Assessment of thermal changes in water buffalo mobilized from the paddock and transported by short journeys.

Evaluating the welfare of buffaloes during transport is key to obtaining and commercializing high-quality meat products; however, effective assessments require recognizing several stressors that activate physiological mechanisms that can have repercussions on the health and productive performance of species. The aim of this study was to evaluate the surface temperatures of different body and head regions in this species during events prior, and posterior, to transport for short periods; that is, from paddock to loading. The second goal was to determine the level of correlation between thermal windows. This study used infrared thermography (IRT) to evaluate the surface temperature of 624 water buffaloes (Buffalypso breed) during 12 short trips (average duration = 2 h ± 20 min) by focusing on 11 regions of the body (Regio corporis), in the head regions (Regiones capitis) the face regions (Regiones faciei), Orbital region (Regio orbitalis) with special attention to structures such as the lacrimal caruncle, periocular area and lower eyelid (Regio palpebralis inferior); nasal region (Regio nasalis) with special attention to nostril thermal window; and regions of the skull (Regiones cranii) such as auricular region (Regio auricularis) with special attention to auditory canal and frontal-parietal region (Regio frontalis-parietalis) and trunk region (Truncus regionis) such as thoracic and abdominal regions, regions of the vertebral column (Columna vertebralis) with the thoracic vertebral region (Regio vertebralis thoracis) and lumbar region (Regio lumbalis); and regions of the pelvis limb (Regiones membri pelvini). Recordings were made during seven phases: paddock (P1), herding (P2), corral (P3), chute handling (P4), shipping (P5), pre- (P6), and post-transport (P7). A total of 48,048 readings were obtained from 11 thermal windows. The results showed that the surface temperatures of the windows increased by as much as 5°C during P2, P3, P5, P6, and P7 compared to P1 and P4 (p < 0.0001). Differences of at least 1°C were also observed between thermal windows in the craniofacial, lateral corporal, and peripheral zones (p < 0.0001). Finally, a strong positive correlation (r = 0.9, p < 0.0001) was found between the thermal windows. These findings lead to the conclusion that the surface temperature of the craniofacial and corporal regions of buffaloes transported for short periods varied in relation to the phase of mobilization (from paddock to post-transport), likely as a response to stressful factors, since herding and loading increased the thermal values in each window. The second conclusion is that there are strong positive correlations between central and peripheral thermal windows.

Enhancing Pectin Particles with Polymer Additives: Mitigating Rumen Degradation and Minimizing Yellowish Milk Color in Grazed Cows.

The pigments consumed in grazing give the milk from dual-purpose cows raised in tropical conditions a yellowish color, affecting the quality and price of the milk. This study aimed to develop an economical method with supplementary pectin to antagonize the availability of carotenes by designing microparticles with shellac and palm oil as a viable alternative to protect pectin degradation against rumen microbes. Three preparations of microparticles based on citrus pectin were synthesized: unprotected (PnP), protected with palm oil (PwP), and protected with palm oil and shellac (PwPL) microparticles. Samples were roughly characterized by spectroscopy and electron microscopy techniques. The effect of PnP, PwP, and PwPL on blood metabolites and physicochemical characteristics of the milk of grazing lactating cows was evaluated through in vivo assays. The release of citrus pectin from microparticles was determined as uronic acids using solutions with distinct pH, whereas its degradation was studied using in situ tests. Results revealed that PnP, PwP, and PwPL are amorphous structures with sizes that range from 60 to 265 nm or 750 to 3570 µm and have surface charges that range from -11.5 to -50.2 mV. Samples exhibited characteristic peaks during FTIR analyses that corresponded to O-H, C=O, and COOCH3 groups and bands within the UV-vis region that indicated the absorption of pectin. The EDS analysis revealed the presence of carbon, oxygen, or calcium in samples. The release of uronic acids was higher at pH 2-3 with PwPL. The in situ degradability of PnP, PwP, and PwPL was 99, 28.4, and 17.7%, respectively. Moreover, PwPL decreased the blood concentration of glucose, cholesterol, and lactate. In contrast, 100 g of pectin per animal daily during the feed process reduced yellow coloring. In conclusion, designing particles protected with lipids and polymers as shellac is an economical method that resists degradation at pH levels greater than five.

Beyond Human Nutrition of Edible Insects: Health Benefits and Safety Aspects.

Nowadays, edible insects are considered an outstanding source of nutrients, primarily because they contain high-quality protein, amino acids, and vitamins. Insects are considered a promising alternative protein source towards alleviating future global food shortage problems due to their production considered as being more sustainable by using less agricultural land and water, as well as releasing a smaller amount of greenhouse gas emissions. However, other important aspects to consider about the consumption of edible insects include their health benefits and some safety aspects, which has been relatively overlooked. In this sense, edible insects contain bioactive compounds that can provide diverse bioactivities, such as antioxidant, antihypertensive, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and immunomodulatory with a positive impact on human health. On the other hand, edible insects are a nutrient-rich food that can provide a perfect growth medium for diverse microorganisms, as well as possess some anti-nutritive factors. These two main aspects could represent food safety concerns for consumers. In this context, recent scientific evidence indicates that preservation methods, mainly thermal treatments, utilized in the cooking or processing of edible insects decreased the microbial levels and anti-nutritive factors, which suggests that edible insects do not represent a critical biological risk to humans. Besides, edible insects could have a positive effect on gut microbiota, either by their pre-biotic effect or their antimicrobial activity towards pathogens. Thus, this review is focused on studies related to the health benefits of edible insects and their isolated components, as well as discussion about potential issues related to their microbial content and anti-nutritive factors; this review will provide a synopsis on whether edible insects may be considered safe for human consumption.

