Manuel Scerra

Bergamot-derived products have gained increasing interest as dietary supplements in small animal nutrition, due to their potential to improve meat quality, and provide functional bioactive compounds. This paper investigated the effects of feeding dried bergamot pulp on performance and meat quality in Japanese quails. 140 quails aging 15 days were divided into two groups of 70 quail each (7 replicates of 10 quails for group) and fed, for three weeks, a basal diet (control group) or the basal diet in which part of the maize was replaced with 10% of dried bergamot pulp (BP10 group). The integration of dried bergamot pulp (BP) reduced dry matter i ntake, a verage d aily g ain, a nd consequently final body weight compared to control treatment. Quails from BP10 group showed the highest feed conversion ratio. The BP10 treatment tended to increase eicosapentaenoic acid and ω-3 PUFA. The inclusion of bergamot pulp in quail diet did not alter the TBARS value in meat. Color analysis showed that the integration of bergamot into the quail diet led to higher lightness (L*) and yellow index (b*) values compared to the control group. This study demonstrates that dietary supplementation with 10% of BP to quails led to a reduction in dry matter i ntake ( DMI) a nd consequently in average daily gain (ADG) in quails. However, a positive trend toward an increase in ω-3 fatty acids has been observed.

The recolonization of the wolf (Canis lupus italicus) in Italy represents conservation success, but it has led to increased conflicts with livestock farming. These conflicts may undermine traditional pastoral practices, which are important for maintaining rural landscapes and associated biodiversity. In 2023, the European wolf population exceeded 20,300 individuals, with an estimated 65,000 livestock losses reported annually across the EU. This study assesses the effectiveness of an acoustic anti-wolf collar to complement existing protective measures, including fencing, human surveillance, and guarding dogs. A field trial was conducted from June to August 2024 in the municipality of Bova Marina in the metropolitan city of Reggio Calabria, Italy, using three groups of 50 Aspromonte goats. The groups were managed by: (1) a shepherd only (SO), (2) a shepherd with guarding dogs (SGD), and (3) a shepherd with guarding dogs and the anti-wolf collar (SGDC). The collar emitting modulated frequency intervals based on natural harmonic sounds, intended to deter wolves, was mounted on goats. Monitoring, by camera traps, enabled a comparative analysis of predation events. Camera data indicated persistent wolf activity at the site (54 images at CT1, 42 at CT2), but outcomes diverged by treatment. Two camera traps positioned at corridor bottlenecks identified from terrain morphology confirmed wolf presence and provided continuous coverage of the three groups on the single property. SO had 72 attacks and 5 kills; SGD had 26.39% fewer attacks and 1 kill; SGDC had no predation events despite confirmed presence. The preliminary findings suggest that the use of the anti-wolf collar may contribute to a reduction in predation and be a useful addition to strategies aimed at promoting coexistence between wolves and pastoral activities.

The recolonization of the wolf (Canis lupus italicus) in Italy represents conservation success, but it has led to increased conflicts with livestock farming. These conflicts may undermine traditional pastoral practices, which are important for maintaining rural landscapes and associated biodiversity. In 2023, the European wolf population ex-ceeded 20,300 individuals, with an estimated 65,000 livestock losses reported annually across the EU. This study assesses the effectiveness of an acoustic anti-wolf collar to complement existing protective measures, including fencing, human surveillance, and guardian dogs. A field trial was conducted from June to August 2024 in the municipal-ity of Bova Marina in the metropolitan city of Reggio Calabria, Italy, using three groups of 50 Aspromonte goats. The groups were managed by: (1) a shepherd only (SO), (2) a shepherd with guardian dogs (SGD), and (3) a shepherd with guardian dogs and the anti-wolf collar (SGDC). The collar emitting modulated frequency intervals based on natural harmonic sounds, intended to deter wolves, was mounted on goats. Monitoring, by camera traps, enabled a comparative analysis of predation events. The preliminary findings suggest that the use of the anti-wolf collar may contribute to a reduction in predation and be a useful addition to strategies aimed at promoting coex-istence between wolves and pastoral activities.

