Animal最新文献

{"title":"Are horned cows in loose housing more stressed than hornless cows? a cross-sectional study in organic dairy farms","authors":"A. Ebinghaus,&nbsp;G. Thiessen,&nbsp;S. Ivemeyer ,&nbsp;U. Knierim","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2024.101405","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2024.101405","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In commercial dairy farming, the majority of cows are dehorned or genetically hornless. It is argued that this reduces the risk of injurious and stressful social conflicts. On the other hand, in horned herds, management and housing may be better adapted to the cows, e.g. by avoiding changes in herd structure or by providing more space and resources, which would contribute to reducing stress. This cross-sectional study with 12 horned and 13 hornless organic dairy herds in loose housing aimed to explore the effect of horn status on faecal cortisol metabolites (<strong>FCMs</strong>) as an indicator for the cows’ stress level while taking into account possible differences in the farms’ compliance with management and housing recommendations for reducing social conflicts. Repeated faecal samples were collected from 674 cows (n = 2 625 samples), and FCMs were analysed by enzyme immunoassay. A total of 22 housing and management factors relating to guideline recommendations were recorded. Each factor was categorised as compliant, partly compliant, or non-compliant, and percentages of housing, management, and overall compliance were calculated. There was a wide variation in overall compliance between farms, ranging from 20 to 93%. Housing and management compliance correlated positively (r_s = 0.62) and farms with horned cows complied with more recommendations (median: 60 vs 48%). A linear mixed model was calculated with the fixed effects of horn status, overall compliance, and their interaction. Cow was nested within herd as a random effect, and days in milk and time of sampling were included as covariates. FCM levels were not higher in horned compared to hornless herds. However, contrary to expectations, no associations with compliance were found. More knowledge is needed about the extent to which FCM levels reflect social stress and whether individual housing or management factors may be particularly important in reducing stress.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 2","pages":"Article 101405"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142973145","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of drinking water salinity on lactating cows’ water and feed intake, milk yield, and rumen physiology","authors":"A. Iritz ,&nbsp;D. Espinoza ,&nbsp;M.G. Taye ,&nbsp;F. Salhab ,&nbsp;Y. Portnik ,&nbsp;U. Moallem ,&nbsp;Y.A. Ben Meir","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2024.101389","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2024.101389","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Use of desalinated seawater in arid and semiarid regions for domestic, industrial, and agricultural purposes is on the rise. Consequently, in those regions, drinking water offered to lactating cows has lower salinity and mineral concentrations than in the past. Although water with total dissolved solids (<strong>TDSs</strong>) of up to 1 000 ppm is considered safe for drinking, lower salinity level may affect rumen physiology, feed and water intake, or milk yield. Therefore, we evaluated the effect of drinking water salinity in an electrical conductivity (<strong>EC</strong>) range of 400 to 1 000 micro Siemens (<strong>µS</strong>) / cm (TDS of 200 to 500 ppm) on lactating cows’ performance by artificially creating water EC &gt; 400 µS/cm by adding NaCl. Following 2 weeks of adaptation to individual feeders and troughs, four Israeli Holstein multiparous lactating cows were offered, in a Latin square design, drinking water with EC levels of 400, 600, 800 or 1 000 µS/cm, through addition of concentrated NaCl solutions (measured EC in troughs averaged 418, 624, 811, and 1 016 µS/cm and 209, 312, 406, and 508 TDS ppm, respectively), for four periods of 18 days each. Water EC in troughs was measured daily. Each period included 5 days for washout, 10 days for collecting data of feed and water intake, milk and milk component yields, and BW and 3 days for samplings of milk, urine, faeces, and rumen fluid. Rumen pH and temperature were recorded continually by inserting loggers into the reticulorumen. We analysed the total tract apparent digestibility, rumen fluid volatile fatty acids and NH₃, and mineral concentrations (Na, Cl, K, and N) in water, urine, faeces, and milk. Drinking water salinity was positively correlated with DM intake and energy-corrected milk yield, the latter showing the greatest response between EC of 400 and 600 µS/cm. Digestibility of ash-free amylase-treated NDF was negatively correlated with water salinity. There was no significant effect of water EC on rumen volatile fatty acid or NH₃ concentrations, or water intake. The results indicate possible effects of drinking water mineral concentrations on lactating cows’ milk yield and rumen physiology, warranting further investigation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 2","pages":"Article 101389"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142973146","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparison of the effects of production and processing parameters on the eating quality of lamb","authors":"L.J. Farmer ,&nbsp;A.W. Gordon ,&nbsp;D.W. Sanderson ,&nbsp;J.S. Speers ,&nbsp;T.D.J. Hagan ,&nbsp;E.L. Swancott ,&nbsp;J.L. Evans ,&nbsp;D.J. Richards ,&nbsp;E.M. Thomas","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2024.101407","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2024.101407","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>While many separate research studies have investigated the effect of production and processing factors on eating quality of lamb, the relative impact of these parameters has been difficult to ascertain. In this study, the effect of eighteen production and processing factors on the eating quality of Welsh Lamb was compared, using meat from 624 lambs and assessments by 1920 UK consumers. Four experimental trials provided a balanced assessment of production and processing factors: muscle, breed type, lamb gender, ageing, finishing diet, season, carcase hanging and packaging method. The effect of other parameters was assessed using the combined data: farm type, individual farm, liveweight gain, abattoir, slaughter date, carcase weight, carcase conformation, carcase fat grade, age at slaughter, and transport time. The Meat Standards Australia protocol for consumer panels was used to provide a consistent methodology for comparing the effect on palatability of different treatments and factors and the interactions between them. The three factors that had the most significant effect on consumer sensory quality were muscle, season and individual farm. While the differences between muscles are well known, the effects of season within the 1st year and individual farm have not been widely reported. Meat from mid-season lambs received the highest scores for sensory quality while differences in sensory quality between meat from different farms were pronounced and unexplained; further research is needed to evaluate the role of genetics and/or microflora. Younger age and higher intramuscular fat content also gave improved eating quality, with gender and conformation grade having a small effect. Of the postslaughter factors, ageing to 14 or 21 days, gave significantly better eating quality than 7 days ageing, as did hanging “cross-legged” and vacuum packing, compared with Achilles hanging and modified atmosphere packaging, respectively. There was a significant muscle × hanging method interaction, with the greatest effect of “cross-legged” hanging observed in the loin. There was no significant effect of lamb finishing diet, abattoir, preslaughter daily liveweight gain or transportation time on any of the consumer sensory scores. The main factors tested that provide practical scope for improving the eating quality of lamb were ageing of the meat, carcase hanging and meat packaging. If the reasons for inter- and intra-farm differences in lamb quality can be elucidated, this may provide further management tools for improving the quality and consistency of lamb quality.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 2","pages":"Article 101407"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143014283","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Influence of forage-to-concentrate ratio on the effects of a radiata pine bark extract on methane production and fermentation using the rumen simulation technique","authors":"N. Vera ,&nbsp;S. Suescun-Ospina ,&nbsp;C. Gutiérrez-Gómez ,&nbsp;P. Williams ,&nbsp;C. Fuentealba ,&nbsp;R. Allende ,&nbsp;J. Ávila-Stagno","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2024.101406","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2024.101406","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Climate change and food safety standards have intensified research into plant-based compounds as alternatives to dietary supplements in animal feed. These compounds can reduce enteric methane (<strong>CH₄</strong>) emissions and the formation of ruminal ammonia. This study investigated the effects of radiata pine bark extract (<strong>PBE</strong>) supplementation on CH₄ production, ruminal fermentation parameters, and nutrient disappearance using the rumen simulation technique in diets with different forage-to-concentrate (<strong>F:C</strong>) ratios. The experimental design was a 2² factorial arrangement of two F:C ratios [70:30 (<strong>HF</strong>) vs 30:70 (<strong>HC</strong>)], without or with PBE (2% on a DM basis). Two consecutive incubations were conducted during 15 days, with 10 days of adaptation, followed by 5 days of sampling. Use of PBE decreased ammonia nitrogen (<strong>NH₃-N</strong>, <em>P</em> &lt; 0.001) and total volatile fatty acids (<strong>VFAs</strong>, <em>P</em> = 0.019) concentrations, while it increased acetate (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.001) and propionate (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.001) proportions in both diets. However, CH₄ yield [mg/g organic matter (<strong>OM</strong>) disappeared] tended to be reduced by 33.6% (<em>P</em> = 0.088) only in the HF diet supplemented with PBE. The OM disappearance tended to increase (<em>P</em> = 0.079) with PBE; hemicellulose disappearance increased in HF and decreased in HC diets (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.001), whereas protein disappearance decreased in HF and increased in HC diets (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.001). In conclusion, PBE supplementation reduced NH₃-N and VFA concentrations in HF and HC diets, but CH₄ yield (mg/g OM disappeared) was only reduced in the HF diet. Additionally, nutrient disappearance was dependent on the F:C ratio of the diet, without adverse effects on ruminal