M. Pascual-Alonso

Influence of social dominance on production, welfare and the quality of meat from beef bulls.

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of social dominance on some indicators of welfare, production and meat quality of young bulls. A total of 60 bulls of the Gasconne breed, 9 months old, housed indoors were used. Indices of success order were calculated to reflect social dominance of each bull into three ranking categories (low, middle and high). Blood samples were taken to measure cortisol, lactate, glucose, creatine kinase, non-esterified fatty acid and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (N/L). M. longissimus samples were analysed in terms of pH, water holding capacity (WHC), texture, colour and sensorial attributes. Social rank influenced cattle stress response, which had an effect on productive performance but not on meat quality traits, with the exception of the sensory traits. These results emphasize the importance of implementing best management practices during pre-harvest handling of cattle in order to modulate any possible risk factor for social stress.

Effect of enriched housing on welfare, production performance and meat quality in finishing lambs: the use of feeder ramps.

This study analyses the effect of environmental enrichment on the welfare, productive traits and meat quality of lambs housed in feedlots. Sixty lambs were placed in enriched (EE) or conventional (CO) pens (3 pens for each treatment, 10 lambs/pen) where EE had a wooden platform with ramps that provided access to a concentrate hopper, cereal straw as bedding and forage, and one play ramp. The CO pen was barren, similar to commercial feedlots. The physiological adaptation response of EE lambs was more efficient than CO, since the latter mobilised more body reserves (i.e., increased NEFA, P<0.05), and had lower levels of immunity (i.e., increased N/L, P<0.05), which indicate chronic stress, probably associated with the barren environment. The EE lambs had a higher (P<0.05) average daily gain, with heavier carcasses and higher fattening scores, as well as lower pHult, higher L and b values, and lower values of texture (P<0.05).

Effect of Postweaning Handling Strategies on Welfare and Productive Traits in Lambs

Postweaning management strategies that include an element of social enrichment may reduce weaning stress and improve welfare and productive performance. We analyzed the effect of postweaning handling strategies on welfare and production traits in lambs. After weaning, 36 lambs were assigned to 3 experimental groups with 12 lambs each (control [C], fattening with gentle human female contact [H], and fattening with 2 adult ewes [E]). The average daily gain (ADG) was estimated. Blood samples were taken, and infrared thermography was used to estimate stress variables. There were significant differences among treatments (in favor of alternative strategies) regarding production and stress variables (cortisol, glucose, and creatine kinase). The results suggest that the lambs handled gently during the fattening were less reactive and better able to modulate their physiological stress. The E group adapted better to acute stress than the C group but was less efficient in modulating chronic stress. Both treatments showed higher slaughter live weights and better ADGs compared with the control. The use of social enrichment at weaning, especially to establish a positive human–nonhuman animal bond, alleviates lamb weaning stress and improves welfare and performance.

Effect of a screen with flaps and straw on behaviour, stress response, productive performance and meat quality in indoor feedlot lambs

We analysed the effect of a modified pen using a wooden screen with flaps and cereal straw as forage and bedding, on behaviour, stress response, performance and meat quality variables of lambs housed in feedlots. Sixty male lambs were placed in enriched (ESF) or conventional (CO) pens (3 pens/treatment, 10 lambs/pen). The CO environment was barren. The ESF lambs showed a great preference for the provided items, which encouraged more natural and richer behaviour, reducing stereotypies and lamb aggressions, and increasing affiliations (P ≤ 0.05), which improves group cohesion. However, ESF lambs also developed a more natural coping style to the handling, evidenced by the higher cortisol levels (65.4 vs. 43.8 nmol/L) and a higher eye temperature as response to the reactivity test (38.1 vs. 37.8 °C). The ESF lambs had a higher (P ≤ 0.05) slaughter weight (27.2 vs. 26.3 kg), conformation score (7.38 vs. 6.07) and pH 24 (5.63 vs. 5.56) but lower cooking losses (12.9 vs. 14.9%) than CO lambs.

Effects of an enriched housing environment on sensory aspects and fatty-acid composition of the longissimus muscle of light-weight finished lambs.

We analysed the effect of enriched housing on the sensory meat quality and fatty acid composition of longissimus muscle in 60 entire Rasa Aragonesa lambs, housed indoors for 5 weeks in six pens (10 lambs/pen, 0.95 m(2)/lamb, initial weight 17.13±0.18 kg and carcass mean 12.23±0.23 kg); three control pens (barren) and three enriched pens (straw, platform with ramps and a small ramp). The final weight, carcass weight, fatness scores and cooking losses of meat from enriched lambs (EG) were higher and pH 24 was lower (P ≤ 0.05). The EG lambs had more C18:0 and total SFA (P ≤ 0.05). Lamb odour and grass odour were more intense in EG (P ≤ 0.05). Overall liking was higher for EG (P ≤ 0.05) and associated with tenderness (P ≤ 0.0001). The results suggest that environmental enrichment can have effects on fatty acid composition and sensory meat quality.

Effect of Dietary Grape Pomace and Seed on Ewe Milk and Meat Quality of Their Suckling Lambs

The effect of wine by-products in the feeding of ewes on fatty acid composition of milk and meat of their suckling lambs and the sensory quality of the meat was investigated. Forty-two ewes were fed during the second half of gestation and lactation one out of three treatments: a control diet based on a commercial concentrate and two concentrates supplemented with either 10% grape pomace or 5% grape seed. In addition, all animals had ad libitum access of Lucerne chaff. The control group showed lower concentration of saturated fatty acids (mainly in short and medium chain) and higher monounsaturated fatty acids (mainly oleic acid) in the milk fat, being the total polyunsaturated fatty acids unchanged. However, this variation was not reflected in the meat of the suckling lambs, where only few differences in individual fatty acids were found, such as linoleic acid being highest in the pomace treatment. Spicy and metallic flavours were increased in the wine by-products groups, but overall liking was not affected. The by-products added to the diets may be a good way to reduce costs on feeding and waste, but they were not able to provide a healthier fatty acid profile, neither in milk nor in the meat of the suckling lambs.

