Milk and dairy products can have variable contents of antioxidant compounds that contribute to counteract the oxidation of lipids and proteins during processing and storage. The content of active antioxidant compounds is closely linked to their protection by oxidation. Freezing is one of the factors that can reduce antioxidant activity. Freezing of milk or curd is frequently used in case of the seasonality of milk production and/or seasonal increased demand for some products. In this paper, the effect of using frozen curd on the oxidative stability of buffalo Mozzarella cheese was evaluated. Samples of buffalo Mozzarella with different frozen curd content (0%, 5%, 20%, and 50%) were produced and analyzed at one and nine days. Mozzarella cheese with higher frozen curd content had a significant increase in redox potential parallel to the decrease in antioxidant activity, showing less protection from oxidation. Lipid and protein oxidation, expressed respectively by malondialdehyde and carbonyl content, increased significantly with increasing frozen curd. At nine days, carbonyls significantly increased while malondialdehyde content did not vary, showing that during storage, fat was more protected from oxidation than protein. The average carbonyl levels were comparable to those of some cooked cheeses, and the malondialdehyde levels were even lower. The results of this study stimulate the investigation of new strategies to decrease the oxidative damage in cheeses produced in the presence of factors decreasing oxidative stability.

Objective: This work was carried out to evaluate the effect of pasture (PA) feeding on buffalo meat quality compared with buffaloes reared intensively with the use of corn silage as a forage base or alternatively with polyphite meadow hay (PH).Methods: Thirty Mediterranean bull buffaloes were distributed into three experimental diet groups: maize silage (MS), PH, and PA. The animals were slaughtered at a live weight of 250 kg, and carcass and meat quality were evaluated. After 7 days of ageing, physical and chemical parameters of longissimus thoracis muscle were determined. To evaluate lipid oxidation the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances was tested at 7 and 14 days, and also the fatty acid profile was recorded by gas chromatography.Results: The PA group, even if it showed carcass parameters lower than those of the silage maize group, reported a good meat percentage (60.59% vs 58.46%, respectively) and lower fat percentage (p<0.001). PA-fed animals showed meat redness, and even if only on raw meat, shear force was higher than the others. Low values of conjugate linoleic acid, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and n-3 were reported in the silage maize group. Principal component analysis (PCA) clearly showed the influence of different diets on meat quality, and PCA1 and PCA2 explained 82% of the variability.Conclusion: Buffaloes reared on PA had meat with high nutritional value even if they showed poor carcass performance compared to the animals fed on MS. Buffaloes fed on polyphite hay were in an intermediate position, similar to grazing animals, according to the same nutritional determinations.

In Italy, the number of farmed dairy buffaloes rose up to approximately 436,000 heads in 2023 (+22% in the last 15 years), a fourfold increase compared to the 1980s, due to the growing market interest in mozzarella cheese. The increased demand for mozzarella cheese, in turn, requires higher production, which can result in increased methane emission from the sector. Therefore, it is necessary to establish mitigation and selection schemes for low-emission strategies. The current study aimed to highlight sources of variation in methane emission from lactating Italian Mediterranean buffaloes measured using a laser methane detector in order to identify practical and methodological aspects to consider when designing experiments focused on methane emission evaluation. Methane (CH₄), exhaled from 60 cows, was recorded twice a day during milking, over two weeks per month for at least three months throughout a whole lactation cycle. The animal (individual), days in milk, parity, month, operator, milking entry order, and milking session effects were significant for methane emission (p < 0.0001). Our results showed that laser methane detector may be used as a rapid tool for methane emission studies and highlighted which factors can account for individual measures. This instrument is easy to use, fast, versatile, and not too expensive. These characteristics make it suitable for large-scale herd screening and monitoring.

The aim of this work was to determine the slaughter performance and some chemical and physical characteristics of dairy does whose thighs were used to make the traditional ham called violino and of chevons. Moreover, the aptitude to produce the violino by chevons slaughtered at the age of one year was assessed. The rate of animals suitable to produce the violino was 57% for the chevons. Physical parameters and chemical composition of the meat resulted similar between the two classes of animals. Thus, rearing some chevons in a dairy farm could be a further way to increase the incomes of the farmers.

The present study aimed to determinate beef meat shelf-life packaged in modified atmosphere (MAP). The experiment was carried out on young bulls Longissimus dorsii muscle and considered 2 thesis (meat portioned and conserved in MAP after 3 days “NA” and after 7 days “7A” of ageing), 2 types of packaging (with or without water absorbent pad) and 3 different conservation times (3, 7 or 11 days). The analysis regarded: water loss, colour, TBArs and protein ossidation. Liquid loss showed higher value in packaged meat with absorbent pad than the other (10.38% vs 2.42% P<0.001), while the evaporate liquid was highest in no absorbent pad samples. The positive effect of pad was found in metmyoglobin percentage (13.98 vs 15.10 % respectively for its presence and absence) and protein oxidation (67.32 vs 79.26 nmol thiol/mg protein P<0.05). TBArs increased with conservation times from 0.88 to 2.57 mg/100g, while it didn’t show differences between the two thesis and the two different packaging methods. In conclusion the use of absorbent pad improved meat nutritive quality despite produced more water loss.