The monitoring of metals and other chemical elements in the basic sources of diet, mainly for children, is very important for preventing health issues. The aim of this work was to determine the concentration of selected essential (Ca, K, Mg, Mo, Na, Zn) and non-mutagenic elements (Ag, Al, Ba, Li, Sb, Sr) in ewe milk from the Orava region in northern Slovakia. Twenty milk samples were analysed in June and August using an inductively-coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. The differences in elements concentration between the seasonal periods were not significant (p < 0.05), except for lithium (p < 0.05). The essential elements concentration was within the recommended levels, while the non-mutagenic and potentially toxic metals consist was under the permissible limits. However, there were found very strong and significant relationships between the elements which may suggest the synergistic / additive or antagonistic effects of some elements.

This study aimed to examine the seasonal dynamics of non-structural carbohydrates in pasture and their relationship to metabolic indicators in horses with a history of laminitis. Thirty Hucul mares were divided into a laminitis group (LG, n = 15) and a control group (CG, n = 15). Insulin, glucose, fructosamines concentrations and body weight were monitored during four sampling periods (S0–S3), while pasture variables were analyzed during three periods (S1–S3). The concentration of water-soluble carbohydrates was highest in May (126.8 g/kg DM) and measured lower in October (57.9 g/kg DM), while starch concentrations measured 0.1 g/kg DM in May, 25.8 g/kg DM in July, and 24.0 g/kg DM in October. No significant differences were observed in insulin concentrations between groups (p > 0.05). Glucose was significantly higher in LG in May (LG: 5.50 mmol/L; CG: 5.09 mmol/L; p < 0.05) and October (LG: 5.98 mmol/L; CG: 5.24 mmol/L; p < 0.01). Fructosamine values were higher in LG throughout the season, with significance in October (LG: 120.6 μmol/L; CG: 101.1 μmol/L; p < 0.05). Body weight increased in both LG and CG during grazing (S2), with mean values at S0 being 423.6 kg in LG and 424.8 kg in CG, and at S2 being 533.8 kg in LG and 535.6 kg in CG (p > 0.05 for between-group differences). These findings suggest a different glycemic response in laminitic horses in relation to WSC and starch concentrations and highlight starch as a potential predictor of glycemic instability.

The aim of this study was to compare the quality of musculus longissimus dorsi in the breeds of Mangalitsa and Large White with regard to the slaughter weight. Large White (LW) breed and White Mangalitsa (Ma) breed were used in the experiment. The system of housing and feeding was the same in both of the monitored breeds. The pigs were fed with the same feeding mixture ad libitum. According to the slaughter weight, the pigs were divided into three groups: up to 100 kg, 101 – 110 kg and over 110 kg. The breed Ma had a significantly lower drip loss than the breed LW. Evaluating the color of the meat, the LW breed has showed significantly higher L* (lightness, white ±black) and lower a* (redness, red ± green) values than the Ma breed. Within the chemical meat composition, the Ma breed had a significantly higher water content in MLD compared to the LW breed. Generally, there were no major differences in the meat quality between the Mangalitsa and Large White breeds. Finally it can be concluded that the breed Mangalitsa showed more favorable values of the physico-chemical indicators. Comparing the quality of the meat with regard to the slaughter weight, there were no large differences between individual weight groups. A higher slaughter weight has positively influenced mainly the color of the meat, as pigs weighing more than 110 kg achieved a significantly lower value of L* and a higher value of a* in comparison to pigs of the lower weight. As a positive effect of a higher slaughter weight can be considered its effect on the protein content in the meat, as pigs weighing over 100 kg have a significantly higher protein content in the meat than pigs weighing below 100 kg.

The impact of the length of pig housing in the slaughterhouse and the season on the meat quality of pigs was analyzed in the experiment. There were altogether 104 commercial pig hybrids used in the experiment weighing from 100 to 130 kilograms. The acidity of meat was assessed 45 minutes after slaughter in the longest back muscle - pH₁ MLD and the semimembranosus thigh muscle – pH₁ MSM. We found the lower pH1 value in MLD muscle (6.07) compared to MSM muscle (6.22) (P<0.05). The lowest occurrence of PSE meat in MLD and MSM was found out in the pigs slaughtered two hours after arrival to the slaughterhouse. The length of housing lasting for eight hours and more has negatively affected the quality of meat, which resulted in decreasing the average values of pH₁ in MLD (P<0.05) as well as in MSM (statistically insignificant).The lower average values of pH₁ MLD (5.98) were recorded in pigs slaughtered in the summer season compared to the winter period (6.16) (P<0.05). During the summer season, there was a threefold higher occurrence of the PSE meat in MLD muscle than in winter. The season had no impact on the values of pH₁ MSM. This work has been created with the support of KEGA 006SPU-4/2014 and VEGA 1/0818/16.Keywords: acidity, lairage, pork, PSE, season

Equine obesity currently represents aďż˝significant welfare concern, with its development influenced byďż˝seasonal changes inďż˝the nutritional value ofďż˝pasture, which substantially affect the animals’ energy balance. The aim ofďż˝this study was...

The aim of this study was to compare within-horse changes and between-horse differences in selected metabolic parameters in twenty draft mares, of which ten belonged to a group with a history of laminitis (LG) and ten formed the control group (CG). Measurements were conducted during four seasonal sampling periods in March (S0), May (S1), July (S2), and September (S3). Within-horse variability across the season was quantified using the coefficient of variation (CV), while differences between groups were evaluated using the t-test or the Mann–Whitney test depending on data distribution. Mares in the LG group exhibited significantly higher insulin variability compared to the CG (20.06% vs. 7.52%; p = 0.023), whereas no statistically significant differences were found for glucose (p = 0.279). Between-horse variability within individual sampling periods was analyzed using the F-test. In S0, no differences were found for glucose (p = 0.607) or insulin (p = 0.980). In S1, higher variability in the LG group was observed for insulin (p = 0.0329), while glucose did not differ between groups (p = 0.952). In S2, the LG group showed markedly higher variability for both glucose (p < 0.0001) and insulin (p = 0.0007). In S3, no differences were found for glucose (p = 0.512) or insulin (p = 0.872). Overall, mares with a history of laminitis exhibited greater seasonal fluctuations and, in some periods, higher inter-individual variability in glucose and insulin concentrations, suggesting lower metabolic stability in response to seasonal environmental conditions.