fermentation. Hence, the incorporation of radiata PBE into HF diets could serve as an environmentally friendly additive, potentially offering an alternative use for a forestry industry by-product, while beneficially modulating ruminal fermentation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 2","pages":"Article 101406"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143014288","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Variability of daily feed intake as an indicator of resilience in Pietrain pigs","authors":"C. Casto-Rebollo ,&nbsp;P. Nuñez ,&nbsp;S. Gol ,&nbsp;J. Reixach ,&nbsp;N. Ibáñez-Escriche","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2024.101415","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2024.101415","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>There is a growing need to produce more resilient livestock that can cope with extreme environments and their associated impacts. Daily feed intake (<strong>DFI</strong>) is a promising metric for the development of resilience indicators (<strong>RIs</strong>), as reduced feed consumption is widely recognised as a clinical sign of disease. However, there is no consensus on which DFI-based RIs are the most informative. The objectives of this study were: (i) to evaluate the most common DFI-based RIs and their relationships with feed efficiency traits (<strong>FETs</strong>), (ii) to investigate the relationship between these indicators and progeny mortality rates on commercial farms, and (iii) to gain insight into their biological mechanisms. A total of 111 121 DFI records of 1 634 healthy purebred Pietrain boars were used, ranging from 47 to 90 days, with an average of 69 DFI records per boar. Three RIs were calculated: residual variance, RMSE and logarithm of the variance of the deviations from an expected pattern (<strong>LnVar</strong>). A classical animal model was used to estimate the variance components of each RI, and a bivariate model was implemented to estimate the genetic correlation between RIs and the FET. Furthermore, a preliminary mortality study was carried out using data from 6 889 progeny of 55 boars on farms catalogued as virulent for porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome. Progeny mortality was calculated for each contemporary group (farm and batch) of the offspring, and sires were classified into three levels of resilience. A Bayesian linear model was used to determine whether the differences in progeny mortality rate between the levels of resilience were relevant. On the other hand, a weighted single-step genome-wide association study was performed for each RI and the FET, using a total of 1 216 genotypes. RIs showed moderate heritability (<span><math><msup><mrow><mi>h</mi></mrow><mn>2</mn></msup></math></span> = 0.27–0.49) and moderate to strong genetic correlation with FET. Progeny of resilient sires had an 80% probability of at least a 2.5% higher survival rate. Overlapping genomic regions were found for RIs and feed conversion ratio, highlighting <em>DOCK1, SYK</em> and <em>SPTLC1</em> genes for their potential roles in modulating immune responses and/or metabolism. The LnVar of deviations from the population mean was the most promising indicators (LnVar-Pop) for disease resilience, as it was the RI that better captured differences in progeny mortality. Furthermore, these results suggest a common biological basis for RIs and FET of interest to breeding programmes. Further studies are needed to validate them.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 2","pages":"Article 101415"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143076181","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The carbon cost of impaired welfare on sheep farms","authors":"L. Lanzoni ,&nbsp;M.C. Reeves ,&nbsp;K. Waxenberg ,&nbsp;R. Ramsey ,&nbsp;A.S. Atzori ,&nbsp;J. Bell ,&nbsp;R.M. Rees ,&nbsp;G. Vignola ,&nbsp;C.M. Dwyer","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2024.101390","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2024.101390","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In the face of global climate threats, farm and land-management decisions must balance climate concerns with profitability, animal welfare, and ecosystem health. However, few comprehensive studies have quantified the relationship between animal welfare and greenhouse gas (<strong>GHG</strong>) emissions, and no study focuses specifically on sheep farms. The present study aims to quantify the effects of impaired welfare on GHG emissions for common welfare challenges faced in UK lowland (<strong>L</strong>) and hill (<strong>H</strong>) sheep farming systems. Two case study research farms in Scotland, representative of high welfare conditions, were used as baselines for semi-intensive L and extensive H systems. In this study, “high welfare conditions” are defined as situations where animals have access to adequate feeding, suitable housing, good health, and opportunities to express natural behaviours. From each high-welfare baseline, scenarios representing common levels of impaired welfare conditions were modelled, using parameters retrieved from the published literature. The selected poor-welfare scenarios included lameness, gastrointestinal nematodes, blowfly strike, liver fluke, inadequate shelter provision, inadequate feeding during lamb growth and late gestation, and high lamb mortality rate. GHG emissions were estimated “from-cradle-to-farm-gate” using Agrecalc ©, a Life Cycle Assessment tool for the agricultural sector. Total GHG emissions and