Veterinary and Animal Science最新文献

{"title":"The effect of a Bacillus-based probiotic on feed intake and digestibility of a forage and a feedlot diet in Bos indicus steers","authors":"Karen E. Eyre,&nbsp;Liyi Pan,&nbsp;Karen Harper,&nbsp;Luis F. Prada e Silva","doi":"10.1016/j.vas.2025.100463","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.vas.2025.100463","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ionophores are commonly used in feedlot rations to improve feed efficiency and reduce acidosis risk, particularly during the transition from forage to cereal-rich diets. With increasing concerns over non-therapeutic antibiotic use, interest in probiotics as potential alternative has grown. This study evaluated the effect of a <em>Bacillus</em>-based probiotic on feed intake and total tract nutrient digestibility in <em>Bos indicus</em> steers. Two diets were tested: a high-fibre forage diet (Rhodes grass hay, 690 g/kg neutral detergent fibre (NDF)) and a feedlot diet (20 % Rhodes grass hay, 40 % finisher pellet, 30 % peanut hull fibre pellet, 10 % ground barley, 470 g/kg NDF). Twelve steers (267 ± 7.5 kg) were blocked by body weight and randomly assigned to a control (<em>n</em> = 6) or a probiotic-supplemented group (<em>n</em> = 6) receiving 3 g per steer of <em>Bacillus licheniformis</em> 809 and <em>Bacillus subtilis</em> 810 (3.2 × 10⁹ CFU/g) for the trial duration. Each diet was fed for 34 days, followed by a 7-day sampling period for total faecal and urine collection. Probiotic supplementation increased organic matter digestibility by 7.8 % and NDF digestibility by 8.4 %, resulting in a significant increase (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05) in digestible fibre intake on the forage diet. No effects on intake or digestibility were observed on the feedlot diet. Probiotic supplementation did not affect nitrogen metabolism. While intake was unchanged, improved fibre digestibility suggests Bacillus-based probiotics can enhance nutrient utilisation in forage-based diets, potentially improving performance in high-fibre diets.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37152,"journal":{"name":"Veterinary and Animal Science","volume":"29 ","pages":"Article 100463"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144115623","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Supplementation of heat-killed probiotics mixture improves intestinal morphology, antioxidant capacity, and meat quality in broilers","authors":"Bishnu Prasad Bhattarai ,&nbsp;Fu-Yuan Cheng ,&nbsp;Yu-Cheng Xu ,&nbsp;Chi Yu ,&nbsp;Ting-Yu Lee ,&nbsp;Hsiao-Tung Chang ,&nbsp;Hsiao-Ching Lin ,&nbsp;Hsiu-Ming Weng ,&nbsp;Hsin-Hsuan Huang ,&nbsp;Jin-Seng Lin ,&nbsp;Chao-Wei Huang","doi":"10.1016/j.vas.2025.100462","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.vas.2025.100462","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Probiotics are widely used to improve intestinal health and production performance in the poultry industry. However, few studies have explored the effects of heat-killed probiotics. This study investigated the effects of a heat-killed probiotic mixture, comprising <em>Bacillus subtilis</em> (BS) and <em>Lactobacillus plantarum</em> 28 (LP28), on the growth performance, intestinal morphology, antioxidant capacity, and meat quality of broilers. A total of 300 Arbor Acres chicks were randomly assigned to four treatment groups (three replicates per group; 25 chicks per replicate): CON (basal diet), AB (basal diet + 10 ppm enramycin), LDP (basal diet + heat-killed LP28 and BS, 1.0 × 10⁸ cells/kg each), and HDP (basal diet + heat-killed LP28 and BS, 1.0 × 10⁹ cells/kg each). Feed intake was recorded daily, and body weight was recorded at the end of each growth phase. Twelve birds per treatment were used for intestinal morphology and antioxidant capacity analyses, and eight birds were used for meat quality analysis on day 35. One-way ANOVA followed by Tukey test was performed to perform statistical comparison among groups at <em>p</em> &lt; 0.05. No significant intergroup difference was observed in growth performance. However, villus height and crypt depth were higher in the HDP group than in the CON and LDP groups (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05). The HDP group exhibited a stronger antioxidant capacity, higher hepatic glutathione peroxidase levels in the liver, and lower thiobarbituric acid reactive substance levels in breast meat than did the CON group (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05). The HDP group also exhibited better meat quality with lower shear force and higher gumminess and chewiness than did the CON group (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05). In summary, heat-killed probiotics may improve the intestinal morphology, antioxidant capacity, and meat quality of broilers and can be utilized in the poultry industry.