Cocoa husks fed to lactating dairy ewes affect milk fatty acid profile and oxidative status of blood and milk

Cocoa byproduct inclusion in dairy sheep diet: Effects on sensory, volatile, and antioxidant properties of cheese

The possibility of inclusion of agro-industrial byproducts in the diet of small ruminants represents both an economic and an environmental strategy for reducing waste management by industries and costs of feeding as well as the impact of livestock farming. Large amounts of wastes from the cocoa industry are produced annually, with a considerable part represented by cocoa bean shells, considered a suitable ingredient to be included in the diet of ruminants within the limits established by European legislation. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of including cocoa bean shells in the diet of dairy sheep on the sensory, volatile, and antioxidant properties of cheese. To this purpose, 20 lactating Comisana ewes were randomly assigned to 2 experimental groups: control (CTRL) and cocoa bean shells (CBS), and received alfalfa hay ad libitum and 800 g of conventional (CTRL) or experimental (CBS) concentrate containing 11.7% CBS to partially replace corn and barley of the CTRL concentrate. Bulk milk collected from each group was used to produce a total of 15 cheeses per group, obtained in 5 different days of cheesemaking (3 cheeses a day per group). After 60 d of aging, each cheese of each experimental group was sampled for the analyses. The results on chemical composition revealed a greater content of monounsaturated fatty acids and an increase in the nutritional indices, suggesting a favorable role of cocoa bean shell dietary inclusion on the nutritive value of cheese. The cheese sensory profile was affected by the cocoa bean shell inclusion, with more pronounced appearance, odor, aroma, and taste attributes in the product. The volatile profile showed only a few significant differences, mainly related to the cheese ripening process, and no differences were found in α-tocopherol contents in cheese fat between the 2 groups. Therefore, the inclusion of coca bean shells in the diet of dairy sheep allowed us to obtain a good-quality cheese, without altering the characteristics associated with the typical profiles of sheep cheese. Furthermore, the use of this byproduct could contribute to decreasing feed costs and waste management, representing a good practice for increasing the sustainability of dairy products.

Animal dietary exposure in the risk assessment of feed derived from genetically modified plants

EFSA carries out the risk assessment of genetically modified plants for food and feed uses under Regulation (EU) No 503/2013. Exposure assessment - anticipated intake/extend of use shall be an essential element of the risk assessment of genetically modified feeds, as required by Regulation (EU) No 503/2013. Estimates of animal dietary exposure to newly expressed proteins should be determined to cover average consumption across all the different species, age, physiological and productive phases of farmed and companion animals, and identify and consider particular consumer groups with expected higher exposure. This statement is aimed at facilitating the reporting of the information that applicants need to provide on expected animal dietary exposure to newly expressed proteins and to increase harmonisation of the application dossiers to be assessed by the EFSA GMO Panel. Advice is provided on the selection of proper feed consumption and feed concentration data, and on the reporting of exposure's estimates. An overview of the different uncertainties that may be linked to the estimations is provided. This statement also explains how to access an Excel calculator which should be used in future applications as basis to provide a more consistent presentation of estimates of expected animal dietary exposure.

Comparison of Milk Odd- and Branched-Chain Fatty Acids among Human, Dairy Species and Artificial Substitutes

The aim of the study was to compare odd and branched-chain fatty acids (OBCFA) of milk from sheep, goat, cow, buffalo, donkey, human, and formula milk. Ruminant, monogastric, and human milks have different concentrations of these fatty acids (FA). To highlight the differences on OBCFA, a total of 282 individual milk samples were analyzed by gas chromatography. The OBCFA were found higher in ruminant than non-ruminant milks (p < 0.05). Among ruminants, sheep milk had the highest OBCFA (4.5 g/100 g of total FAME), whereases the lowest values were found in formula milk (0.18 g/100 g of total FAME). Regarding individual linear odd-chain FA (linear-OCFA), C11:0 was found higher in donkey milk than others, while sheep and buffalo milks had the greatest concentration of C15:0. Among BCFA, the iso-BCFA were higher than anteiso-BCFA in all considered milks. The isoC17:0 showed the highest concentration in all milks except for donkey and buffalo, which showed higher concentration of isoC16:0 than others. In conclusion, ruminant milks are different in terms of these FA compared to human milk and its substitutes. However, the greatest differences were found with formula milk, suggesting that this product needs the implementation of these FA to be more similar to human milk composition.

Theobroma cacao and Theobroma grandiflorum: Botany, Composition and Pharmacological Activities of Pods and Seeds

Cocoa and cupuassu are evergreen Amazonian trees belonging to the genus Theobroma, with morphologically distinct fruits, including pods and beans. These beans are generally used for agri-food and cosmetics and have high fat and carbohydrates contents. The beans also contain interesting bioactive compounds, among which are polyphenols and methylxanthines thought to be responsible for various health benefits such as protective abilities against cardiovascular and neurodegenerative disorders and other metabolic disorders such as obesity and diabetes. Although these pods represent 50-80% of the whole fruit and provide a rich source of proteins, they are regularly eliminated during the cocoa and cupuassu transformation process. The purpose of this work is to provide an overview of recent research on cocoa and cupuassu pods and beans, with emphasis on their chemical composition, bioavailability, and pharmacological properties. According to the literature, pods and beans from cocoa and cupuassu are promising ecological and healthy resources.