Special Issue "Animal Production to Valorize Autochthonous Ruminant Breeds"

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal System and Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2022.

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Marco Alabiso
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agricultural, Food and Forest Sciences (SAAF), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
Interests: meat and milk productions; animal nutrition; animal products quality; ruminants.
Dr. Giuseppe Maniaci
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agricultural, Food and Forest Sciences (SAAF), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
Interests: animal nutrition; animal product quality; ruminant; animal welfare; meat and milk
Dr. Cristina Giosuè
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Anthropic Impact and Sustainability in Marine Environment (IAS), National Research Council (CNR), Palermo, Italy
Interests: animal product quality; environment and human health; animal welfare; meat, milk, and fish
Dr. D’Agostino Fabio
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Anthropic Impact and Sustainability in Marine Environment (IAS), National Research Council (CNR), Palermo, Italy
Interests: food contaminants; human health risk assessment; models based on how to evaluate contaminant accumulation (BMF, BAF, BCF) in animals; human exposure and health

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The current interest in extensive and/or organic farming has led to a greater focus on autochthonous breeds that are involved in such systems. Typical productions, with their peculiar organoleptic and nutraceutical characteristics, represent the main tool for the enhancement of autochthonous breeds.

This Special Issue invites original manuscripts that focus on the effects of the environment, animal breed, and management systems on the quality of the productions obtained from autochthonous breeds.

Interdisciplinary studies on typical products obtained from indigenous ruminant breeds are going to be considered, paying particular attention to the following:

(1) Effect of livestock management systems on animal welfare and the quality of productions.

(2) Innovative technologies for processing techniques oriented to enhancing the properties of animal products;

(3) Animal welfare as an indicator of sustainable production;

(4) Innovative packaging preserving and improving the quality of productions;

(5) Animal production and human health: level of chemical and microbiological contaminants concerning the breeds, farming systems, environment, and processing techniques.

Dr. Marco Alabiso
Dr. Giuseppe Maniaci
Dr. Cristina Giosuè
Dr. D’Agostino Fabio
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Meat and derived products
  • meat quality
  • milk and dairy products
  • technological properties
  • cheese making
  • cured meat
  • salami
  • bresaola
  • nutraceutical quality
  • functional foods
  • ruminants
  • autochthonous breed
  • sustainable production systems
  • typical products
  • contaminants
  • animal welfare