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37152,"journal":{"name":"Veterinary and Animal Science","volume":"29 ","pages":"Article 100462"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144072122","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of adding wheat and poultry by-product meal to the diet on broiler carcass traits, production performance, and physical pellet quality","authors":"Omid Ahmadauli ,&nbsp;Mohsen Daneshyar ,&nbsp;Sina Payvastegan ,&nbsp;Amir Attar ,&nbsp;Gholamreza Najafi ,&nbsp;Mohammad Reza Abdollahi","doi":"10.1016/j.vas.2025.100460","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.vas.2025.100460","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A total of 450, one-day-old broiler chicks (Ross 308) were used to examine the impact of three poultry by-product meal (PMB) levels (0, 2, and 4 %), and three wheat levels (0, 10, and 20 %) on physical pellet quality (PPQ), growth performance, and carcass features of broilers during starter, grower and finisher periods. The results of the current study demonstrated that during the starter phase, the inclusion of 2 % and 4 % PBM significantly (<em>P</em> ˂ 0.01) reduced PDI (Pellet Durability Index) in wheat-free diets. However, this reduction was not observed in diets supplemented with 10 % and 20 % wheat. During the growth phase, the inclusion of 2 % and 4 % PBM resulted in a reduction (P ˂ 0.01) in PDI in wheat-free diets. In contrast, diets containing 20 % wheat showed an increase in PDI by adding 2 % and 4 % PBM. During the finisher phase, including of 4 % PBM led to an increase (P ˂ 0.01) in PDI in wheat-free diets. Conversely, in diets containing 10 % and 20 % wheat, PDI decreased by adding 4 % PBM. In the starter diet, includingwheat resulted in a reduction (<em>P</em> ˂ 0.05) in pellet hardness. Additionally, during the growth and finisher phases, the inclusion of 2 % PBM reduced (<em>P</em> ˂ 0.01) PDI in wheat-free diets and diets containing 10 % wheat, respectively; however, this effect was not observed in diets containing 20 % wheat. Feed intake was influenced by the interaction effects of PBM and wheat levels, such that the addition of 10 % wheat to the diet without PBM led to an increase in feed intake compared to diets without wheat and with 0 % or 2 % PBM during the entire period of study (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05). Throughout the experimental period, no significant differences were observed in the average daily gain among the experimental groups (<em>P</em> ˃ 0.05). Additionally, the feed conversion ratio (FCR) in birds fed diets containing 2 % PBM showed improvement compared to those fed diets with 4 % PBM and was comparable to the control group (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05). Birds fed 20 % wheat had significantly (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05) the lowest abdominal fat. The findings of this study indicated that while the inclusion of 2 % PBM improved the FCR in broilers, it resulted in a decrease in PDI during both the starter and growth periods, as well as reduced pellet hardness in the growth phase for diets without wheat.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37152,"journal":{"name":"Veterinary and Animal Science","volume":"29 ","pages":"Article 100460"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144138935","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Rearing enrichment affects perching behaviour and bone strength in pullets and in free-range hens varying in range use patterns","authors":"Dana L.M. Campbell ,&nbsp;Md Saiful Bari ,&nbsp;Andrew M. Cohen-Barnhouse ,&nbsp;Prafulla Regmi","doi":"10.1016/j.vas.2025.100461","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.vas.2025.100461","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The high laying rates of domestic hens places significant strain on the calcium metabolism in their bones and shell glands. Behavioural and physical impacts of housing systems begin during pullet development, but exercise is still important throughout lay for maintaining bone strength. Free-range systems may improve bone strength for those hens that range more. This study assessed the effects of rearing enrichment for pullets housed in experimental floor pens. Perching and wing-flapping behaviour, and bone breaking load at the end of rearing were measured. Perching behaviour was observed throughout the flock cycle and bone breaking load assessed at the end of lay in hens that differed in range use. As predicted, pullets perched more when they were given perching structure enrichments compared with pullets exposed to varying novel objects or control pullets. However, this did not affect the breaking load of the pullets’ tibias. The novelty treatment pullets had the lowest humeral breaking load, but wing-flapping behaviour was observed equally across treatments. During lay, the novelty treatment hens perched the most and showed the highest tibial breaking load at the end of lay. Differing range use patterns were not correlated with the breaking load of the tibias or