Prediction of fatty acid composition in intact and minced fat of European autochthonous pigs breeds by near infrared spectroscopy.

The fatty acids profile has been playing a decisive role in recent years, thanks to technological, sensory and health demands from producers and consumers. The application of NIRS technique on fat tissues, could lead to more efficient, practical, and economical in the quality control. The study aim was to assess the accuracy of Fourier Transformed Near Infrared Spectroscopy technique to determine fatty acids composition in fat of 12 European local pig breeds. A total of 439 spectra of backfat were collected both in intact and minced tissue and then were analyzed using gas chromatographic analysis. Predictive equations were developed using the 80% of samples for the calibration, followed by full cross validation, and the remaining 20% for the external validation test. NIRS analysis of minced samples allowed a better response for fatty acid families, n6 PUFA, it is promising both for n3 PUFA quantification and for the screening (high, low value) of the major fatty acids. Intact fat prediction, although with a lower predictive ability, seems suitable for PUFA and n6 PUFA while for other families allows only a discrimination between high and low values.

Can sensory boar taint levels be explained by fatty acid composition and emitted volatile organic compounds in addition to androstenone and skatole content?

This study aimed at understanding which molecules were responsible for the differences existing in boar taint sensory evaluation. The latter was therefore linked to the results of skatole and androstenone chemical analyses, fatty acid composition and VOC profiles of heated backfat. This study confirmed that some discrepancy exists between chemical analysis and sensory evaluation of tainted backfats. Significant correlations between human nose scores and fatty acid composition were not revealed. Strong correlations between emissions and contents in skatole and androstenone were found. Oxidation products of polyunsaturated fatty acids, with fatty odor descriptors, were found to be more present in the VOC profiles of boar fat considered untainted through the human nose methodology. Weak coefficient of determination for partial least square regression indicates that other factors, yet unknown, are responsible for sensory evaluation outcomes. These findings hence support the idea that high human nose score is mainly due to boar taint compounds rather than general differences in VOC profiles.

To Provide a Double Feeder in Growing Pigs Housed under High Environmental Temperatures Reduces Social Interactions but Does Not Improve Weight Gains.

Heat stress and competition for food are two major challenges in pigs reared in intensive conditions. The aim of the present work was to study the effect of providing a double feeder for pigs reared under two different environmental temperatures. In addition, two types of flooring, of 100% slat and 30% slat 70% concrete, were also considered. A total of 256 pigs in the growing-finishing period (from 27 kg to 110 kg) were housed using two environmental temperatures: control (from 18 °C to 25 °C) and heat stress (above 30 °C six hours a day). They were housed in 32 pens of 8 pigs each, distributed into 4 rooms (16 with one feeder and 16 with two). Pigs subjected to temperatures above 30 °C up to six hours had lower body weight gains than pigs subjected to a maximum temperature of 25 °C, confirming that thermal stress negatively affects performance in pigs. In addition, heat stress affected the final product by decreasing the lean percentage of carcasses by 2.6%. A double feeder reduced the presence of negative social behavior, especially in the feeding area, but body weight was lower than when one single feeder was used. A 30% slat 70% concrete floor showed better results in the pig stress indicators and body weights than 100% slat. It is concluded that providing a double feeder in the pens, although reducing the presence of negative social interactions, negatively affected body weight, in comparison to pigs fed with just one feeder.

Feasibility of on/at Line Methods to Determine Boar Taint and Boar Taint Compounds: An Overview.

Classification of carcasses at the slaughter line allows an optimisation of its processing and differentiated payment to producers. Boar taint is a quality characteristic that is evaluated in some slaughter plants. This odour and flavour is mostly present in entire males and perceived generally by sensitive consumers as unpleasant. In the present work, the methodologies currently used in slaughter plants for boar taint classification (colorimetric method and sensory quality control-human nose) and the methodologies that have the potential to be implemented on/at the slaughter line (mass spectrometry, Raman and biosensors) have been summarized. Their main characteristics are presented and an analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) has been carried out. From this, we can conclude that, apart from human nose, the technology that arises as very promising and available on the market, and that will probably become a substitute for the colorimetric method, is the tandem between the laser diode thermal desorption ion source and the mass spectrometry (LDTD-MS/MS) with automation of the sampling and sample pre-treatment, because it is able to work at the slaughter line, is fast and robust, and measures both androstenone and skatole.