Influence of coat colour on Chamarita sheep phenotypes, behaviour, welfare and performances

Summary Many rustic breeds under low levels of genetic selection maintain variations in coat colour, which local farmers link to production traits, but few quantitative analyses have been made of the effect of coat colour on several zootechnical parameters of importance. The aim of the study was to describe differences in morphology, production, behaviour and welfare of adult sheep ewes (n= 50) in a Chamarita breed flock in terms of coat colour. The wool and skin colour of Chamarita sheep are quite variable, with white, black and galana sheep. Morphological measurements (weight, body length, height at withers and thorax circumference) were not significantly different for different coat colours but white sheep tended to be larger. Average litter size (1.29 lambs per ewe) was also similar, but white coated sheep gave birth to larger lambs. White-mother lambs also had a higher average daily growth during the milking period, although final weaning weight was similar to black ones. Most (>70 percent) of all the aggressive interactions observed were performed by white sheep, while affiliative interactions (friendly interactions that promote group cohesion) were similar among coat colour. Regarding the welfare assessment, most indicators were similar among sheep with different coat colour except for glucose in blood plasma, which was higher in white sheep. Chamarita ewes are relatively small compared with other breeds, and well adapted to their environment, including the production system and harder climatic conditions. Their performance is within the average of local breeds and still has margins for improvement, which underline the importance of their conservation.

Effect of slaughter age on meat quality of Chamarito lambs

espanolEl cordero Chamarito fue reconocido con marca de calidad en abril de 2010 y es una carne muy apreciada en el mercado local, pero poco se sabe acerca de como un corto periodo de engorde puede afectar a la calidad del producto final. Diez corderos de un rebano de raza Chamarita fueron sacrificados dentro del rango de peso de la categoria tipo Ternasco y se compararon con otros 10 de la categoria de cordero lechal. Todos los animales fueron pesados al nacer, en el momento del destete y antes del sacrificio, y se calculo la ganancia media diaria. Se pesaron las canales en frio y se evaluo el grado de contusiones, la conformacion y el engrasamiento de la canal. La espalda izquierda de cada canal fue separada para su diseccion. El pH de la carne, las perdidas por cocinado y descongelacion, la textura, color y composicion de acidos grasos de la carne se evaluaron en muestras del musculo longissimus. Se analizaron las caracteristicas productivas y las variables de calidad de la carne ajustadas a un modelo unidireccional con la edad del cordero como efecto. La carne y las variables de calidad de la canal fueron co-variadas con el peso de la canal fria. La conformacion y grado de engrasamiento de corderos de tipo Ternasco no fue significativamente diferente de corderos lactantes pero el pHult de los primeros fue ligeramente superior. El perfil de acidos grasos de corderos lactantes se adecuo mas a una dieta humana sana. francaisAvec une chair tres appreciee dans le marche local, l’agneau Chamarito a ete reconnu avec un label de qualite en Avril 2010.Cependant, on sait peu sur la facon dont une courte periode d’engraissement peut affecter la qualite du produit final. Dix agneaux d’un troupeau de race Chamarita ont ete abattus dans la gamme de poids de la categorie «Ternasco » et ont ete compares a dix autres agneaux de la categorie « Cordero Lechal » (Agneau de Lait). Tous les animaux ont ete peses a la naissance, au sevrage et avant l’abattage, afin de calculer le gain moyen quotidien. Les carcasses froides ont ete pesees et le degre de contusions, la conformation et l’etat d’engraissement de la carcasse ont ete evalues. L’epaule gauche a ete separee de chaque carcasse pour sa dissection. La valeur pH de la viande, les pertes par cuisson et par decongelation, la texture, la couleur et la composition en acides gras de la viande ont ete evaluees sur des echantillons du muscle longissimus. Les caracteristiques productives et les parametres de qualite de la viande, ajustes a un modele unidirectionnel ayant l’âge de l’agneau comme effet, ont ete analyses. Le poids de la carcasse froide a ete utilise comme covariable pour la viande et les parametres de qualite de la carcasse. Aucune difference significative n’a ete decelee pour la conformation et l’etat d’engraissement entre les agneaux de type « Ternasco » et ceux de lait, bien que le pH a ete legerement plus eleve pour les premiers. Le profil en acides gras des agneaux allaites s’est avere plus adapte a un regime alimentaire sain pour les humains. EnglishChamarito lamb was recognized as a quality brand in Spain in April 2010 and this meat is highly appreciated in the local market, but little is known about how a short fattening period may affectfinal product quality. Twenty lambs, ten from the Ternasco category and ten from the suckling lamb category, were slaughtered and their carcass characteristics compared. All animals were weighed at birth, weaning and before slaughter, and average daily gain was calculated. Cold carcasses were weighed and bruising score, carcass conformation and carcass fatness were noted. The left back of each carcass was separated for dissection. The meat pH, cooking and thawing losses, texture, colour and fatty acid composition were measured on M.longissimussamples. Production traits and meat quality variables were analysedfitting a oneway model with the fixed effect of mean lamb age at harvest. The conformation and degree of fatness of Ternasco-type lambs was not significantly different from suckling lambs but the pH values 24.00 hours post-mortem in muscle (pHult) of the former was slightly higher. The fatty acid profile of suckling lambs was more suitable for a healthy human diet.