humeri. This study indicates that enriched rearing environments can have long-term impacts on hen behaviour and subsequent skeletal health, but that more time spent outside on the range does not impact bone strength. Further research should continue to explore the behavioural and physical effects of enrichments provided in floor-based laying hen rearing systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37152,"journal":{"name":"Veterinary and Animal Science","volume":"29 ","pages":"Article 100461"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143941420","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Efficacy of lime-based conditioner against environmental udder pathogens in different bedding materials","authors":"Sara Fusar Poli ,&nbsp;Gustavo Freu ,&nbsp;Letícia Lohana dos Santos ,&nbsp;Renata Piccinini ,&nbsp;Valerio Bronzo ,&nbsp;Gloria Gioia ,&nbsp;Paolo Moroni ,&nbsp;Maria Filippa Addis ,&nbsp;Marcos Veiga dos Santos","doi":"10.1016/j.vas.2025.100459","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.vas.2025.100459","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Bedding type and management influence bacterial growth, potentially increasing the risk of new intramammary infections (IMI) in dairy cows. We investigated the effect of various concentrations of lime-based conditioner (LBC) on four environmental udder pathogens (<em>Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterococcus faecium,</em> and <em>Streptococcus uberis</em>) inoculated into new sand, recycled manure solids (RMS), and sawdust. Bedding substrates were collected from commercial dairy farms, sterilized, and separately inoculated with bacterial suspensions. Increasing concentrations of LBC (0 %, 10 %, 15 %, and 20 %) were applied and samples were incubated for 24, 72, and 168 h at 28 °C to assess growth dynamics, dry matter content (DM), and pH.</div><div>LBC increased the pH of all bedding materials. In sand and RMS, pH levels rose substantially, reaching 12.83 ± 0.05 and 11.72 ± 0.12, respectively. In sawdust the pH increase was lower, reaching 10.91 ± 0.14 with 20 % LBC. Sand showed inherent resistance to bacterial growth, with 10 % LBC completely inhibiting bacterial proliferation. Untreated RMS readily supported bacterial growth and required high LBC concentrations. In RMS, LBC controlled <em>E. coli</em> and <em>K. pneumoniae</em> better than <em>S. uberis</em> and <em>E. faecium.</em> Sawdust required LBC concentrations of 20 % to effectively control <em>E. coli and K. pneumoniae</em> growth<em>. E. faecium</em> was generally unaffected by LBC, while <em>S. uberis</em> growth was inhibited in sawdust even without LBC addition. LBC was therefore successful in reducing mastitis pathogen loads, with an effectiveness depending on concentration and substrate type. Future research on practical on-farm applications will be required to validate these findings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37152,"journal":{"name":"Veterinary and Animal Science","volume":"28 ","pages":"Article 100459"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143924480","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Growth performance, slaughter traits, blood analysis and immune response of rabbit pure breeds and their crossbreds under high ambient temperature","authors":"Moataz Fathi ,&nbsp;Magdy Abdelsalam ,&nbsp;Ibrahim Al-Homidan ,&nbsp;Mohamed Elzarei ,&nbsp;Gamal Rayan","doi":"10.1016/j.vas.2025.100458","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.vas.2025.100458","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study aimed to investigate the impact of crossbreeding between pure breeds on the performance of growing rabbits raised under high environmental conditions. Records of 185 growing rabbits aged 8 weeks representing four genetic groups (Saudi local, Jabali; imported Spanish V-Line) and their F2 reciprocal crossbreds (¾J¼V and ¼J¾V) were utilized in this experiment. The growth performance, carcass traits, blood parameters and immune response of the different genetic groups were determined. Superior effects of dressing percentage and valuable meat cuts were found in crossbred rabbits (¾J¼V), when the Jabali breed was used as a maternal line in F1 and F2. Compared with local breed (Jabali) and their crossbreds, the growth performance of the imported rabbit breed (V-Line) was less affected under high ambient temperature. Compared with the remaining genetic groups, the imported V-Line rabbits presented the lowest dressing percentage. The crossbreeds (¾J¼V) presented the highest values of carcass weight, percentage of dressing, and cuts of fore and loin parts. There were highly significant differences (P&lt;0.01) between the four genetic groups for all studied blood parameters. Compared with crossbreds, the purebreds recorded significantly greater level of triglycerides. Cellular immunity was sig-nificantly different among the genetic groups after 24 and 72 h. Conclusions. A negative effect was observed of