emission intensities (<strong>EI)</strong> in kg of CO₂ equivalent per kg live weight were compared across the baseline and the scenarios. Gross farm emissions and product-level EIs demonstrated divergent patterns in response to impaired welfare. Most impaired welfare scenarios led to a slight decrease in total farm emissions (0.03–3%), with a few exceptions. On the other hand, EI increased across all impaired welfare scenarios relative to the baseline, because meat production decreased by 1.3–16.6% across all impaired welfare scenarios, reducing resource use efficiency. Lameness was identified as particularly impactful, resulting in 18 and 10% increases in EI on H and L farms, respectively. This was primarily due to the high lamb mortality associated with lameness in published studies. Inadequate shelter provision was associated with an 8–15% increase in EI. Scenarios related to ineffective parasite control contributed to an EI increase ranging from 1 to 13%, while inadequate feeding management caused a 3–4% increase in EI. This study highlights the potential for reducing emission intensity through system-specific interventions, emphasising the importance of integrating animal welfare into GHG mitigation strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 2","pages":"Article 101390"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142967157","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Opinion paper: Phasing out of the aid provided to the livestock sector during expectedly recurrent emergencies","authors":"H.P.S. Makkar","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2024.101409","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2024.101409","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 2","pages":"Article 101409"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143025654","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Supporting rotational grazing systems with virtual fencing: paddock transitions, beef heifer performance, and stress response","authors":"N.A. Grinnell ,&nbsp;D. Hamidi ,&nbsp;M. Komainda ,&nbsp;F. Riesch ,&nbsp;J. Horn ,&nbsp;I. Traulsen ,&nbsp;R. Palme ,&nbsp;J. Isselstein","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2024.101416","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2024.101416","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Animal welfare is integral to sustainable livestock production, and pasture access for cattle is known to enhance welfare. Despite positive welfare impacts, high labour requirements hinder the adoption of sustainable grazing practices such as rotational stocking management. Virtual fencing (<strong>VF</strong>) is an innovative technology for simplified, less laborious grazing management and remote animal monitoring, potentially facilitating the expansion of sustainable livestock production. VF uses Global Navigation Satellite System technology, wireless communication, and stimuli (auditory and electrical) to manage livestock movements and contain animals without physical barriers. Training animals to associate the auditory cue with the subsequent aversive stimulus enables effective livestock containment without physical barriers. While previous studies have largely dispelled concerns about adverse effects on cattle behaviour associated with the use of VF collars, there is limited knowledge regarding the impacts on animal physiology, particularly in rotational stocking systems. Addressing this knowledge gap, this study investigated differences in diet digestibility, livestock performance, and stress response of beef heifers on pastures using a VF compared to a physical electric fence. The study was conducted over 8 weeks, subdivided into two grazing cycles, with 32 heifers in four groups. Each experimental pasture was subdivided into four paddocks. The study monitored the interaction with the VF by analysing the temporal development of the ratio of auditory and electrical cues (success ratio and confidence ratio) emitted by the collars. Additionally, the grassland herbage quality, BW gain, and concentrations of faecal cortisol metabolites (<strong>FCMs</strong>) were assessed, as well as the time required for animals to cross into a new paddock. VF success ratios increased in the second grazing cycle, reflecting enhanced adaptation over time. Similarly, the reduction in time taken to cross into new paddocks in the VF groups indicated that animals learned to interact with the VF and rely on the auditory cues for directing movements. The absence of a significant effect of the fencing system on FCMs suggested that stress was unrelated to the VF technology. Further, animal performance was not affected as indicated by similar BW gains under both fencing systems. This study also attempts to establish a benchmark threshold for successful responses to the auditory cues, allowing comparative evaluation of VF systems. Overall, under rotational grazing, VF did not adversely impact animal welfare or performance compared to physical fencing, opening avenues for further exploration of VF technology in diverse grazing conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 2","pages":"Article 101416"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143042333","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A conceptual mechanistic model of amino acid fluxes in the small intestine, taking the example of pig","authors":"C.J.J. Garçon ,&nbsp;N. Le Floc’h ,&nbsp;Y. Mercier ,&nbsp;J. van