Giorgia Riuzzi

Although Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have proved to be reliable tools for animal health management, their implementations in the aquatic animal health (AAH) domain are scarce, likely because they require expertise in GIS technologies, the specific characteristics of aquatic environments, and epidemiology. Considering the lack of GIS approaches tailored to AAH, this study presents a framework conceived to guide GIS users through the development of GIS operative designs for disease surveillance and response. Its practical application and actual accessibility within two case studies in an Italian marine environment and in a Brazilian freshwater aquaculture site were investigated. The main take-home message emerging from both the framework and its applications is the key importance of project planning in GIS development. Without a structured planning phase, GIS projects are likely to produce inconsistent, incomplete, or unsustainable outcomes. The framework accompanies GIS users, including those with little GIS knowledge, through all the stages of GIS project development, encouraging them to include the fundamental planning elements based on the principles of applicability, sustainability, appropriateness and opportunity of implementation. However, the framework must be used consciously, not as rigid instructions but, rather, as a tool that provides orientation to navigate GIS planning in the complex aquatic contexts.

In line with the recommended European policy for a zero-waste crop supply chain, a lab-pilot optimisation process to valorise the by-products of industrially produced rapeseed meal (RM) was performed. Three batches of RM were first processed into ethanol-wash solutes (EWS) and then optimised (OEWS) by an ultrasound-assisted (UA) treatment. After direct analysis in real time–high resolution mass spectrometry (DART-HRMS) analysis, data were processed applying a partial least square–discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), which retrieved the 15 most discriminative ions able to characterise the biochemical changes during the ethanol-washing and UA optimisation process. The metabolomic fingerprinting of EWS and OEWS generated an accurate and well-defined 3D spatial clusterisation based on a restricted pool of informative bioactive compounds. A significantly higher relative abundance of sinapic, azelaic, and vernolic acids and a lower incidence of the oleic and palmitic fatty acids were detected in OEWS. DART-HRMS generated a vast amount of biochemical information in one single run, also demonstrating that its association with an untargeted multivariate statistical approach would be a valuable tool for revealing specific functional biomarkers. This would eventually enhance the circular and effective use of rapeseed residuals coming from this plant’s oilseed industry.

To comply with a more circular and environmentally friendly European common agricultural policy, while also valorising sunflower by-products, an ultrasound assisted extraction (UAE) was tested to optimise ethanol-wash solutes (EWS). Furthermore, the capabilities of DART-HRMS as a rapid and cost-effective tool for determining the biochemical changes after valorisation of these defatted sunflower EWS were investigated. Three batches of EWS were doubly processed into optimised EWS (OEWS) samples, which were analysed via DART-HRMS. Then, the metabolic profiles were submitted to a univariate analysis followed by a partial least square discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) allowing the identification of the 15 most informative ions. The assessment of the metabolomic fingerprinting characterising EWS and OEWS resulted in an accurate and well-defined spatial clusterization based on the retrieved pool of informative ions. The outcomes highlighted a significantly higher relative abundance of phenolipid hydroxycinnamoyl-glyceric acid and a lower incidence of free fatty acids and diglycerides due to the ultrasound treatment. These resulting biochemical changes might turn OEWS into a natural antioxidant supplement useful for controlling lipid oxidation and to prolong the shelf-life of foods and feeds. A standardised processing leading to a selective concentration of the desirable bioactive compounds is also advisable.