high ambient temperature on growth performance of imported rabbit breed compared to the local breed and their crossbreds. However, an advantage in cell-mediated immunity for crossbred rabbits derived from Jabali does (¾J¼V) was notice in the later time of swelling difference curve. The findings suggest that incorporating the Jabali breed as a maternal line in crossbreeding programs can enhance productive and immunological traits, particularly in regions with challenging climatic conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37152,"journal":{"name":"Veterinary and Animal Science","volume":"28 ","pages":"Article 100458"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143924479","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Molograph 4.0: A demonstration of a non-invasive, automated system for evaluating aspects of the masticatory process in the horse","authors":"Tomas Rudolf Sterkenburgh ,&nbsp;Joaquín Ordieres-Meré ,&nbsp;Javier Villalba-Diez","doi":"10.1016/j.vas.2025.100452","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.vas.2025.100452","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We outlined a monitoring system as a demonstration of the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) in horses that provided the ability to record aspects of the equine chewing process. Here we take up the idea of a Molograph, which was already proposed in the mechanical form in 1941 by Leue and transferred into today’s world. As a substantial practical advantage, the system now involved a non-invasive measurement that was taken in the horse’s familiar environment. All patients were fed roughage. In terms of the examination scenario, we focused on the determination of the direction of chewing. The system relieves the strain of the examination by automating an otherwise time-consuming and tedious observation, while the results were comparable to those of a human observer. Firstly, examinating the horse with the Molograph 4.0 may provide indications like predominant unilateral chewing that justify a more detailed dental inspection by a veterinarian. The expert may identify the root cause and thus prevent pathologies like diagonal incisor malocclusion or shear mouth. All observed changes in chewing direction occurred in connection with chewing breaks, while the relationship is not bijective.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37152,"journal":{"name":"Veterinary and Animal Science","volume":"28 ","pages":"Article 100452"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143906585","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of administering the maternal bovine appeasing substance on growth performance, cortisol level and carcass characteristics of finishing feedlot cattle","authors":"Shea J. Mackey,&nbsp;Reinaldo F. Cooke,&nbsp;Izadora S. de Souza,&nbsp;Autumn T. Pickett","doi":"10.1016/j.vas.2025.100457","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.vas.2025.100457","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This experiment evaluated physiological and performance responses of feedlot steers administered the maternal bovine appeasing substance (<strong>mBAS</strong>) during the finishing period (day 0 to 178). Steers used in this experiment were the same used to evaluate mBAS during the receiving period whose results have been published (Pickett et al., 2024). After the receiving period, steers were fed a growing diet for 65 days before the finishing period (without mBAS administration). On day 0, steers were assigned to topical administration (10 mL) of: 1) mineral oil on day 0 and 88 (<strong>CON</strong>), or 2) mBAS on day 0 and 88. Steers that were administered mBAS during the receiving period were also administered mBAS during the finishing period, and the same process applied to CON steers. Cortisol concentrations were measured in tail-switch hair on days 0 and 15. Steers received a growth-promoting reimplant on day 88. Total cattle used since the receiving period was 120 Angus steers, which were assigned in 10 drylot pens (12 steers/pen, 5 pens/treatment). Steers were slaughtered on day 179, and carcass variables were measured. Feed intake did not differ (<em>P</em> = 0.57) between treatments, but average daily gain was increased by 5.6 % (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.04) in mBAS steers, improving their gain:feed by 7.6 % (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.01). No treatment effects were noted (<em>P</em> ≥ 0.24) for carcass weight and variables. Collectively, mBAS administration to feedlot steers at the beginning of the finishing period and at reimplant improved growth rates without altering feed intake, suggesting the use of mBAS to promote productive efficiency of feedlot systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37152,"journal":{"name":"Veterinary and Animal Science","volume":"29 ","pages":"Article 100457"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143882016","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"ProAKAP4 