Milgen","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2024.101414","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2024.101414","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>During digestion, almost 50% of absorbed essential amino acids (<strong>AAs</strong>) are metabolised by intestinal tissue, thus not appearing directly in the portal vein. This value, which is referred to as first-pass metabolism, seems high in relation to the overall efficiency of AA use considered in growth models. Experimental studies of first-pass metabolism are complicated due to the presence of numerous metabolic fluxes in the intestine and to the dynamics of digestion and absorption. The aim of this study was to integrate current knowledge of the metabolic AA fluxes in the small intestine in a conceptual model of intestinal AA metabolism. The model was built as a series of 200 intestinal segments, each having the same structure. Each segment was composed of seven pools, representing the fate of a generic AA according to their location (i.e., luminal or intestinal), origin (i.e., dietary or endogenous), and form (i.e., as protein or as a free AA). The pools were connected by fluxes, representing the main fates of AA, such as saturable transport of luminal AA or homeostasis of free or protein-bound AA in intestinal tissue. To parameterise the model, data from the literature were used, as well as values considered as reasonable. Simulations were carried out over 24 h, with five meals during the day and fasting during the night. Representing the small intestine as a series of segments allowed to account both for its tubular structure and for changing luminal environment. During the day, the model simulated the uptake of AA from the intestine and export to the blood, while during the night it simulated the uptake of AA from the blood to ensure intestinal homeostasis. Approximately, half of dietary AAs absorbed were metabolised in first-pass by intestinal tissue (i.e., used for intestinal protein synthesis). Part of this intestinal protein was secreted in the lumen as endogenous protein, which was driven by the presence of digesta, and endogenous protein can be digested and absorbed in more distal segments. <em>In vivo</em>, only the apparent first-pass metabolism of AA can be measured due to the dynamics of AA recycling and the tubular structure of the small intestine. This model can be a valuable tool for research and education to simulate the impact of nutrition on intestinal AA metabolism.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 2","pages":"Article 101414"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143043311","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Review: The need for holistic, sector-tailored sustainability assessments for milk− and plant-based beverages","authors":"E. Maree ,&nbsp;J.N. Blignaut ,&nbsp;C.J.L. Du Toit ,&nbsp;H.H. Meissner ,&nbsp;P. Ederer","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2024.101348","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2024.101348","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sustainable food systems encompass nutrition, the environment and socioeconomics, each aspect requiring unique assessment and consideration. This is especially important in the dairy industry, since livestock contributes 14.5% of global greenhouse emissions while also contributing 49% to global calcium supply and 12% to global protein supply. This necessitates strict measurement to ensure science-based decision-making while producing sustainably, ensuring adequate nutrient supply. This review aimed to identify and evaluate existing measures of sustainability with the goal to generate recommendations for future sustainability measurements. From a nutritional perspective, it identified existing measures such as nutritional life-cycle analysis, hybrid nutrient−rich food index, nutrient−rich food adjusted for adequate intake and nutrient deficiencies, as well as the priority micronutrient density score, as methods which consider broader nutrient profiles and utilise more recent research, and therefore serve as a basis for future models. Major limitations exist in the incorporation of bioavailability or the food matrix effect in such measures, as well as food-group−specific indices. The Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology healthy diet score also provides promise in serving as an updated version of current dietary guidelines. Environmentally, the life cycle analysis approach forms a detailed basis for environmental footprint assessment, although the practical application thereof in modern agriculture may be cumbersome and may warrant the use of simpler metrics. However, the complexity of sustainability assessments due to differing production methods and system boundaries makes comparisons difficult, which justifies either standardised or contextualised indices. Lastly, socioeconomics which are often measured only via retail price with a focus on economics also deserves consideration of affordability at consumer and producer level by evaluating the effect of the production system on the local and global economy, producer affordability and the potential to improve livelihoods. In conclusion, a localised and holistic measure of sustainability is warranted which is both sector and context−specific and reported in sufficient detail to prevent the masking of poor results due to single metric expressions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 ","pages":"Article 101348"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142592026","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}