Prevalence of post mortem lesions recorded in the largest Italian rabbit slaughterhouse over a fifteen-years period (2003-2017)

<p>The present research was aimed at evaluating the prevalence of gross lesions in condemned rabbit carcasses by analysing data recorded in a large Italian slaughterhouse. From 2003 until 2017, a total of 103 080 019 rabbits were processed: 101 722 673 were finishing rabbits and 1 357 346 were breeding females. A total of 742 397 carcasses were condemned due to lesions. Condemned carcasses from young rabbits (n=545 070) evidenced: 33.6% enteritis, 31.5% subcutaneous abscesses, 29.7% cachexia and 3.84% lung disease. Among breeding rabbits (n=197 327) there were 38.9% cachexia, followed by 35.8% uterine pathologies (breeding females), 14.9% subcutaneous abscesses, 5.42% ulcerative pododermatitis, 2.61% chronic nephritis and 2.47% lung disease. Regarding season-related lesions, for growing rabbits the total prevalence of lesions and diseases was the highest in winter (enteritis increased in winter, but subcutaneous abscesses were higher in summer). Rabbit does showed the highest prevalence of subcutaneous abscesses in summer and ulcerative pododermatitis in winter. From 2003 to 2017, the overall number of condemned carcasses doubled in both categories, with a sharp increase from 2012 till 2017. The prevalence of lesions among slaughtered rabbits differed between growing and breeding categories, which was attributable to different farming conditions, physiological status and slaughter age. Based on the above-mentioned findings, better management strategies at different stages of the rabbit production chain seem to be a necessary way to manage resulting waste and address possible economic concerns.</p>

Black soldier fly as dietary protein source for broiler quails: meat proximate composition, fatty acid and amino acid profile, oxidative status and sensory traits

In the perspective of improving the sustainability of meat production, insects have been rapidly emerging as innovative feed ingredient for some livestock species, including poultry. However, at present, there is still limited knowledge regarding the quality and sensory traits of the derived meat. Therefore, the present study tested the effect of a partial substitution of soya bean meal and oil with defatted black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae meal (H) in the diet for growing broiler quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica) on meat proximate composition, cholesterol, amino acid and mineral contents, fatty acid profile, oxidative status and sensory characteristics. To this purpose, three dietary treatments were designed: a control diet (C) and two diets (H1 and H2) corresponding to 10% and 15% H inclusion levels, respectively, were fed to growing quails from 10 to 28 days of age. At 28 days of age, quails were slaughtered and breast meat was used for meat quality evaluations. Meat proximate composition, cholesterol content and oxidative status remained unaffected by H supplementation as well as its sensory characteristics and off-flavours perception. Differently, with increasing the dietary H inclusion, the total saturated fatty acid and total monounsaturated fatty acid proportions raised to the detriment of the polyunsaturated fatty acid fraction thus lowering the healthiness of the breast meat. The H2 diet increased the contents of aspartic acid, glutamic acid, alanine, serine, tyrosine and threonine thus further enhancing the biological value of the meat protein. As a direct result of the dietary content of Ca and P, the meat of quails fed with the highest H level, displayed the highest Ca and the lowest P values. Therefore, meat quality evaluations confirmed H to be a promising insect protein source for quails. The only potential drawback from feeding H to broiler quails regarded the fatty acid profile of the meat, therefore requiring further research efforts to understand to what extent the fatty acid profile of H can be improved.

Heavy Metal Presence in Two Different Types of Ice Cream: Artisanal Ice Cream (Italian Gelato) and Industrial Ice Cream

Ice cream, a popular product worldwide, is usually a milk-based product with other types of ingredients (fruit, eggs, cocoa, dried fruit, additives, and others). Different materials are used to obtain the desired taste, texture, consistency, and appearance of the final product. This study surveyed ice cream products available in Italy for heavy metals (lead, cadmium, chromium, tin, and arsenic). The differences between artisanal and industrial ice cream were also investigated because of the importance in the Italian diet and the diffusion of this ready-to-eat food. Ice cream sampling was performed between October 2010 and February 2011 in the northeast of Italy. A total of 100 samples were randomly collected from different sources: 50 industrial samples produced by 19 different brands were collected in coffee bars and supermarkets; 50 artisanal ice cream samples were gathered at nine different artisanal ice cream shops. Ten wooden sticks of industrial ice cream were analyzed in parallel to the ice cream. All samples were negative for arsenic and mercury. None of the artisanal ice cream samples were positive for lead and tin; 18% of the industrial ice cream samples were positive. All positive lead samples were higher than the legal limit stated for milk (0.02 mg/kg). All industrial ice cream samples were negative for cadmium, but cadmium was present in 10% of the artisanal ice cream samples. Chromium was found in 26% of the artisanal and in 58% of the industrial ice cream samples. The heavy metals found in the wooden sticks were different from the corresponding ice cream, pointing out the lack of cross-contamination between the products. Considering the results and the amount of ice cream consumed during the year, contamination through ice cream is a low risk for the Italian population, even though there is need for further analysis.

