Environmental stressors have, over generations, influenced the morphology, anatomy, behaviour, physiology, and genetic structure of small ruminants. The widespread dispersal of small ruminants over vast geographical areas occurred along with human migration, thereby promoting the adaptative process to different environmental conditions mainly through natural selection. Ongoing global warming prompted scientific efforts to deepen the knowledge and understanding of adaptation traits in small ruminants. Compared to other ruminants, sheep and goats seem to have a better adaptation ability to environmental stressors, as evident by their presence across different geographic areas on a global level. Adaptation to a specific environment leads to variations in precise genomic regions, allowing for the identification and selection of animals with a high capacity of adaptation to environmental stressors. Rapid development in sequencing technologies, together with bioinformatics tools, make it possible to analyse the genomic regions related to environmental adaptation. Hence, the aims of this review were (i) to outline the main steps of the evolution process in sheep and goat species, (ii) to summarise candidate genes related to environmental adaptation, and (iii) to evaluate both selection and conservation possibilities of these genes in native small ruminant breeds for future challenges to better face the global warming.

This study aimed to investigate the chemical composition, fatty acid profile and polyphenol content of Provola cheese made with cow’s milk from cows fed a diet incorporating olive cake. Cheese samples were analysed in different months in order to test diet and diet×season effects. The results show that the cheese composition was influenced by both factors. The most beneficial cheese from a human health point of view was produced with milk from cows fed the treatment diet in the spring. Supplementing the diet of dairy cows with olive cake reduced the atherogenic and thrombogenic indices while increasing the total polyphenols in the cheese product. With a 32.9% increase in polyphenols, the cheese from the TEST group has greater functional nutrients and properties than the cheese from the CTR group. The data show that, combining the benefits of a more sustainable production process with a better final product, the supplementation of dried and stoned olive cake in the dairy cow diet improves the nutritional and health composition of the cheese.

Agro-industrial by-products incorporated into livestock feed formulations can positively impact feed costs and promote a circular bio-economy. Italy produces significant amounts of olive cake (OC), a by-product of olive oil extraction, with the potential for incorporation into bovine diets. However, information on its effects on endocrine responses in growing beef calves is lacking. Forty-eight Limousines randomly allocated to dietary treatment (control or 10%-OC or 15%-OC inclusion) were segregated according to sex and body weight. Serum concentrations of TSH, thyroid hormones, and cortisol were measured on day 0, day 56, and at the end of the trial on day 147. Circulating TSH, total (T₃, T₄) and free (fT₃, fT₄) iodothyronines, and cortisol concentrations were all within the normal physiological ranges, with no significant effect imparted by diet. However, the diet × time interaction was significant for T₃. The cortisol, T₃, T₄, and fT₄ registered on day 147 were higher than those of day 56, and cortisol was higher in heifers than bulls. Final body weight was positively correlated with TSH and T₃ and negatively with cortisol concentration. These findings suggest that the inclusion of OC at levels up to 15% in growing/finishing beef diets had no adverse effects on the calves’ thyroid and cortical status.