Transglutaminases (TG) are enzymes that improve the functional properties of proteins in meat products, contribute to the strong cohesion of meat without the further need for the addition of sodium chloride or phosphates, and have a positive effect on the texture of the meat product. This study aimed to investigate the physicochemical and sensory attributes of intact and restructured chicken meat supplemented with different TG proportions. The study was conducted on chicken breast meat samples (n = 40) originating from the line Ross 308. The intact samples were separated from the pectoralis major muscle, whereas the rest of the breast meat was ground, divided into equal parts, and supplemented with TG (0.2%; 0.4%; 0.6%; 0.8%; 1%). The intact meat had the highest cooking loss (19.84) when compared to 0.2% (15.51), 0.4% (15.04), 0.6% (14.95), 0.8% (14.95), and 1% (15.79) TG-supplemented meat. The intact meat had greater shear force (16.90) than 0.2% (5.16), 0.4% (5.39), 0.6% (5.16), 0.8% (5.98), and 1% (6.92) TG supplemented meat. There was no difference between intact meat and TG-supplemented meat in color, taste, odor, texture, and overall acceptability (p > 0.05). Therefore, TG supplementation can be used in improving yield and texture of minced chicken meat.

Various floor systems are used in cattle housing with different characteristics in terms of roughness, abrasion, wetness, bedding material, ease of cleaning, etc. Thus, the activity and welfare of the animals are greatly influenced by the type of floor. The floor of the barn can influence the development of health diseases, technopathies and the production and quality of animal products. Therefore, in the present case study, we studied the effects of two different flooring systems on the performance and on some behavioral and cleanliness parameters in heifers. Two floor systems (concrete slatted flooring (CSF) and high welfare flooring (HWF)) and two breeds (Charolais and Limousin) were used in the experiment. Heifers on HWF tended to show a higher frequency of grooming, rubbing and aggression than those on CSF, but not of standing, lying, eating, drinking, rumination, resting, stereotypies and covering of the animals. In addition, animals housed on HWF also appeared to show higher cleanliness than those housed on CSF. Results indicated that animals housed on HWF exhibited more social and self-care behaviors, suggesting that animals housed on such floors show more species-specific behaviors and have higher welfare.

This study investigated whether the suspension method (tenderstretch, TS or Achilles tendon, AT) can improve the quality of horsemeat by analyzing longissimus dorsi (LD) and semitendinosus (ST) muscles. A total of 25 horse carcasses were considered experimental units and split longitudinally, with one half suspended using the TS method and the other half using the AT method, which enabled a direct comparison within the carcass. After 7 days of aging under commercial processing conditions, the LD and ST muscles were analyzed for pH, color (L*, a*, b*), water-holding capacity (drip loss, thawing loss, cooking loss), tenderness (Warner–Bratzler shear force), and sarcomere length. Statistical analysis was performed using the MIXED procedure in SAS, with Bonferroni correction applied for post hoc comparisons. Significant differences were found between the muscles: LD had higher tenderness (39.28 N vs. 49.77 N, p = 0.0011), lower cooking loss (23.56% vs. 27.04%, p = 0.0002), and higher thawing loss (12.38% vs. 9.72%, p = 0.0021) compared to ST muscle, which had a lighter color (L* = 41.90 vs. 37.73, p < 0.0001) and longer sarcomeres (2.22 μm vs. 1.74 μm, p < 0.0001). While the TS suspension method significantly increased sarcomere length (2.05 μm vs. 1.92 μm, p = 0.0020), it did not lead to significant improvements in other quality attributes such as pH, water-holding capacity, or tenderness. The results indicate that although the TS method affects muscle structure by elongating sarcomeres (with an average difference of 0.13 μm), it does not significantly improve the overall quality of the horsemeat compared to the AT method after 7 days of aging. A combination of factors beyond suspension methods, such as optimizing aging periods or considering additional processing techniques, may therefore be required to improve horsemeat quality. This study provides insights into the specific attributes of LD and ST muscles and their response to suspension methods and contributes to a better understanding of optimizing horsemeat quality for commercial purposes.

The aim of this study was to estimate perinatal and neonatal mortality rates from day 2 to day 30 in Slovenian Holstein Friesian population and to assess risk factors for increased losses. Data from 420,556 calves of Holstein Friesian cows born in Slovenia in the period from January 2005 to December 2016 were analysed. Data were obtained from the Central register of bovine animals. The average perinatal calf mortality, including abortions and stillbirths, was 8.24% and neonatal mortality from day 2 to day 30 4.28%. The most important effects on perinatal calf mortality rate were the number of calves at calving and the age of dam at calving, while herd size and calving season were the most influential in the neonatal period from day 2 to day 30.

This study aimed at comparing the effects of a traditional finishing roughage-based diet and a higher energy diet, on growth, carcass characteristics, and feeding behaviour of Slovenian Cika and Simmental bulls (20 per breed). The experimental diets were: extensive (EXT) based on grass silage, and semi-intensive (S-INT) in which a part of the roughage was replaced with maize silage and sunflower meal. Each diet was fed ad libitum to 10 Cika (547 days old) and 10 Simmental (442 days old) bulls housed in group pens of five animals each. Growth performance was similar in both breeds, but Cika reached commercial finishing 1 month earlier than Simmental (139 vs 167 days; P = 0.016). Bulls fed S-INT had higher final weight (645.3 vs 590.1 kg; P = 0.05), average daily growth (1.05 vs 0.83 kg; P = 0.026), and feed intake (11.7 vs 10.6 kg dry matter (DM)/day; P < 0.001) than EXT bulls. Regardless of breed and diet, bulls ate 77–80% of the daily DM in the first 8 h after feed delivery. Bulls fed EXT showed longer standing (406.4 vs 355.8 min; P < 0.001) and eating (217.2 vs 155.3 min; P < 0.001) and shorter ruminating (77.5 vs 92.9 min; P < 0.001) times than S-INT bulls during the first 8 h of feed delivery. Cika bulls had lower full reticulo-rumen weights relative to slaughter weights (8.7 vs 10.7%; P = 0.002) than Simmental. The positive findings obtained with Cika cattle should encourage farmers to finish their young Cika male stocks for beef production, thus contributing to the maintenance of this animal genetic resource, and also to increase the energy density of the grass-based finishing diets by feeding supplements.