Black soldier fly as dietary protein source for broiler quails: apparent digestibility, excreta microbial load, feed choice, performance, carcass and meat traits

In order to expand with validated scientific data the limited knowledge regarding the potential application of insects as innovative feed ingredients for poultry, the present study tested a partial substitution of soya bean meal and soya bean oil with defatted black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae meal (H) in the diet for growing broiler quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica) on growth performance, mortality, nutrients apparent digestibility, microbiological composition of excreta, feed choice, carcass and meat traits. With this purpose, a total of 450 10-day-old birds were allocated to 15 cages (30 birds/cage) and received three dietary treatments: a Control diet (C) and two diets (H1 and H2) corresponding to 10% and 15% H inclusion levels, respectively (H substituted 28.4% soya bean oil and 16.1% soya bean meal for H1, and 100% soya bean oil and 24.8% soya bean meal for H2, respectively). At 28 days of age, quails were slaughtered, carcasses were weighed, breast muscles were then excised from 50 quails/treatment, weighed, and ultimate pH (pHu) and L*, a*, b* colour values were measured. Breast muscles were then cooked to assess cooking loss and meat toughness. For the digestibility trial, a total of 15 28-day-old quails were assigned to the three feeding groups. The excreta samples were subjected to chemical and microbiological analysis. The same 15 quails were then simultaneously provided with C and H2 diets for a 10-day feed choice trial. Productive performance, mortality and carcass traits were in line with commercial standards and similar in all experimental groups. With the exception of ether extract digestibility, which was lower in H1 group compared with C and H2 (P=0.0001), apparent digestibility of dry matter, CP, starch and energy did not differ among treatments. Microbial composition of excreta was also comparable among the three groups. Feed choice trial showed that quails did not express a preference toward C or H2 diets. Breast meat weight and yield did not differ among C, H1 and H2 quails. Differently, the inclusion of H meal reduced meat pHu compared with C. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that H. illucens larvae meal can partially replace conventional soya bean meal and soya bean oil in the diet for growing broiler quails, thus confirming to be a promising insect protein source for the feed industry. Further research to assess the impact of H meal on intestinal morphology as well as on meat quality and sensory profile would be of utmost importance.

Dietary supplementation of Digestarom® herbal formulation: effect on apparent digestibility, faecal and caecal microbial counts and live performance of growing rabbits

<p>The experiment aimed to study the effect of Digestarom® dietary inclusion (herbal formulation containing a mixture of essential oils, herbs, spices and extracts) on apparent digestibility and digestive ecosystem of growing rabbits, as well as the effects of its supplementation before and after weaning on growth performance. At kindling, rabbit does and litters were divided into 2 dietary groups (51 does/group) and fed either a control diet (C) or a diet supplemented with 300 mg Digestarom®/kg diet (D) until weaning, which occurred at 35 d (before weaning supplementation). Each group was further divided into 3 dietary groups: CC received the control diet and DD received the D diet from 5 to 12 wk of age, and DC were fed with D (from 5 to 8 wk of age) and C diets (from 8 to 12 wk of age) (after weaning supplementation; 54 kits/group). An in vivo digestibility trial and a faecal microbial count were carried out on growing rabbits that received only the C or D diets during the trial. The C group showed higher DM intake than D group (215 vs. 196 g/d; P&lt;0.05). The faecal digestibility of ether extract (75.9 vs. 59.8%; P&lt;0.001), cellulose (25.9 vs. 20.6%; P&lt;0.05) and gross energy (51.8 vs. 49.1%; P&lt;0.05) was higher for C than for D group, whereas that of starch (98.9 vs. 98.8%; P&lt;0.001) and the digestible protein to digestible energy ratio (13.9 vs. 13.2 g digestible protein/MJ digestible energy; P&lt;0.01) was the highest for rabbits fed D diet. Stomach and caecal pH, caecal and faecal microbial counts were independent of the dietary treatment. The only exception was the stomach pH in 8 wk-old rabbits, which had the lowest value in C rabbits (P&lt;0.05). The D supplementation before weaning improved feed conversion ratio throughout the growing phase (4.3 vs. 4.4 for D and C, respectively; P&lt;0.05), whereas significant differences in daily weight gain, feed conversion ratio and mortality were observed only in the first period after weaning. Based on the results obtained, dietary supplementation with Digestarom® does not seem to confirm the positive results previously reported for growing rabbits.</p>

Effect of pre- and post-weaning dietary supplementation with Digestarom® herbal formulation on rabbit carcass traits and meat quality

This study evaluated effects of Digestarom® (D) dietary inclusion before weaning (0-5weeks old; BW) and/or after weaning (5-12weeks old; AW) on growing rabbit carcass traits and meat quality. During BW, Pannon-Ka rabbits (does, kits) received two diets: a control diet (C) and one supplemented with 300mg Digestarom®/kg (D). At weaning, each group was divided into 3 dietary sub-groups: CC and DD received C and D diets from 5 to 12weeks of age, whereas DC was fed D from 5 to 8weeks and C from 8 to 12weeks of age (54 rabbits/group; AW). Rabbits were slaughtered at 12weeks of age. Digestarom® supplementation improved carcass yield and body mid part proportion only when administered BW. Rabbits fed D BW had higher hind leg meat cooking losses. Loin meat spiciness and rancidity increased with D both BW and AW. In conclusion, Digestarom(®) herbal formulation was ineffective in improving growing rabbit carcass traits or meat quality.

