs raised using concentrate. Light lambs showed a higher aldehydes content than suckling lambs. High notes of lactic acid and milk flavour were detected. Regardless of access to pasture or concentrate, continued access to mother’s milk during rearing influences the sensorial meat traits of these lambs, so we consider this type of management an optimal way of obtaining the traditional ‘Mediterranean lamb meat’.

This paper presents a methodological proposal of new energy sustainability indicators according to a novel accounting that follows agroecological and ecological economics criteria. Energy output is reformulated to include manure and thus consider the contribution to fertilization made by pastoral livestock farming to agroecosystems. Energy inputs calculations include the grazing resources. These new definitions and calculations allow for new formulations of the energy return on investment (EROI) as measures of the energy efficiency of livestock farming systems (final EROI and food/feed EROI). The environmental benefit of manure is estimated from the avoided energy cost of using this alternative to inorganic fertilizers (AEC_M). The environmental benefit of grazing is measured through the energy cost of avoiding cultivated animal feed (AEC_P) and its impact in terms of non-utilized agricultural area (ALC_P). The comparative analysis of different livestock breeding systems in three pastoral dairy goat farms in the Sierra de Cádiz in Andalusia, southern Spain, reveals the analytical potential of the new energy sustainability indicators proposed, as well as the potential environmental benefits derived from territorial-based stockbreeding and, more specifically, grazing activities. Those benefits include gains in energy efficiency, a reduction of the dependence on non-renewable energy, and environmental costs avoided in terms of energy in extensive pastoral systems.