Gino Balestri

Effect of different processing methods on the nutritional characteristics and tannin content of fababean seed (Vicia faba minor)

Abstract In the last years, because of their high protein content, the demand of legume seeds is significantly increased. In the centre and southern Italy fababean (Vicia faba minor) can play an important role as alternative protein source in ruminant nutrition. In this trial has been studied the effect of different treatments (flaking, cooking, dehulling, germination) on the in vitro digestibility and tannin content of fababean seeds. The in vitro OM and NDF digestibility of seeds were significantly (P<0.05) improved by dehulling and flaking. The in vitro OM digestibility of dehulled fababean (99.27%) showed higher values (P<0.05) than the other treated seeds as well as in vitro NDF digestibility (90.33%, P<0.05). Germination of fababean reduces the in vitro digestibility of OM and NDF. Cooking in water was more effective in reducing tannins than other treatments. Compared to the untreated the cooked has significantly (P<0.05) reduced the tannin content over 55% (2.71 g/kgDM vs. 6.10 g/kgDM). Germinated fababean did not affect the tannin content of seeds. The results from this trial suggest that thermal treatments applied to fababean seeds in order to reduce the tannins must be evaluated according to the cost/benefits ratio because this factors in seeds is low (<10 g/kgDM).

Milk characteristics of grazing sheep fed with different hay/concentrate ratio

Abstract Seasonal production of pasture forces in the period of grass shortage to supply the animal feeding with hay and concentrates. The supplies satisfy the animal nutritive needs, but reduce the advantages coming from the grazing on milk quality. The present trial was carried out on Massese breed on a low productive pasture, testing four kinds of feeding supplies with different hay/concentrate ratio. The individual milk productions, the chemical composition so as the acidic milk composition have been controlled for six weeks. Although the four feeding supplies given to the animals had different chemical-nutritional values (diet A 0.84 MFU/kgDM with forage/concentrate ratio 1:1.7; B 0.78 with 1:1; C 0.72 with 1: 0.7; D 0.68 with 2:1), they did not influence the milk production which resulted quite low and without significant differences. Results did not show differences in relation to the nutritional characteristics and the acidic milk composition. In the four groups Vaccenic acid and Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) of milk showed similar and decreasing trends during the trial. These trends were probably due to the progressive grass reduction on the grazing: the effects on the dietetic characteristics of the milk did not depend on the supply but on the quantity of grass intaken during the grazing.

