Birds are mainly categorized as either monomorphic or dimorphic based on phenotypic characteristics. It is believed that nearly 60 % of the bird species are monomorphic and difficult to distinguish the sex during their early stages of life. It is important to identify the different sexes at a distance when birds are in the wild or in natural habitats, especially for bird lovers, biologists and conservationists to differentiate the behavioral patterns of birds. However, even aviculturists and experienced biologists have faced difficulties in identifying the different sexes of monomorphic birds at a distance. The key genes responsible for the sex differentiation of chickens are unclear due to their multiple gene expressions. Therefore, the sex determination of birds is more important in aviculture, poultry farming and in research fields. Hence, this review mainly focused on those invasive (laparoscopy), moderately invasive/ minimally invasive (Karyotyping and DNA-based techniques), and non-invasive methods (steroid sexing, vent sexing, morphometric observations, voicing) of sex identification of birds as much as possible and discussed the reliability of those techniques on the identification of the sex of birds. In light of the discussion, the accuracy of non-invasive techniques is very low and quite questionable. Despite the high accuracy, laparoscopy poses a life threat to the birds during the surgery due to the damage of internal organs while probing. DNA-based methods are concluded to be the best and most accurate techniques among almost all the techniques that require sophisticated laboratory facilities. Hence, the on-farm approach of Recombines polymerase amplification combined with a lateral-flow dipstick (RPA-LFD) can be suggested as one of the best alternatives to laboratory protocols that can be practiced without bringing down the accuracy of the sex determination of birds. Asian J. Med. Biol. Res. 2023, 9 (4), 134-144

Purpose: Water footprint (WFP) is a widely used environmental indicator to compare and identify the strategies for better water use efficiency. The Objectives of the present study were to calculate and analyze the WFP of Oyster mushroom cultivation under small-scale farming conditions in Sri Lanka. Research Method: Water footprint was estimated as the sum of water used for preparing the mushroom growing substrate and the on-farm water requirement for the production of a ton of mushrooms. Production parameters and on-farm water usage of three small-scale Oyster mushroom farms were recorded. Findings: WFPs of growing substrates were low (591 - 642 m3/ton) and varied within a narrow range. The main on-farm water-consuming activities were the preparation of growing media, water for sterilization of media, spraying of water during the growing cycle, floor cleaning, and laborer’s water consumption. WFP of mushroom cultivation under the conditions specified in this study was 1181 m3/ton. Being the largest component, mushroom growing media accounted for 95% of the WFP. On-farm water requirement was found to be as low as 4.4 L/kg. WFP of mushrooms was lower than those reported for eggs, broiler meat, pork, beef, lentil, and soy meat. Nevertheless, the WFP of mushrooms, when expressed per unit of calorie or protein was higher than that of egg and soy meat. Originality/ Value: As the first reported WFP calculation for mushrooms in Sri Lanka, this study identified mushrooms as a water-efficient food item. Improvement in yield and shortening of the growing cycle were identified as the means of reducing the WFP of mushroom cultivation in Sri Lanka.

This study was carried out to develop paneer with buffalo milk under four different coagulants: citric acid (T1), Lime (T2), Vinegar (T3), and Yoghurt (T4). The paneer samples were analyzed for nutritional composition, titratable acidity, pH and colour during the storage. Sensory evaluation was done for fresh paneer samples using a seven-point hedonic scale. The result revealed that the pH of developed paneer under T1, T2, T3 and T4 were 1.67, 2.09, 2.54, and 4.16, respectively. Titratable acidity and pH of paneer were (p<0.05) varied with 5 days storage at 70C. The highest yield (p<0.05), the whitest and hardest body of paneer was observed under T3. Moisture content was (p<0.05) higher under T3, and total solids, ash and fat were significantly (p<0.05) higher in T1. Sensory evaluation revealed that the different types of coagulants were significantly influenced (P<0.05) by sensory attributes. The overall acceptability was highest under T1. Conclusively, paneer produced with buffalo milk using vinegar and citric acid coagulants resulted in the most suitable products compared to other coagulants used in the present study.

Milk consumption is influenced by a wide range of factors, including gender, age, income, education, ethnicity, health condition, and presence of children in the household. The current study was designed to investigate the effects of the recent economic crisis and socio-demographic factors on the milk and milk product consumption patterns of undergraduates. The questionnaire survey was used as the primary data collection tool. The survey was conducted with a representative sample of undergraduates (n=238) using a self-structured online questionnaire. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. As per the results, the majority of undergraduates in the sample size consume raw milk (83%). Therefore, cattle milk was the most widely consumed type of raw milk (84%). Ice cream is the most popular milk product (99%) in sample size. Despite the economic crisis, the majority of undergraduates (53%) maintain steady milk consumption habits. However, the milk consumption of undergraduates during the financial crisis was significantly associated with factors including locality (p=0.017), family size (p=0.014), monthly family income (p=0.000), parental educational level (p=0.000), and employment status (p=0.014). Further, this study investigated the fact that the purchasing frequency of milk and milk products was not associated with socio-demographic backgrounds (P>0.05).

Heat stress in livestock animals is one of the promising topics discussed especially with climate change. Even though it is complicated to accurately measure at which point the cattle may suffer from heat stress due to different external and internal factors, mitigation of heat stress is quite important because a cow can lead to hyperthermia if it couldn’t maintain the thermoneutrality of its body. A great number of researches were conducted to find out the factors that lead to heat stress and the effects of heat stress on the production, reproduction, respiratory rates, heart rate, and feeding behaviors of cattle. Mitigation strategies for heat stress were also revealed under different means by mitigating heat exchange pathways which lead to accumulate the heat within the body, and management strategies including nutritional management. The present review was to elaborate on those findings to critically evaluate how dairy cattle are affected by heat stress in the livestock industry and the investigated mitigation strategies of heat stress to regulate the body heat of cattle.