To evaluate animal performance and meat quality, stoned olive cake and linseed were used in an experimental test conducted on thirty-six young Podolian bulls, divided into four groups: the control group (CON), OC group (with olive cake containing a 30% as-fed basis of stoned olive cake), EL group (with linseed containing a 15% as-fed basis of extruded linseed), and OCEL group (with olive cake + linseed containing 20% stoned olive cake and 10% extruded linseed). The results show that olive cake supplementation did not influence performance in vita or the post-slaughter animal measurements (final body weight, DMI, FCR, ADG, carcass weight, dressing percentage, and pH) (p > 0.05); this was not true of the TBARS and color measurements, for which the meat samples showed excellent values (p < 0.001), especially in diets supplemented with olive cake. In conclusion, incorporating olive cake and linseed into the diet of fattening cattle may be a way to utilize a by-product of the olive industry and naturally increase the nutritional value of meat and meat-based products in Mediterranean regions. This would reduce environmental impacts and promote the valorization of this local feed source in alignment with the principles of the circular economy.

The aim of the present study was to assess the impacts of coffee silverskin (CSS) inclusion in rabbit diets in regard to meat quality. A total of 30 Hycole rabbits were divided into two groups of 15 animals per group and fed with a basal diet (C group) or with the same basal diet but with 10% of CSS (CSS10 group) as a partial cereal replacement. Integration of 10% CSS in the rabbit diet increased dry matter intake (DMI, p < 0.05) and tended to increase (p = 0.096) the final body weight. The CSS diet tended to reduce the concentration of C18:3 ω-3 (p = 0.089), C20:5 ω-3 (p = 0.064) and C22:5 ω-3 (p = 0.069) in muscle compared to the control diet, negatively affecting the ω-6/ω-3 ratio (p < 0.05), which was higher in the CSS10 group compared to the control group. Finally, the addition of CSS to the rabbit diet made the meat more resistant (p < 0.01) to lipid oxidation. Further research is needed to better understand the reasons for improved oxidative stability in meat following dietary CSS supplementation.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of feeding dried bergamot pulp to rabbits on animal performance and meat quality. Thirty rabbits were assigned to two groups (balanced for body weight, 804.4 ± 2.35 g) and fed individually for 60 days a basal diet (control) or the basal diet in which part of the cereals was replaced with 10% of dried bergamot pulp (DBP). There were no effects of DBP on growth performance, carcass yield, or the crude protein and ether extract composition of meat. The concentrations of α-linolenic acid (C18:3 n-3) and eicosapentaenoic acid (C20:5 n-3) increased in the longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscle (p < 0.01 and p = 0.021, respectively) after integrating dried bergamot pulp into the diet, leading to higher levels of total of ω-3 fatty acids (p < 0.01) compared to the control treatment. The inclusion of dried bergamot pulp improved the oxidative stability in meat (p < 0.001), where TBARS values were lower after 4 and 7 days of refrigerated storage (p < 0.001) in the DBP group than in the control group. Finally, feeding dried bergamot pulp to rabbits improves meat quality without negatively influencing growth performance.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the inclusion of different amounts of ensiled olive cake, a major pollutant from olive oil production, in the fattening diets of 30 Apulo-Calabrese pigs as a strategy to partially substitute the traditional cereal-based diet and improve animal performance and meat fatty acid composition. The animals, during a fattening period of 120 days, were fed with three dietary treatments containing increasing levels of ensiled olive cake: 0% (C), 20% (OC20) and 40% (OC40) on dry matter. No effect of the dietary treatment was found on the animal performance and proximate meat analysis results. The inclusion of ensiled olive cake in the diet led to differences in the fatty acid (FA) profile of intramuscular fat, with a higher proportion of monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA; p < 0.001) and oleic acid (C8:1n-9, p < 0.001) and a lower concentration of polyunsaturated (PUFA, p < 0.001) and linoleic acid (C18:2n-6, p < 0.001). In conclusion, the supplementation of ensiled olive cake at up to 40% in the diets of fattening pigs could represent a useful strategy in Mediterranean areas to naturally improve the nutritional value of meat and valorise a by-product of the olive industry, reducing its environmental impact and promoting the exploitation of this local feed resource according to the principles of the circular economy.