Since the 1980s, Geographical Information Systems (GIS) have been integrated into animal farming technologies for purposes such as enhancing production performances and veterinary epidemiology. In aquaculture, however, there seems to be limited application of GIS, and its potential is widely overlooked, especially for aquatic animal health management. This study describes the results of a world expert opinion elicitation on the current implementation of GIS for surveillance and disease response in the aquatic animal health domain. An online survey was submitted in autumn 2023, including both closed and open questions. With a response rate of 41.2% (21 out of 51), the answer analysis highlighted that, especially when knowledge and practical skills in geomatics, information technology and remote sensing are required, a group of advanced GIS technologies is underutilized (web-based solutions, SDI, citizen science). An artificial intelligence-based inductive text analysis was performed confirming a limited exploitation of GIS mainly due to management (financial support, training, collaboration) and methodology (data suitability, modelling analyses and integration) constraints. Furthermore, despite acknowledging the importance of planning in GIS project development, most experts did not follow any written or unwritten procedures that, according to their answers, should in fact encompass sustainable principles (integration of GIS solutions into other applications or processes), and reuse of resources (guidelines and best practices, data, methods, layouts). Shared guidelines for developing GIS projects, identifying available data sources, and long-term-maintenance planning of GIS and related geospatial data, should be pursued for using GIS technologies more effectively in the aquatic animal health domain.

Finfish aquaculture, one of the fastest growing intensive sectors worldwide, is threatened by numerous transmissible diseases that may have devastating impacts on its economic sustainability. This review (2010–2022) used a PRISMA extension for scoping reviews and a text mining approach to explore the extent to which geographical information systems (GIS) are used in farmed fish health management and to unveil the main GIS technologies, databases, and functions used to update the spatiotemporal data underpinning risk and predictive models in aquatic surveillance programmes. After filtering for eligibility criteria, the literature search provided 54 records, highlighting the limited use of GIS technologies for disease prevention and control, as well as the prevalence of GIS application in marine salmonid farming, especially for viruses and parasitic diseases typically associated with these species. The text mining generated five main research areas, underlining a limited range of investigated species, rearing environments, and diseases, as well as highlighting the lack of GIS-based methodologies at the core of such publications. This scoping review provides a source of information for future more detailed literature analyses and outcomes to support the development of geospatial disease spread models and expand in-field GIS technologies for the prevention and mitigation of fish disease epidemics.

The effectiveness of dry ageing with regard to retaining meat quality is still subject to debate. At 4 d post mortem, samples of boneless strip loins were excised from young Charolais carcasses and then stored for a further 26 d in a cooler, either vacuum-packaged (VP) or dried-aged (DA). Loin samples were also dissected 7 d post mortem as a control treatment (CT). Chemical, instrumental and microbiological data (n = 18) were determined in longissimus dorsi and underwent ANOVA to estimate the differences in the ageing fixed factor split into two orthogonal contrasts: control vs. aged and VP vs. DA. Ageing loss (both surface dehydration and water purge) was greater in DA compared to VP samples, resulting in the lowest moisture content and highest crude protein and fat percentage in DA loins. The ageing method did not affect meat surface colour, except for redness, which had the lowest value in DA samples. Meat tenderness improved a similar amount following both VP and DA ageing treatments. Compared to the control, prolonged ageing raised both the peroxide value and the total microbial count, especially in DA samples, though both remained within the recommended limits. In summation, both ageing methods improved beef meat tenderisation, preserving its shelf life.

The study aimed to assess the seasonal variation in raw milk volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from three indoor feeding systems based on maize silage (n = 31), silages/hay (n = 19) or hay (n = 16). After headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME), VOC profiles were determined by gas chromatography (GC). Chemical and VOC (log₁₀ transformations of the peak areas) data were submitted to a two-way ANOVA to assess the feeding system (FS) and season (S) effects; an interactive principal component analysis (iPCA) was also performed. The interaction FS × S was never significant. The FS showed the highest (p < 0.05) protein and casein content for hay-milk samples, while it did not affect any VOCs. Winter milk had higher (p < 0.05) proportions of protein, casein, fat and some carboxylic acids, while summer milk was higher (p < 0.05) in urea and 2-pentanol and methyl aldehydes. The iPCA confirmed a seasonal spatial separation. Carboxylic acids might generate from incomplete esterification in the mammary gland and/or milk lipolytic activity, while aldehydes seemed to be correlated with endogenous lipid or amino acid oxidation and/or feed transfer. The outcomes suggested that VOCs could be an operative support to trace raw milk for further mild processing.