Melatonin protects human red blood cells from oxidative hemolysis: new insights into the radical-scavenging activity

Antioxidant activity of melatonin in human erythrocytes, exposed to oxidative stress by cumene hydroperoxide (cumOOH), was investigated. CumOOH at 300 microM progressively oxidized a 1% suspension of red blood cells (RBCs), leading to 100% hemolysis in 180 min. Malondialdehyde and protein carbonyls in the membrane showed a progressive increase, as a result of the oxidative damage to membrane lipids and proteins, reaching peak values after 30 and 40 min, respectively. The membrane antioxidant vitamin E and the cytosolic reduced glutathione (GSH) were totally depleted in 20 min. As a consequence of the irreversible oxidative damage to hemoglobin (Hb), hemin accumulated into the RBC membrane during 40 min. Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) gel electrophoresis of membrane proteins showed a progressive loss of the cytoskeleton proteins and formation of low molecular weight bands and protein aggregates, with an increment of the intensity of the Hb band. Melatonin at 50 microM strongly enhanced the RBC resistance to oxidative lysis, leading to a 100% hemolysis in 330 min. Melatonin had no effect on the membrane lipid peroxidation, nor prevented the consumption of glutathione (GSH) or vitamin E. However, it completely inhibited the formation of membrane protein carbonyls for 20 min and hemin precipitation for 10 min. The electrophoretic pattern provided further evidence that melatonin delayed modifications to the membrane proteins and to Hb. In addition, RBCs incubated for 15 min with 300 microM cumOOH in the presence of 50 microM melatonin were less susceptible, when submitted to osmotic lysis, than cells incubated in its absence. Extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis showed a much more rapid consumption of melatonin during the first 10 min of incubation, then melatonin slowly decreased up to 30 min and remained stable thereafter. Equilibrium partition experiments showed that 15% of the melatonin in the incubation mixture was recovered in the RBC cytosol, and no melatonin was extracted from RBC membrane. However, 35% of the added melatonin was consumed during RBC oxidation. Hydroxyl radical trapping agents, such as dimethylsulfoxide or mannitol, added into the assay in a 1,000 times molar excess, did not vary melatonin consumption, suggesting that hydroxyl radicals were not involved in the indole consumption. Our results indicate that melatonin is actively taken up into erythrocytes under oxidative stress, and is consumed in the defence of the cell, delaying Hb denaturation and release of hemin. RBCs are highly exposed to oxygen and can be a site for radical formation, under pathological conditions, which results in their destruction. A protective role of melatonin should be explored in hemolytic diseases.

Oxidation resistance of LDL is correlated with vitamin E status in beta-thalassemia intermedia

The alteration of the oxidant/antioxidant balance may affect the susceptibility of low density lipoproteins (LDL) to oxidation in haemolytic disorders such as thalassemia. Thirty patients affected by beta-thalassemia intermedia were examined, and compared with age-matched healthy controls. The mean amount of vitamin E in the thalassemic LDL was lower than control (p < 0.0001), either when it was calculated on the base of LDL protein (61% decrease) or cholesterol (25% decrease). The LDL resistance to Cu2+-induced oxidation, evaluated as the length of the lag phase before the onset of conjugated diene (CD) lipid hydroperoxide production, was 20% lower than control. Other parameters of LDL susceptibility to oxidation, such as the rate of lipid peroxidation, Rp, and the total amount of conjugated dienes produced, CDmax, were only slightly lower than control, which can be explained by a lower content of peroxidable lipids in the thalassemic LDL. Total LDL cholesterol was 1.08 x 10(3) and 2.07 x 10(3) mol/mol LDL in thalassemic and in control LDL, respectively. The length of the lag phase in thalassemic LDL shows a strongly positive correlation with its vitamin E content (r = 0.732; p < 0.0001). The r2-value of 0.53 provides evidence that more than 50% of the lag phase is determined by vitamin E. Oxidizability of LDL lipids may explain 22-24% of the lag phase, as calculated by the inverse correlation between the length of the lag phase and CDmax (r = -0.474; p = 0.008; r2 = 0.22) and Rp (r = -0.499; p = 0.005; r2 = 0.24). In multiple regression analysis, the lag phase was predictable to 66% by vitamin E plus CDmax, and to 60% by vitamin E plus Rp. Plasma vitamin E was 53% lower in thalassemia patients compared to control and positively correlated with vitamin E in the LDL (r = 0.677; p < 0.0001). None of the correlations above were observed in control subjects. In conclusion, beta-thalassemia is associated with very low levels of vitamin E in plasma and in LDL, a condition that renders these particles more susceptible to in vitro oxidative modification and may account for atherogenesis-related vascular diseases described in thalassemia. The present data on a statistically significant correlation between abnormally low vitamin E and oxidizability of LDL contribute substantially to the hypothesis that vitamin E is a pathophysiologically important determinant of antioxidative protection of LDL.