Ruminants, Volume 5, Issue 2 (June 2025) – 9 articles

In 2020, the European Union endorsed its “Farm-to-Fork” strategy, emphasizing the need for transparency in the food production chain and communication of the sustainability level and nutritional value of food products to the consumer through labeling. For animal-based products, this also includes information about the husbandry systems under which the animals are raised. At the same time, people are becoming increasingly concerned both as citizens and as consumers about animal welfare issues in production species, as animal welfare is considered an integral part of sustainability and food security. This has led to the development of various enhanced animal welfare labeling schemes, initiated by public or private entities, or even as a partnership of both. Specifically for cattle, sheep, and goats, various standards have been developed and implemented in Europe, all establishing higher welfare standards compared to conventional farming, and in some cases exceeding the minimum requirements for organic farming as set by Regulation (EU) 2018/848. Most of these standards, especially those developed by NGOs advocating for animal welfare or through public initiative, were developed for semi-intensive to extensive systems. They primarily incorporate animal-based measures, including positive welfare indicators, offering a holistic approach to animal welfare evaluation. Although there is significant heterogeneity in European animal welfare standards, nearly all of them promote access to pasture, comfort, environmental enrichment, and, in some cases, even mother–young bonding. Full article

Fetal programming suggests that maternal nutrition during gestation influences offspring growth, development, and productivity. This study evaluated the effects of prenatal protein-energy supplementation on the lifetime performance of Nellore cattle. Twenty-eight nulliparous heifers were inseminated and assigned to one of two groups: Non-Programmed; receiving only mineral supplementation; or Fetal Programmed (FP); receiving additional protein-energy supplementation throughout gestation. Cows in the FP group maintained significantly better body condition score during gestation (p < 0.01), and their calves exhibited greater body weight (BW) during the first 56 days (p < 0.05) and a tendency to grow to a greater BW up to 250 days (p < 0.10) in addition to improved morphological traits, such as increased rump width and length at 45 days of age (p ≤ 0.02). However, these advantages were not sustained in later growth stages, as no significant differences were observed in final body weight, ultrasound carcass traits, or overall feedlot performance. These findings suggest that while prenatal nutrition can influence early developmental traits, its long-term impact on offspring performance may be limited under consistent postnatal management. Nonetheless, the limited sample size, combined with the absence of molecular data and individual feed intake and efficiency measurements, constrains a more comprehensive interpretation of the programming effects on offspring performance. Further research is needed to explore the molecular mechanisms of fetal programming, particularly its epigenetic effects and interactions with postnatal nutrition, to optimize strategies for improving the efficiency and sustainability of beef cattle. Full article

Enteric methane emissions from ruminants substantially contribute to global greenhouse gas emissions, necessitating effective mitigation strategies that also support animal productivity. This study assessed the efficacy of a multi-component feed additive that combines medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs), live yeast, plant-based agents, and Vitamin B, in reducing methane emissions, improving feed efficiency, and enhancing growth and immune function in sheep. Twenty crossbred castrated male sheep (52 ± 3.7 kg) were divided into control and treatment groups (n = 10 each), with the treatment group receiving grass pellets supplemented with the multi-component feed additive (20 g/day) for 71 days, including a 30-day acclimatisation period. Feed intake, methane emissions, growth performance, and blood parameters were monitored using BioControl pens, GreenFeed units, and haematological analyses. The treatment group exhibited a 24% increase in daily feed intake (p < 0.001) and a 22.2% reduction in methane yield per kg of dry matter ingested (p < 0.001), which could be attributed to MCFAs’ anti-methanogenic properties and yeast’s rumen modulation. However, no significant improvements were observed in daily live weight gain, feed conversion efficiency, or immune parameters, suggesting limited energy utilisation for growth. These findings highlight this novel multi-component feed additive as a promising strategy for methane mitigation in forage-based systems. Further dosage optimisation and dietary integration could enhance its application across ruminant species, contributing to sustainable livestock production. Full article

Data for growth (birth, weaning and yearling weights) and carcass (longissimus muscle area, intramuscular fat percentage and depth of rib fat) traits and 50K SNP marker data to calculate the genomic relationship matrix were collected from 738 Brangus heifers. Univariate and multivariate genomic best linear unbiased prediction models based on the genomic relationship matrix and univariate and multivariate artificial neural networks models with 1 to 10 neurons, as well as the learning algorithms of Bayesian Regularization, Levenberg–Marquardt and Scaled Conjugate Gradient and transfer function combinations of tangent sigmoid–linear and linear–linear in the hidden-output layers, including the inputs from genomic relationship matrix, were created and applied for the analysis of growth and carcass data. Pearson’s correlation coefficients were used to evaluate the predictive performances of univariate and multivariate genomic best linear unbiased prediction and artificial neural networks models. The overall predictive abilities of genomic best linear unbiased prediction and artificial neural network models were low in the univariate and multivariate analysis. However, the predictive performances of models in the univariate analysis were significantly higher than those from models in the multivariate analysis. In the univariate analysis, models with Bayesian Regularization and the tangent sigmoid–linear or linear–linear transfer function combination yielded higher predictive performances than models with learning algorithms and genomic best linear unbiased prediction models. In addition, predictive performances of models with tangent sigmoid–linear transfer functions were better than those with linear–linear transfer functions in the univariate analysis. Full article