Chemical composition, in vitro gas production, methane production and fatty acid profile of canola silage (Brassica napus) with four levels of molasses.

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of four levels of molasses on chemical composition, in vitro digestibility, methane production and fatty acid profile of canola silages. A canola (Brassica napus var. Monty) crop was established in a small-scale agricultural farm and harvested 148 days after sowing. Four levels of molasses were tested with respect to the fresh weight (1.5 kg); these were 1% (CS-1), 2% (CS-2), 3% (CS-3) and 4% (CS-4) molasses, and 0% molasses (CS-0) was included as a control. A total of 45 microsilages were prepared using PVC pipes (4 in. of diameter × 20 cm of length), and the forage was compressed using a manual press. The effects of control and treatments were tested using the general linear model Y = µ + Ti + Eij. The linolenic acid (C18:3n3), palmitic acid (C16:0) and linoleic acid methyl ester (C18:2n6c) accounted for 30%, 21% and 10.5% of total fatty acids, respectively; the fermentation parameters and in vitro methane production were not affected (P > 0.05) by treatments; in vitro digestibility decreased significantly (P < 0.05) as the level of molasses increased. It was concluded that CS-4 improved the DM content by 9% and showed high content of linolenic acid methyl ester. The gross energy of canola silages could favour the oleic acid methyl ester.

Designing and evaluation of urea microcapsules in vitro to improve nitrogen slow release availability in rumen.

BACKGROUND: There is a growing interest in the development of novel and innovative vehicles for controlled release of urea into the rumen, aiming to provide ammonia-N for the biosynthesis of proteins of bacterial origin and to prevent urea intoxication by direct feeding to livestock. Urea microencapsulation is a system that can control the release of urea to be slow and steady. RESULTS: The amount of encapsulated urea was 69% of CSU (calcium silicate + urea + Eudragit RS100® + dichloromethane) and 71% of ACU (activated charcoal + urea + Eudragit RS100® + dichloromethane) groups (p > 0.05) The buoyancy of the microcapsules was over 50% after 12 h of agitation in both groups (CSU and ACU), producing significant differences in the volume of the organic phase factor, which was 20 mL at the lowest value (p = 0.0005). The morphology of the microcapsules produced with CSU and ACU showed no significant differences in microcapsule morphology (p > 0.05). The lower temperature (35 versus 40 °C, p = 0.035) retained better morphology of the microcapsules. Regarding the in vitro ammonia-N release kinetics, unprotected urea reached a maximal peak after 6 h, while CSU and ACU took more than 24 h to reach ammonia-N released concentration. CONCLUSIONS: We stabilized the physical factors in the microencapsulation of urea that can allow slow release of rumen fluid. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

Bruises in beef cattle at slaughter in Mexico: implications on quality, safety and shelf life of the meat.

In emergent economies and developing countries of Africa, Asia and Latin America, the major cause for carcass rejection from the international market is bruising; nevertheless, many of these carcases are destined to local markets and meat processing industries for human consumption. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to assess the effect of bruised meat on pH, microbiologic count and biogenic amine (BA) profiles along 21 days of ageing (sampling 1st, 7th, 14th and 21st day) with two packaging method (plastic bag vs vacuum) at 4 °C. A total of 50 bruised carcasses were sampled from 1000 young bulls (Brown Swiss X Zebu) of 18-24 months old and an average live weight of 450 ± 66 kg. The results showed significant differences between packaging systems and bruised vs non-bruised meat. The bruised meat caused higher biogenic amine concentrations than did non-bruised meat. We conclude that bruised meat favoured increments of biogenic amine concentrations, even more than did non-bruised meat. The plastic bag + vacuum system limited the increments of BA concentration during storage time therefore it improved shelf life of meat. These results emphasized the importance of implementing best management practices during pre-slaughter operations of cattle in order to reduce a possible risk factor for bruised meat.

Designing and evaluation of sodium selenite nanoparticles in vitro to improve selenium absorption in ruminants.

Sodium selenite is used to prevent selenium deficiency known as nutritional muscular dystrophy or white muscle disease. In ruminants, selenium supplements are transformed partiality in insoluble form by ruminal microorganisms and its process decrease the selenium absorption in digestive gastrointestinal. However, the objective in this research was focused in encapsulated sodium selenite to be release into of a pH less than four, similarity to an intestinal environment. It was encapsulated by nanoprecipitation and emulsion-evaporation methods, within polymeric nanoparticles. The effect of these methods, polymer proportion (Eudragit RL and RS) and solvent (ethanol and acetone) on the physicochemical (drug entrapment, polidispersity index (PDI) and z potential) and morphological characteristics (particle morphology and particle size) were evaluated. Particle size from each nanoparticles, formulation ranged from 36.64 to 213.86 nm. Particle size, z potential and PDI increased (P 0.05) were observed when different polymeric proportions were used. Selenium entrapment was 26% when emulsion-evaporation method was used and 78% with nanoprecipitation. Nanoparticles produced by nanoprecipitation were spherical and had a great variation in particle size; on the other hand, nanoparticles produced by emulsion-evaporation were spherical as well as amorphous and presented a homogeneous nanopartcicle size distribution. The release of selenium from nanoparticles was higher in acid pH (less than 4), this condition may represent a better availability of the mineral in the small intestine.