In 2024, approximately 2.6 million beef cattle were slaughtered in Italy, with 82.6% of production concentrated in the north of the country, where Veneto region alone contributed 31.1% of the natio...

Dry-aged (DA) beef crust is a concentrated by-product generated during dry-ageing, that may serve as a functional ingredient and flavour carrier in value-added meat products, although its effects on product stability during retail display remain unclear. This study evaluated the effect of incorporating 40% DA beef crust into DA beef patties on physicochemical, microbial, and sensory traits during a 7-day retail display. Two treatments were prepared: patties without crust (DAN) or patties containing 40% crust (DAC), assessed at days 0, 3, and 7. Data were analysed using a 2×3 factorial design, and sensory traits with mixed models. DAC affected several quality traits, producing more concentrated patties with lower water (PT×D<0.001), higher fat (PT×D=0.039) and protein (PT<0.001), reduced cooking loss (CL; PT×D<0.001), and greater energy density (PT×D=0.028) than DAN. It also modified display stability, with significant interaction effects for pH and colour traits including redness and chroma (PT×D<0.01). Cooked DAC enhanced DA sensory expression, particularly aged/nutty odour, together with more heterogeneous and browned appearance. DAC patties also showed higher initial total viable counts (PT=0.040) and Enterobacteriaceae (PT=0.002), while rapid microbial growth occurred during display, including increases in Pseudomonas spp. (PD<0.001). These changes were accompanied by faster deterioration of rancid and spoilage-related perceptions and by lower acceptability after storage. Overall, DA beef crust can be valorised as an odour-enhancing and functional ingredient: however, at 40% inclusion, it is more suitable for patties intended for immediate consumption or sold as chilled ready-to-heat products rather than for raw patties intended for extended retail display.

The objectives of this study were (i) to analyze the ClassyFarm welfare scores in loose housing system (LHS) and tied housing system (THS) Rendena herds, and (ii) to investigate the influence of the housing on individual milk yield and quality traits in Rendena cows. The dataset consisted of 3761 individual milk samples from 750 Rendena cows, collected between August 2022 and November 2023 from 17 single-breed herds of the Veneto region. Available data included days in milk (DIM), parity, and milk yield, as well as fat, protein, casein, and lactose contents, somatic cell count, differential somatic cell count, and urea concentration. For milk traits, a linear mixed model included housing system, DIM, and parity as fixed effects, while cow, herd-test-date, and residual variability were random effects. In both housing systems, a good level of welfare was observed, although shortcomings in biosecurity measures were identified in both LHS and THS. Milk quality (in terms of protein % and casein %) and yield were higher in LHS compared to THS. The observed differences cannot be explained by the housing system alone, as other management and nutritional factors may have played a role, highlighting the need for further studies to clarify these contributions.