Fat Replacement by Vegetal Fibres to Improve the Quality of Sausages Elaborated with Non-Castrated Male Pork.

Based on the need to find alternatives for the use of meat from non-castrated male pigs that contains high levels of androstenone and skatole, the production of meat products (raw and Frankfurt sausages) with reduced fat content was proposed, as these compounds are lipophilic. For this purpose, three batches of each product (total six) were produced. These included a control batch (1); normal fat content and two fat-reduced batches, where (2) fat was replaced with inulin and ß-glucan, or (3) fat was replaced with inulin and ß-glucan in addition to a skin grape by-product. These groups used meat from non-castrated male pigs that contained 6.25 µg/g androstenone and 0.4451 µg/g skatole. In general, fat-reduced sausages exhibited less brightness than did the controls. The texture results in Frankfurt were similar to those of the control, while Spanish sausage supplemented with grape skin exhibited reduced hardness. Both strategies resulted in a reduction in boar taint, and this reduction was up to 87.3% in raw sausages with grape by-products. Fat reduction could provide an interesting strategy to allow for the use of tainted meat from non-castrated male pigs.

Early Retirement, Social Class, and Family Relationships in Cloutier's Bonne retraite, Jocelyne (2018).

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Aging women are continuously underrepresented in performing arts. An exception to this trend in Québec is Fabien Cloutier's latest play Bonne retraite, Jocelyne (2018), whose protagonist is a middle-aged woman who has decided to take early retirement. This article aims at examining the interplay between the protagonist's voluntary early retirement, gender, social class, and family relationships. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This article mobilizes the theoretical framework of aging studies, which is underdeveloped in the French academic sphere. This qualitative case study connects gender issues and performative strategies in order to study a complex phenomenon within its context. RESULTS: We showed that Cloutier provides new representations of middle-aged women in his play, a corrective to the under-representation of such an age group of actors and actresses in Québec. Our results cast a new light on the combination of class privilege, gender, and ageism, as a most fruitful research orientation to be further developed in the future in order to pursue an in-depth analysis of early retirement. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: The play reveals that belonging to the upper-middle class is essential in order to be able, economically speaking, to retire early. Cloutier empowers Jocelyne both as an aging individual and as a woman by means of granting her the right to make her own decisions in life.

Using 19% of alfalfa hay in beef feedlot finishing diets did not modify meat quality but increased feed intake and ADG1.

To evaluate the effects of including extra alfalfa hay (AH) in high-concentrate diets fed to beef heifers on intake, ADG, G:F, and carcass and meat quality, we used 24 Simmental heifers (initial BW 235.6 ± 4.19 kg). Heifers were blocked in four BW blocks and allotted in groups of 3 in a randomized block design with 2 treatments and 12 heifers per treatment. Treatment diets offered as total mixed ration (TMR) were (i) TMR with 10% barley straw (BS), considered the control diet, and (ii) TMR with 19% AH. The experiment was performed over four 28-d experimental periods, and we took measurements in the last week of each period. After this period of performance control, heifers were fed the corresponding diet until each BW block reached the target weight of 400 kg on average. Feed intake and ADG were greater for AH than BS (9.5 vs. 8.4 kg/d, and 1.45 vs. 1.29 kg/d, respectively; P < 0.05), but G:F was unaffected by diet (P > 0.10). Diet did not affect HCW, dressing percentage, backfat color, pH and meat color, or carcass grade. The sixth rib was dissected to determine the proportion of fat, lean, and bone, which were unaffected by diet. Diet did not affect the LM composition in water, protein, collagen, intramuscular fat, and cholesterol. The intramuscular fat proportion of C18:1 n-7 was greater in BS than in AH (P = 0.016), whereas the proportion of C18:3 n-3 tended to be greater in AH than in BS (P = 0.09). When fatty acid concentration was expressed as gram per 100 g of LM, these differences disappeared, and only the content of C15:0 tended to be greater (P = 0.08) in BS than in AH. Meat characteristics evaluated by trained panelists did not differ in toughness, chewiness, juiciness, odor, taste, and overall acceptability, and there were no differences between diets in Warner-Bratzler shear force values after 3 or 10 d of aging (P > 0.10). In summary, heifers fed TMR with AH at 19% of inclusion showed a greater feed intake and ADG than those fed BS at 10% of inclusion, but without affecting G:F ratio. However, this extra AH was not sufficient to cause any relevant change in the carcass and meat quality of the heifers fed this diet.