concentration in fresh canine semen and its correlation with motility parameters","authors":"Djemil Bencharif ,&nbsp;Rédha Belala ,&nbsp;Nora Mimoune ,&nbsp;Dolorès Le Couazer ,&nbsp;Hamed Farnia","doi":"10.1016/j.vas.2025.100455","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.vas.2025.100455","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study aimed to evaluate proAKAP4concentrations in canine fresh semen and to determine their correlation with sperm motility and fertility parameters. For this purpose, 26 ejaculates from 18 dogs were analyzed. Motility and kinetic parameters of the sperm-rich fractions were assessed by a computer assisted semen analyzer (Hamilton Thorne HT-IVOS II, USA). ProAKAP4 concentrations were measured (containing either the spermatic, urethral, or prostatic fraction) using the Dog 4MID® kit (4BioDx, France). In the spermatic fractions, on average, the proAKAP4 concentration was 17.08 ng/10⁶spermatozoid (spz) with a total motility of 75.92 % and progressive motility of 58.08 %. Spearman test showed a positive correlation between proAKAP4 concentrations and the total motility (r = 0.584; p = 0.08), progressive motility (r = 0.6336; p = 0.0005), and the velocity parameters: VAP (r = 0.4178; p = 0.0337), VSL (r = 0.3919; p = 0.0477) and mainly VCL (r = 0.5266; p = 0.0057). For fertility monitoring, 5 ejaculates were used to perform artificial insemination (AI). The mean proAKAP4 concentration was 25.91 ng/10⁶spz with an average total motility of 74.4 % and progressive motility of 53 %. Four female dogs were pregnant with litter sizes ranging from 4 to 11 puppies. To conclude, this is the first study presenting the significant correlation between proAKAP4 concentration and sperm motility parameters in dogs. Further investigations with a large number of animals are recommended to test the correlation between proAKAP4 and fertility parameters.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37152,"journal":{"name":"Veterinary and Animal Science","volume":"28 ","pages":"Article 100455"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143869075","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Preslaughter practices, pork physicochemical attributes and fatty acid profiles of pigs raised and slaughtered on smallholder urban farms in the Cape Metropole, South Africa","authors":"Rebecca M. Mathobela ,&nbsp;Obert C. Chikwanha ,&nbsp;Chenaimoyo L.F. Katiyatiya ,&nbsp;Farouk Semwogerere ,&nbsp;Annelin H. Molotsi ,&nbsp;Munyaradzi C. Marufu ,&nbsp;Phillip E. Strydom ,&nbsp;Cletos Mapiye","doi":"10.1016/j.vas.2025.100454","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.vas.2025.100454","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Pre-slaughter practices, pork physicochemical quality, and fatty acid (FA) composition of 36 Landrace barrows aged six months, sourced from five smallholder urban farms (SUFs) in low-income, high-density suburbs and one commercial abattoir in Cape Metropole District, South Africa were evaluated. Pigs on SUFs were fed three diets: (1) kitchen-bakery-vegetable waste-based, (2) bakery-dairy waste-based, or (3) homemade grain-based, while those on a large-scale farm were fed a commercial diet. Pigs on SUFs were either stunned mechanically or not stunned before slaughter. The SUFs either practiced throat or cervical spine sticking during slaughter. Carcasses from pigs fed the homemade grain-based diet had higher (<em>P</em> ≤ 0.05) weights, ash subcutaneous and intramuscular fat (IMF) values than those fed the other diets. The homemade grain-based diet, throat sticking treatment produced pork with the highest pH₄₅ followed by the bakery-dairy waste-based diet, throat sticking and kitchen-bakery-vegetable waste-based diet, cervical spine treatments (<em>P</em> ≤ 0.05). Pigs fed a commercial diet and slaughtered by throat sticking produced pork with the lower (<em>P</em> ≤ 0.05) values for pH₂₄, colour coordinates (L*, a*, b*, H° and C°) and the higher (<em>P</em> ≤ 0.05) carcass temperature and shear force values relative to the other treatments. Pork from pigs fed the homemade grain-based diets had higher (<em>P</em> ≤ 0.05) contents of total FA, total PUFA, individual and total <em>n</em>-6 PUFA than pork from pigs fed the other diets. Pig carcasses stunned with a gun had higher (<em>P</em> ≤ 0.05) pH₄₅, pH₂₄ and shear force values than those not stunned. The homemade grain-based diet improved carcass attributes and fatty acid profiles of pigs raised and slaughtered on SUFs, stunning enhanced pork physical quality attributes while the kitchen-bakery-vegetable waste-based diet, cervical spine sticking treatment produced less desirable pork physical attributes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37152,"journal":{"name":"Veterinary and Animal Science","volume":"28 ","pages":"Article 100454"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143847366","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}