Sheep milk is a rich source of bioactive compounds with significant potential in functional foods and biomedical applications. It contains high levels of proteins, peptides, and fatty acids with numerous health-promoting properties for the human body. Key components such as lactoferrin, proline, orotic acid, and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) support the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, cancer, and neurodegenerative disorders. Bioactive peptides from sheep milk regulate blood glucose levels by inhibiting enzymes such as dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV) and α-glucosidase, while conjugated linoleic acid improves lipid metabolism and reduces inflammation. The high-quality proteins in sheep milk are essential for tissue regeneration and maintaining muscle mass, which is particularly beneficial for the elderly and infants who are allergic to cow milk. Recently, there has been an increasing interest in hydrogel dressings enriched with bioactive substances from sheep milk, which support wound healing by supporting collagen synthesis, reducing inflammation, and having antimicrobial properties. Such hydrogels are particularly promising for the treatment of chronic wounds, burns, and diabetic ulcers, making them a valuable tool in regenerative medicine. The aim of this manuscript is to review the current reports on bioactive components of sheep milk and their potential for biomedical applications.

Aim of the study: Pastoral management in Europe is an important element in protecting biodiversity and the landscape. Shepherding stimulates the development of the market of traditional and regional products, handicrafts and services. Pastoral farming in Europe is an important element of biodiversity and landscape protection. Shepherding stimulates the development of the market for traditional, regional products, handicrafts and services. For many years, wool was an important product obtained in mountain areas from local sheep breeds, now treated as a waste product. The aim of the study is to describe farming methods in mountain areas, indicating innovative possibilities of using sheep wool. Material and methods: The material consisted of literature studies and own research on management in mountain areas. Own research and literature analyzes have shown that, due to its properties, wool obtained from mountain sheep can be used as a natural fiber in a biodegradable composite and constitute an alternative to plastic packaging. The introduction of natural fibers in the fertilizer composite can improve not only soil fertility but also bring economic effects, such as the use of wool of Polish mountain sheep as part of the circular economy. Results and conclusions: Summarize, the search for alternative directions for the use of sheep wool is of strategic importance for maintaining and even increasing the sheep population in Poland and in other European Union countries. Occurring soil droughts in the summer period affect the reduction of plant yields, and for this reason, the application of biodegradable biocomposite to the soil will not have a negative impact on the environment of mountain pastures and meadows.

Behaviour is one of the most important indicators of animal welfare. Goats and sheep display a range of social behaviours, mainly through olfactory and vocal signals. These signals are also extremely important in initiating and maintaining the mother-young relationship and during the initiation of sexual behaviour. Small ruminants have a clear herd hierarchy, with the oldest, strongest and most experienced individual usually being the leader. In sheep and goat herds, gonistic behaviour can often be observed, which influences the establishment of hierarchy and affiliative behaviour, which improves group cohesion. There are many similarities in the behaviour of goats and sheep, but also many differences. Therefore, it is important to constantly deepen and standardise current knowledge on the behaviour of small ruminants.

Light-transmitting cementitious composites integrate daylighting functionality directly into the building envelope, potentially reducing dependence on artificial lighting and its associated operational energy demand and environmental impacts. Such multifunctional materials may therefore contribute to more energy- and resource-efficient buildings by combining the durability of cement-based materials with controlled light transmission. However, most studies rely on commercial polymer or silica optical fibres and treat the embedded light guides as passive inclusions, paying limited attention to their manufacturing quality and spatial stability during casting. In this study, glass-fibre/epoxy (GFRP) micro-rods (d ≈ 0.43 mm) were manufactured in-house by pultrusion from a single 300-tex E6-glass roving and embedded in a white CEM I 52.5R mortar using regular, alternating (staggered), and random layouts. The rods were characterised by flexural, tensile, and Charpy tests, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and digital microscopy, while the light-transmitting channels were quantified using automated spot detection combined with Clark–Evans nearest-neighbour statistics. The rods exhibited stiff, fibre-dominated tensile behaviour, with an indicative tensile modulus of about 55 GPa and a tensile strength of approximately 1.1 GPa (n = 2; indicative values only). In contrast, the matrix-sensitive properties were low and highly scattered, as indicated by a flexural modulus of 15.5 ± 3.8 GPa and a Weibull modulus of 3.5. Charpy tests on taped ten-rod bundles (n = 3) provided only a qualitative indication of a damage-tolerant, non-catastrophic failure mode. DSC revealed a residual cure exotherm of 19.8 J g⁻¹, a matrix glass-transition temperature of 67 °C, and an estimated degree of cure of only 0.47–0.62. Microscopy additionally showed periodic resin beads spaced approximately 6 mm apart, consistent with insufficient resin gelation at the pultrusion die. The strong, although small-sample (n = 6), correlation between flexural modulus and strength (r = 0.94, p = 0.006) suggested that specimen-level cure heterogeneity, rather than randomly distributed flaws, was the principal source of mechanical scatter. The staggered layout produced approximately twice as many active light channels (N = 271 versus 133–134) and was the only arrangement that substantially preserved its intended geometry after casting (Clark–Evans R = 1.55, z = 17.4). By contrast, the nominally regular layout became statistically indistinguishable from complete spatial randomness (R = 1.07). Light transmission was assessed semi-quantitatively from back-illuminated images (channel counts and spatial statistics) on one specimen per layout; photometric transmittance and the mechanical properties of the composite element were outside the scope of this exploratory study. The results indicate that the cure state of in-house-manufactured light guides and their fixation during casting are as important as the nominal rod arrangement. Effective control of these parameters can improve manufacturing reliability, limit defective material, and support the development of durable, material-efficient cementitious elements for daylight-based, lower-energy building applications.

Low-grade sheep wool is an underused, keratin-rich by-product whose cystine-derived sulphur could be returned to agricultural soils. Carded wool was bonded with sprayed poly(lactic acid) (PLA) hot-melt to obtain porous wool–PLA biocomposite mats, which were exposed in field soil, in a pasture-grass composter and under soil-free outdoor conditions. The elemental composition of the wool, soil, forage, composting material and exposed mats was determined by ICP-OES after 60 days of exposure; each reported value is the mean of at least three analytical determinations, whereas the field layout comprised one plot per treatment. Forage from the plot with buried mats contained 47.8% more S and 21.9% more K than forage from the untreated plot, whereas Ca, Mg, B and Mo concentrations were lower; because the plots were not replicated, these differences are reported as preliminary observations rather than as demonstrated treatment effects. After composting, the mats retained only 17–23% of their initial storage modulus between −30 and 50 °C, while the relaxation of the PLA phase shifted by 7–10 °C towards higher temperatures. The water contact angle decreased from 72.3 ± 10.0° to 55.7 ± 12.1° (six droplets on one mat per condition), while the stylus roughness did not change appreciably. Digital microscopy revealed swelling, fissuring, cavities and fibre exposure along wool–PLA interfaces. A coupled mechanism of PLA ester hydrolysis and keratinolytic release of sulphur is proposed as a working hypothesis that is consistent with, but not yet proven by, the present data. The results support wool–PLA mats as temporary, degradable carriers of keratin-bound sulphur; replicated field trials with yield, nutrient uptake and soil measurements, together with direct degradation markers, are required before any fertilising or soil-improving effect can be claimed.