This experimental study was conducted to determine the ability of a novel mycotoxins detoxification agent (MR) at a concentration of 0.2% to reduce the toxicity of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) or T-2 toxin, alone or in combination, and to examine its effect on performance, pathohistological changes (PH) and the residue of these toxins in the tissues of broiler chicks. A total of 96 broiler chicks were divided into eight equal groups: group C, which served as control (without any additives); group MR, which received the novel detoxification agent (supplemented with 0.2%); group E-I (0.1 mg AFB1/kg of diet); group E-II (0.1 mg AFB1/kg of diet + MR 0.2%); group E-III (0.5 mg T-2 toxin/kg of diet); group E-IV (0.5 mg T-2 toxin/kg of diet + 0.2% MR); group E-V (combination of 0.1 mg AFB1/kg, 0.5 mg T-2 toxin/kg of diet); and group E-VI (combination of 0.1 mg AFB1/kg, 0.5 mg T-2 toxin + 0.2% MR). Results indicate that feeds containing AFB1 and T-2 toxin, alone or in combination, adversely affected the health and performance of poultry. However, the addition of MR to diets containing AFB1 and T-2 toxin singly and in combination exerted a positive effect on body weight, feed intake, weight gain, feed efficiency and microscopic lesions in visceral organs. Residual concentration of AFB1 in liver samples was significantly (p < 0.05) decreased when chicks were fed diets supplemented with 0.2% of MR.

In order to examine the consumers? attitude towards eggs, 239 respondents in the area of the City of Belgrade were surveyed, and the assessment of the quality of eggs on the Belgrade market was done by examining the quality of eggs in super/hypermarkets. In the survey, consumers expressed their views about the place of purchase of eggs, the criteria for purchasing and the significance of certain quality traits/properties. In the egg quality test eggs of class A were used, and it was done on egg samples from 5 super/hypermarkets, from a total of 10 egg manufacturers. Based on the results of the study, it was found that most egg consumers buy in super/hypermarkets (39.62%), that the brand/manufacturer was not important for 30.37% of the respondents, that they prefered to buy larger eggs (SS, S and A classes). The quality of eggs is very important for 73.28% of subjects, and the colour of the yolk prefered by the respondents was extremely yellow (62.76%). The supply of table eggs on the market was different (from 1 to 5 manufacturers) per retail store. The quality of eggs, observed for all super/hypermarkets and all manufacturers, expressed in Haugh units, decreased with the shelf life of eggs. The quality of eggs from category 1 to 10 days, in all super/hypermarkets, observed for all manufacturers, was within the studied class A, with egg weight ranging from 60.9 to 64.1g, egg shell colour from 3.6 to 4.2, egg cleaniness 4.4 to 5.0, the colour of the yolk (Roche) from 10.9 to 13.2, and the number of Haugh units from 73.2 to 91.7. The results of the research indicate that consumers in the City of Belgrade are placing importance on the quality of table eggs, that there are differences in the supply and freshness of the eggs between the markets, and that there are differences in the quality within the same market, regardless of the manufacturer.

The main aim of this study was to analyze hygiene practices in small-scale dairy plants (SSDPs) in Serbia. A total of 60 plants were included in the research. A survey questionnaire used for SSDPs was designed to obtain the main information about hygiene practices they perform, as well as the data about the SSDPs, their production portfolio, and improvement plans. For the purpose of this study, a good hygiene practice score (GHPS) was calculated showing that the average score is 75%, spanning from 71.4% to 80.3% depending on the type of dairy plant. This study showed that the biggest challenges for small-scale dairy plants are associated with adequate labeling and external analysis of their dairy products, followed by record keeping and use of appropriate food contact materials. As expected, registered and approved SSDPs had higher GHPS scores and more information on their labels than those still in the approval or registration process. This study confirms the need for supporting this type of dairy producer to improve two main pillars of their business—the infrastructure for where they produce dairy products and awareness/knowledge of food safety legislative requirements. At the same time, approved processors are significantly underutilizing their processing capacity, which implies the need for both policy change consideration and educational initiatives. The policy changes should aim to align regulations with small-scale dairy processing realities.