Optimization of Antipsychotic and Benzodiazepine Drugs in Patients with Severe Mental Disorders in an Intensive Case Management Program.

The Intensive Case Management (ICM) model is a community-based program for people with severe mental illness that may reduce hospitalization and increase retention in care. The aims of this study were to analyze changes in the antipsychotic and benzodiazepine dosage in 106 patients who participated in an Individualized Service Program based on the ICM model for at least 6 months and to assess the change in the number of patients taking a high or very high dose of an antipsychotic drug and the number receiving antipsychotic polytherapy. Both the average daily dose of antipsychotic and benzodiazepine drugs and the number of patients with high doses of antipsychotic and more than one antipsychotic drug decreased significantly. Implementing the ICM program in patients with severe mental illness could help to decrease adverse drug effects and health care expenditures.

Role of AMPK signalling pathway during compensatory growth in pigs.

BACKGROUND: The molecular basis of compensatory growth in monogastric animals has not yet been fully explored. Herewith, in this study we aim to determine changes in the pig skeletal muscle transcriptome profile during compensatory growth following a feed restriction period. A RNA-Seq experiment was performed with a total of 24 females belonging to a Duroc commercial line. Half of the animals received either a restricted (RE) or ad libitum (AL) diet during the first fattening period (60-125 d of age). After that, all gilts were fed ad libitum for a further ~30 d until the age of ~155 d, when animals were slaughtered and samples of gluteus medius muscle were harvested to perform RNA-Seq analyses and intramuscular fat content determination. RESULTS: During the period following food restriction, RE animals re-fed ad libitum displayed compensatory growth, showed better feed conversion rate and tended to deposit more subcutaneous fat than AL fed animals. Animals were slaughtered in the phase of accelerated growth, when RE animals had not completely compensated the performance of AL group, showing lower live and carcass weights. At intramuscular level, RE gilts showed a higher content of polyunsaturated fatty acids during the compensatory growth phase. The comparison of RE and AL expression profiles allowed the identification of 86 (ǀlog2Fold-Changeǀ > 1, padj < 0.05) differentially expressed (DE) genes. A functional categorization of these DE genes identified AMPK Signaling as the most significantly enriched canonical pathway. This kinase plays a key role in the maintenance of energy homeostasis as well as in the activation of autophagy. Among the DE genes identified as components of AMPK Signaling pathway, five out of six genes were downregulated in RE pigs. CONCLUSIONS: Animals re-fed after a restriction period exhibited a less oxidative metabolic profile and catabolic processes in muscle than animals fed ad libitum. The downregulation of autophagy observed in the skeletal muscle of pigs undergoing compensatory growth may constitute a mechanism to increase muscle mass thus ensuring an accelerated growth rate. These results reveal that the downregulation of AMPK Signaling plays an important role in compensatory growth in pigs.

Effect of tasting and information on consumer opinion about pig castration.

Our research explored the relative importance of pig castration amongst other aspects of animal welfare, and the potential impact of information and sensory experiences on European Union (EU) consumers' preferences. The EU is considering a future ban on surgical pig castration by 2018 which may affect markets and consumers' preferences. We carried out an empirical study using consumer-level data obtained from questionnaires completed in a controlled environment by a total of 825 consumers. The experiment was carried out in six EU countries (Spain, United Kingdom, The Netherlands, France, Italy and Germany) which account for 66.0% of the EU-27's and 76.3% of the EU-15's meat production. Results show that consumers do not perceive pig castration to be a relevant aspect of animal welfare nor its relationship with meat quality. Consumers with healthy life styles, concerned about animal welfare and who have had a negative sensory experience with boar meat are willing to accept paying more to avoid boar taint.

Consumers' willingness to pay for beef direct sales. A regional comparison across the Pyrenees.

Willingness to pay (WTP) for direct market of beef is investigated in two Spanish and two French regions located on both sides of the Pyrenees. Given the novelty of this distribution system, especially in Spain, a contingent valuation approach is undertaken, and a double-bounded model is estimated. Different patterns of awareness, use and WTP are found across regions. Likewise, the profile of current and potential users of direct sale chains is investigated. Experience in the different stages involved from choice to final consumption of beef, intensity of varied beef consumption, familiarity with direct market of food in general, and beef in particular, are some of the relevant factors to explain WTP and the probability of getting engaged into a direct distribution system of beef.