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

Article
Thyroid and Lipidic Profiles in Nicastrese Goats (Capra hircus) during Pregnancy and Postpartum Period
Animals 2021, 11(8), 2386; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11082386 - 12 Aug 2021
Viewed by 468
Abstract
This study aimed to determine the thyroid and lipid profiles in 30 Nicastrese goats, along different physiological periods: before mating (nonpregnant goats), during the whole pregnancy (pregnant goats), and during postpartum and early lactation (milking goats). Blood samples were collected monthly from March [...] Read more.
This study aimed to determine the thyroid and lipid profiles in 30 Nicastrese goats, along different physiological periods: before mating (nonpregnant goats), during the whole pregnancy (pregnant goats), and during postpartum and early lactation (milking goats). Blood samples were collected monthly from March 2020 to January 2021. Serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), total and free triiodothyronine (T3, fT3), and thyroxine (T4, fT4) concentrations were measured using immunoenzymatic assay kits and serum lipid panels (triglyceride (TG) and total cholesterol (tCho)) by enzymatic colorimetric method; very-low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL Cho) was calculated. Pregnant and milking goats showed the lower T3 (p < 0.0002) and T4 (p < 0.0005) concentrations, with lower BCS (p < 0.001) only in pregnant ones. Milking goats showed tCho (p < 0.006) concentrations lower than nonpregnant ones, and TG and VLDL Cho (p < 0.001) lower than both pregnant and nonpregnant goats. T4:T3 and T3:fT3 were significantly and positively correlated in both pregnancy and lactation. Under similar environmental, nutrition, and management conditions, different physiological phases play a significant role in the thyroid and lipid profiles in Nicastrese goats. These endocrine and metabolic resources could contribute to the knowledge useful for the salvage of this endangered, local, native breed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Animal Production to Valorize Autochthonous Ruminant Breeds)
Article
Prediction of Carcass Traits of Santa Inês Lambs Finished in Tropical Pastures through Biometric Measurements
Animals 2021, 11(8), 2329; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11082329 - 07 Aug 2021
Viewed by 549
Abstract
The aim of this study was to predict carcass traits of Santa Inês lambs finished in tropical pastures by using biometric measurements. Data originated from two experiments involving 56 lambs (32 in experiment I and 24 in experiment II). In both experiments, the [...] Read more.
The aim of this study was to predict carcass traits of Santa Inês lambs finished in tropical pastures by using biometric measurements. Data originated from two experiments involving 56 lambs (32 in experiment I and 24 in experiment II). In both experiments, the sheep were finished in that were finished in pastures of Panicum maximum and Brachiaria brizantha, experiment I being conducted in the rainy season and experiment II in the dry season. The following biometric measurements were recorded before slaughter: body length (BL), withers height (WH), rump height (RH), thorax width (TW), rump width (RW), chest width (CW), heart girth (HG), thigh circumference (TC), rump circumference (RC) and leg length (LL), in addition to live weight at slaughter (SW). After slaughter, hot carcass weight (HCW), cold carcass weight (CCW) and the weights of primal cuts (shoulder, neck, loin, leg and rib) were recorded. In the equations generated to predict SW, HCW and CCW, R2 ranged from 0.58 to 0.91 and the measurements of WH, TC, CW, HG and RW were the most relevant. In the equations developed to predict the weight of primal cuts, in turn, R2 ranged from 0.26 to 0.99. In these models, SW, BL, CW, TC, LL and HG explained most of the variation in the weight of primal cuts. Biometric measurements can be used to accurately and precisely predict HCW, CCW and the weight of primal cuts from the carcass of Santa Inês sheep finished in tropical pastures, since the equations presented R2 and correlation coefficient and agreement above 0.8. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Animal Production to Valorize Autochthonous Ruminant Breeds)

Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.

Thyroid and lipidic profiles in Nicastrese goats (Capra hircus) during pregnancy and postpartum period

Luigi Liottaa, Arianna Bionda a,*, Marco Quartuccioa, Floro De Nardob, Rosanna Visallic, Esterina Fazioa

a Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, Viale Palatucci, 13, 98168, Messina, Italy.

bRARE, Italian Association of endangered local breeds, Italy

cBIOGENE, Veterinary diagnostic center, Via Giacomo Leopardi, 50, 95127, Catania, Italy

 *Corresponding author: Arianna Bionda

Department of Veterinary Science – University of Messina, Italy

Viale Palatucci, 13, 98168 Messina, Italy

E-mail: [email protected]

 Abstract

This study aimed to determine the thyroid and lipid profiles in 30 Nicastrese goats,along different physiological periods: before mating (nonpregnant goats), during the whole pregnancy (pregnant goats), and during postpartum and early lactatation (milking goats).

Blood samples were collected monthly from March 2020 to January 2021. Serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), total and free triiodothyronine (T3, fT3) and thyroxine (T4, fT4) concentrations were measured using immunoenzymatic assay kits and serum lipid panels (triglyceride [TG] and total cholesterol [tCho]) by enzymatic colorimetric method; very-low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL Cho) was calculated.

Pregnant and milking goats showed the lower T3 (P < 0.0002) and T4 (P < 0.0005) concentrations, with lower BCS (P < 0.001) only in pregnant ones. Milking goats showed tCho (P < 0.006) concentrations lower than nonpregnant ones, and TG and VLDL Cho (P < 0.001) lower than both pregnant and nonpregnant goats. T4:T3 and T3:fT3 were significantly and positively correlated in both pregnancy and lactation.

Conclusions.: Under similar environmental, nutrition, and management conditions, different physiological phases play a significant role in the thyroid and lipid profiles in Nicastrese goats. These endocrine and metabolic resources could contribute to generate a wished number of observations in different physiological conditions.

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