In order to preserve indigenous and locally adapted breeds through development programs for sustainable egg and meat production, it is necessary to have more data on the potential of these breeds in different production conditions. Accordingly, the objective of the study was to determine and compare the reproductive potential, production performance and egg quality of two indigenous poultry breeds: the Banat Naked Neck (BNN) and the Svrljig Hen (SH), in improved growing conditions (nutrition, photoperiod and housing) in relation to the traditional rearing of these breeds. Four flocks for each breed were housed in floor pens in a closed facility during the winter months, and then in the vegetation season (April-September) they were kept in mobile cages in the pasture. The duration of the photoperiod in the facility was 15 hours, and in the pasture, they were exposed to the natural duration of daylight. The layers were fed ad libitum with balanced complete mixtures for layer-line hybrids and during the vegetation season supplemented with food found in the pasture around the mobile cage. The reproductive potential of BNN and SH hens was determined on the basis of the age of the hens at the beginning of laying, the age at the peak of laying and the number of eggs per housed hen. The egg hatching properties were examined based on the percentage of chicks hatching in relation to the number of laid and fertilized eggs. Data on the quality of table eggs were obtained by testing over eight-week periods during the entire laying period. Under the applied rearing, nutrition and photoperiod conditions, BNN hens achieved production in accordance with their genetic potential defined by the breed standard, while SH layers with 126.43 eggs/housed hen achieved production higher than the breed standard. The egg production of these two breeds of hens differed in the intensity and persistence of laying, which, in addition to a higher peak of laying, resulted in a higher production of egg/housed hen BNN (146.71) compared to SH. On the other hand, parameters of table egg quality, i.e., shell quality and egg albumen/yolk ratio, were significantly better in SH. Also, SH had a higher reproductive potential compared to BNN hens based on the percentage of fertilized and hatched eggs.

Key questions for a local broiler farm are: which broiler hybrid to rear and which industrial feed to use? To show how farmers can manage them, a combination of biological tests and feed characterizations of the most commonly used hybrids and broiler feeds in the local (Serbian) market was designed and performed. The hybrids Cobb 500 and Ross 308 were used, as well as feed of the same quality category from three established domestic producers (A, B, and C) available in the market. A factorial trial (2 × 3) was performed on a total of 1800 unsexed day-old chicks divided into six experimental treatments, with six repetitions per treatment and 50 chickens in each repetition. Prior to and after the biological trial, the feed was characterized. The results confirm the equally high production potential of the two tested fast-growing hybrids, the different quality of the three industrial feeds, and that for the expression of genetic potential, each feeding and fattening period was equally valuable. A complete picture of the tested feeds was obtained within a suitable post-test feed characterization with a farm economy included in the analysis, and the results differed in different production and market scenarios, which allows for finding the optimal feed for the local farm.

The aim of the survey was to determine how the egg production sector is complying with animal welfare legislation, which requires a ban on conventional cages and the transition to permitted systems for rearing laying hens - enriched cages and alternative systems, as well as the attitudes of egg producers and consumers on the impact of permitted systems of egg production/purchase and hen welfare. The survey included producers (50), with 1000 and more hens, where in the sample, the percentage share of producers was according to the capacity - the size of the farm, i.e. similar to the share in the total egg production in Serbia. A consumer survey (261) established their views on the impact of the welfare of layers and the rearing system when buying eggs. According to the test results, it can be stated that: when switching to permitted rearing systems, enriched cages were the choice of all surveyed producers (100%) and that in the transition period from 2014 to autumn 2020, 16.3% of respondents switched from conventional cages to enriched ones (2.04% in full and 14.29% in part). According to the results obtained, 80.49% of them are planning to switch from a conventional cage system to another rearing system, of which 60.98% said they would do so if they had the financial means, while about 19% of producers believe they will be forced to leave production. All producers expect that the transition to enriched cages will lead to a reduction in their production, and 83.33% of them believe that it will be from 20 to 40%. Surveyed producers (87.18%) expect that the transition from conventional cages will increase production costs, and 65.11% believe that this will not affect the welfare of layers. A survey of consumer attitudes found that when buying eggs, the production system was very important for 19.91% of consumers, and for 19.41% of consumers it was not important at all, while the welfare of layers was very important for 26.84% and not at all important for 10.32% of consumers. The conclusion of the research is that in Serbia the transition to permitted rearing systems is slow, that harmonization with legal regulations is a great challenge and that changes are expected in the coming period that may have far-reaching consequences for the sector of table egg production.