Pre-Hispanic Foods Oyster Mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus), Nopal (Opuntia ficus-indica) and Amaranth (Amaranthus sp.) as New Alternative Ingredients for Developing Functional Cookies.

Oyster mushroom (Pleurotusostreatus), nopal (Opuntia ficus-indica) and amaranth (Amaranthus spp.) are pre-Hispanic foods widely consumed in Mexico. However, there are no standard products developed with these ingredientsas functional cookies. This study evaluated the impact of partial replacement (50%) of whole-wheat flour (WWF) with three formulations of P. ostreatus, nopal and amaranth flours (POF, NF and AF, respectively) on the nutritional/antioxidant properties of fortified cookies. The proportion of the flours' ingredients (WWF:AF:NF:POF) were 100% WWF (traditional cookies), 50:35:10:5 (F1), 50:30:15:5 (F2) and 50:40:5:5 (F3). Proximal composition, phenolic/flavonoid contents, and ABTS•+ scavenging activity were determined in flours and cookies.POF, NF and AF possess a high nutritional value comprising polyphenols/flavonoids and a significant antioxidant potential. Total protein, ash and flavonoids were higher in fortified cookies than in controls. Cookies prepared with F2-the highest nopal level-contained 5.29% of dietary fiber and five times higher polyphenol content than control cookies. The ABTS•+ scavenging ability was similar in the three enriched cookies (87.73-89.58%), but higher than that in traditional cookies (75.60%). The applicability of POF/NF/AF for replacing up to 50% of WWF in the production of functional cookies was demonstrated without compromising products' acceptability.This research promotes renewable local bioresouces for a sustainable agri-food chain, especially edible mushrooms.

Effect of total mixed ration composition and daily grazing pattern on milk production, composition and fatty acids profile of dairy cows.

The possibilities of using high quality pastures in conjunction with total mixed ration (TMR) during the grazing season have been examined. An experiment with sixteen Holstein cows blocked and randomly assigned to four treatments in a factorial arrangement was conducted in order to evaluate the influence of grazing time of day (day or night) and type of silage (maize or Italian ryegrass) included in the TMR of dairy cows grazing 12 h daily on milk yield, composition and fatty acid profile. The silage type had no effect on the dry matter intake, milk yield and fat and protein proportions. However, cows grazing during the night ate more grass than cows grazing during the day (8·53 vs. 5·65 kg DM/d; P<0·05). No differences were seen between grazing-time with respect to milk production, fat and protein contents. However, the proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acid was higher in milk of dairy cows grazing at night-time than grazing at day-time, especially 18:2n-6 (2·37 vs. 2·12 g/100 g FA respectively, P<0·05) and 18:2cis9trans11 (2·08 vs. 1·74 g/100 g FA respectively, P<0·05).

Effect of silage from ryegrass intercropped with winter or common vetch for grazing dairy cows in small-scale dairy systems in Mexico.

The objective was to determine the effect of including silages of annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) intercropped with winter vetch (Vicia villosa) (ARG-VV) or with common vetch (Vicia sativa) (ARG-VS) compared with maize silage (MS) on milk yield and milk composition of dairy cows grazing cultivated perennial ryegrass-white clover pastures with supplemented concentrate during the dry season. Six Holstein dairy cows with a mean yield of 19.0 kg/cow/day at the beginning of the experiment were randomly assigned to a 3 × 3 repeated Latin square. Treatments were: 8 h/day intensive grazing, 3.6 kg of dry matter (DM) per cow per day of concentrate plus MS, and ARG-VV or ARG-VS ad libitum at a stocking rate of 3.0 cows/ha for three experimental periods of 3 weeks each. Milk yield (MY) and milk composition, live weight and body condition score as well as silage and concentrate intakes were recorded during the third week of each experimental period, and pasture intake was estimated indirectly from utilised metabolisable energy. Economic analysis was obtained by preparing partial budgets. There were no statistical differences (P > 0.10) in MY, milk fat or protein content nor for live weight, but there was significant difference (P < 0.10) in body condition score. There were non-statistical differences in silage DM intake (P < 0.11); however, significant differences (P < 0.10) were obtained for estimated grazed herbage intake whilst no differences for total DM intake. Slightly higher economic returns (10%) were obtained with ARG-VS over MS, and this was 7% higher than ARG-VV. It is concluded that ARG-VS could be an option for complementing grazing for small-scale dairy production systems in the dry season as it is comparable to MS in animal performance and slightly better in economic terms.