Effects of storage time on technological ovine milk traits

Maternal abilities and piglet vitality were analyzed on 24 Meishan (MS) and 24 Large White (LW) gilts. Females were inseminated with a mixture of semen from both breeds. Three MS and 3 LW boars were used to constitute 3 duos formed by mixing of MS and LW semen in equal proportions. Farrowing events were studied over 5 successive batches. The proportion of purebred and crossbred piglets within the litter varied according to the duo used and the dam breed (p<0.01). The average within-litter percentage of purebred piglets in LW and MS sows was respectively 43% and 50% with use of duo 1, 64% and 23% with duo 2 and 69% and 81% with duo 3. Gestation was shorter in MS than in LW sows (111.6 vs 114.0 days; p<0.05) and litter size tended to be larger in LW than in MS sows (14.6 vs 12.8 total born piglets; p=0.08). Over the three first days of lactation, piglet probability of survival was similar between purebred and crossbred piglets born from LW sows (94.5% vs 95.0%) and higher in purebred than crossbred piglets born from MS sows (96.6% vs 98.7%, p<0.05). In LW sows, crossbred piglets were heavier at birth and more reactive in a novel environment than purebred piglets (1.29 vs 1.21 kg, p<0.10; reactivity score: 1.38 vs 1.03 respectively). In MS sows, purebred piglets had a lower birth weight than crossbred piglets but showed similar vitality (0.86 vs 1.08 kg, p<0.001; reactivity score: 1.00 vs 1.03). Birth process and piglet behavior in early lactation will be analyzed to estimate the interaction between dam breed and piglet genetic type (purebred vs crossbred) on the expression of maternal behavior and piglet vitality (udder activity and survival).Young horses normally live in small year-round stable groups including one stallion, their mothers, a few other mares, their siblings and unrelated peers. On the contrary, most of young domestic horses are generally maintained in same-age and same-sex groups from weaning until training. One has to consider that the absence of adult partners during ontogeny may be a source of behavioral disorders. In a first study, we focused on social conditions at weaning. While it is well known that presence of peers is of high importance to alleviate weaning stress, we investigated here the effects of the introduction of unrelated adult mares in groups of weanlings. Results showed that signs of stress were less pronounced and shorter in time in weanlings housed with adult mares than in weanlings kept in same-age groups (e.g. distress vocalizations: P<0.05; salivary cortisol: P<0.05). Besides, only foals deprived of adult presence exhibited increased aggressiveness towards peers (P<0.05) and abnormal behaviors (P<0.05). In conclusion, the presence of two unrelated adults in groups of weanlings not only alleviated weaning stress, but also favored positive social behavior and limited the emergence of abnormal behaviors. In a second study, we examined the impact of the temporary presence of adult horses on the behavior of 1- and 2-year-old horses. Results showed that young horses reared in homogeneous groups had a reduced behavioral repertoire, no real preferred partner and displayed many agonistic interactions compared to domestic horses reared under more natural conditions. Interestingly, after the introduction of adults, young horses expressed new behaviors (e.g. snapping, lying recumbent), preferential social associations emerged (P<0.05) and positive social behavior increased (P<0.05). Taken together, these results have important implications in terms of husbandry, indicating the importance of keeping young horses with adults.The aim of this work was to characterise the European consumer of pig meat (within ALCASDE project). A total of 822 respondents participated in a survey that was carried out Germany (DE n=132), Spain (ES n=133), France (FR n=139), Italy (IT n=140), Netherlands (NL n=132) and United Kingdom (UK n=146). All of them were selected for consuming pork > 1 time/month and stratified by age and gender, within each country profile. Respondents answered socio-demographic questions and frequency of consumption of different pork products, the most common purchasing place for fresh pork meat, if they were responsible for buying fresh pork at home, if they were responsible for cooking at home, and if they usually eat the pork with the fat. Data was analysed with FREQ procedure of SAS software. In general, over ninety percent of consumers ate fresh pork > 2 times/week (DE 96.2 %; ES 95.5 %; IT 92.9 %; NL 93.9 %; UK 97.3 %) except for FR (34.8 %). The most consumed product was the sausage in DE, dry cured ham in ES and IT; cooked ham in FR, mince meat in NL and sliced bacon in UK. In all the countries, the supermarket was the most common purchasing place of fresh pork with the exception of NL, where it was the traditional market. In general, the percentage of respondents responsible for buying fresh pork in their household was 91.0 %. In all countries, women were more responsible for buying fresh pork than men, and they were mostly between 41-60 years old. Ninety-one percent of respondents were partially responsible for cooking at home. Women were more responsible for cooking at home than men. France was an exception, where 49.6 % women and 50.4 % men cooked at home. Considering all respondents, 44.5 % ate the pork with the fat in all the countries (35.4 % of women and 54.6 % of men). The study showed differences among countries regarding respondents’ traits.

Sorghum used to fodder production in dry farming

Abstract In Italy water deficient increase forward to cultivate resistant crops for forage production. In the present research it has been studied the opportunity of using 2 varieties of sorghum: the “Sweet Creek”, used as green forage and for silage and the “True”, with thinner stalks, used as hay. The fodder production and the dhurrin content during the vegetative phase of the 2 varieties were recorded. Production and chemical characteristics of green and preserved fodders (hay and silage) were determined; moreover the nutritive value and the in vitro digestibility of DM were measured. Results confirm the good adaptation of the sorghum to the water limited conditions as those ones in which the test has been carried out; green and preserved fodders yield were high, however during the hay harvest problems due to the different drying dynamics of leaves and stalks were found. The dhurrin content of these two varieties, even in the young phase, allows the use for grazing of the regrown, which have good bunching.