The aim of this study is to review the supplementation of polyphenol on milk composition and milk fatty acid content in dairy animal. A systematic review of literature was carried out by using Google Scholar, Scopus, and Science Direct databases. The PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines methodology was carried out and as a result, 21 articles were included. Results showed that polyphenol supplementation significantly affect milk saturated fatty acid content (p < 0.00001) and milk medium-chain fatty acid content (p < 0.0001). Meanwhile, polyphenol supplementation effects significantly in the subgroup of agro-industrial by-products (p < 0.05) for milk protein content, grain (p < 0.05) for milk lactose content, all the subgroup for milk saturated fatty acid content and both grain and agro-industrial by-products for milk medium-chain fatty acid content. In conclusion, milk saturated fatty acid is affected by polyphenol supplementation regardless of polyphenol sources. However, it is recommended to include more studies in future to obtained a higher heterogeneity. Full article

The estimation of body chemical composition is necessary to determine the nutrient requirements of growing/finishing cattle, but recent analyses indicate that published equations provide erroneous results when applied to diverse breed types and sexes. The objective of this analysis was to develop equations to estimate empty body and carcass chemical composition for different breed types and sexes. A dataset was developed from the published literature that contained 359 treatment means from 46 studies published between 1971 and 2021. Stepwise regression was used to develop prediction equations using Akaike’s Information Criteria to estimate empty body and carcass fat, protein, and ash concentrations (%). Empty body fat, protein, and ash could be predicted from combinations of empty body water, empty body fat, and empty body protein (RMSE = 1.53, 1.85, and 0.67; R² = 0.99, 0.98, and 0.95). Breed type and sex affected the intercept and (or) slope coefficients to predict empty body fat, protein, and ash. Carcass fat, protein, and ash could be predicted from combinations of carcass water, carcass fat, and carcass protein (RMSE = 1.77, 1.62, and 0.82; R² = 0.97, 0.98, and 0.93). Breed type and sex affected the intercept and (or) slope coefficients to predict protein and ash, but not fat. Equations adjusted for breed type and sex may be more robust than previously published equations based on a single breed or sex. Full article

The phalanges of Karagouniko ewes and Hellenic goats were the subject of the present quantitative study, with the objective of determining whether any differences existed on the corresponding bones of the different digits. The lengths of the phalanges of the third and fourth digits of the fore and hind autopodia, the smallest diaphyseal breadths of the first and second phalanges, the breadths of the proximal and distal ends of the first and second phalanges, the lengths of the dorsal surfaces of the third phalanx, and the heights of the extensor processes of the third phalanx were measured. A total of 44 linear measurements were recorded for each animal species. The summation of the lengths of the digital bones revealed that the third frontal digit was longer than the fourth frontal digit in both animal species and the fourth hind digit was longer than the third hind digit in both animal species. Furthermore, the lengths of the third and fourth frontal digits were greater than those of the corresponding hind digits in both species. The findings of the current metric analysis suggest that the lengths of the paired digits differ in sheep and goat. The results indicate that the morphometry of the digital bones could be important from phylogenetic, biomechanical, and clinical aspects. Full article

Contamination by multi-mycotoxins in cattle feed can lead to increased susceptibility to diseases and loss of performance. The present study aimed to investigate the occurrence of multiple mycotoxins present in the diet of beef cattle feedlots in Brazil. Chromatographic analyses were performed on 152 TMR samples from seven states, representing the diet provided to 1,246,522 animals. Contamination by mycotoxins was found in 100% of the TMR samples analyzed, with the most frequent being fumonisins, present in 100% of the samples, followed by zearalenone, which contaminated 79.6% of the samples, and subsequently by aflatoxins, deoxynivalenol, and T-2, while HT-2 was not detected in any of the samples. Furthermore, 2.6% of samples showed co-occurrence of five different types of mycotoxins, 23.7% presented four mycotoxins, 41.4% three mycotoxins, 22.4% two mycotoxins, and 9.9% of the samples showed contamination by only one mycotoxin. The significant prevalence of mycotoxins of the Fusarium and Aspergillus genera in the samples of the present study indicates a notable degree of pre- and post-harvest contamination in these beef cattle diets. Further studies are needed to define methods for monitoring cattle exposure to clarify its effects, even at low levels, and reduce the impacts on beef cattle production in Brazil. Full article

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of short- and long-distance road transport and temperament on β-endorphin (β-EP) concentrations in 23 Limousine bulls, aged 12 ± 2 months old, taking into account the related effect on body weight (BW) decrease. Animals were transported by road from France to Sicily over a distance of 2200 km in about 33 h. Bulls were divided into calm and reactive subjects based on their exit velocity (EV) measurements taken one week prior to transportation. Blood samples were taken during four different time points: in the morning, immediately before loading in baseline conditions; after the short-distance road transport of 55 km; at their arrival in Sicily after a long-distance road transport of 2200 km; and after 15 days of stabling in finishing and fattening barns, before slaughtering. Animals were weighed before departure, at the arrival in Sicily, and after 15 days. Significant effects of time, temperament, and their interaction were observed for β-EP. It increased after long-distance transport in both groups, but more markedly in calmer bulls, returning to baseline values after 15 days. Significant effects of time were also observed for BW, which decreased after long-distance road transport and restored after 15 days in both groups. The results suggest that long-distance road transport induces a significant increase in the β-endorphin concentrations in Limousine bulls, with the greatest increase in calm subjects. Full article