Animal最新文献

{"title":"Ham weight loss and its dynamics in pigs from sires diverging in estimated breeding value for infrared-predicted ham weight loss","authors":"V. Bonfatti,&nbsp;S. Faggion,&nbsp;K. Ivanov,&nbsp;P. Carnier","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101633","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101633","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cumulative ham weight loss predicted through visible-near-infrared (<strong>VIS-NIR</strong>) spectroscopy (<strong>CWLp</strong>) is considered an indicator trait for indirect selection aimed at reducing actual ham weight loss. However, its effectiveness needs to be validated in practice. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of two groups of sires, diverging in the estimated breeding value (<strong>EBV</strong>) for CWLp, on the actual cumulative weight loss (<strong>CWL</strong>) and its dynamics observed during dry-curing in their progeny. The ultimate goal was to validate the use of CWLp as an indicator trait in selective breeding to enhance dry-cured ham production. The study focused on sires from the Goland C21 purebred line, where the breeding objectives include traits related to green ham quality. Since 2010, acquiring VIS-NIR spectra from individual ham subcutaneous fat 24 h after slaughter has been standard practice in the sib-testing programme. These data enabled the prediction of green ham fat quality traits and, since 2021, the computation of CWLp. Starting from a batch of 70 commercial AI C21 boars, two groups of sires were established: one group (bottom sires) consisting of the 15 boars with the highest EBV for CWLp, and another group (top sires) including the 15 boars with the lowest EBV. These two groups were randomly mated with a total of 180 crossbred sows. From the resulting progeny, a random sample of 341 individuals was selected for the study and raised as heavy pigs. After slaughter, the left ham from each pig was weighed ten times during the dry-curing process. Seven non-linear models (Cumulative Weibull, Chapman-Richards, Negative Exponential, U-Richards, U-Gompertz, U-von Bertalanffy and U-Logistic) were compared to describe the individual CWL dynamics. Cumulative Weibull and Chapman–Richards models showed the best fitting (R² = 0.996, RMSE &lt; 0.86%), and the Chapman–Richards function was used to estimate individual curves for CWL. Progeny of top sires exhibited a significantly different CWL kinetics, with a decreased rate of CWL compared to the progeny of bottom sires. They also exhibited lower CWL after 12 and 18 months of dry-curing (−2.4 and −2.6%, respectively, <em>P</em>-value &lt; 0.05) and improved green ham quality traits such as subcutaneous fat depth (+4.4%, <em>P</em>-value &lt; 0.05), and marbling and fat depth scores (<em>P</em>-value &lt; 0.001). These findings indicate that selecting breeding candidates for CWLp has the potential to enhance dry-cured ham production.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 10","pages":"Article 101633"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-08-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145092933","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Influence of precision feeding of sows over three consecutive gestations adjusted for energy, amino acids and minerals on sow performances and a marker of bone resorption","authors":"C. Ribas ,&nbsp;C. Gaillard ,&nbsp;N. Quiniou","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101638","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101638","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Supplying only one type of diet to gestating sows does not sufficiently cover the variability in individual and daily requirements of sows throughout gestation. A cumulative mineral imbalance decreases the overall performance of a sow herd. Mineral deficiency is particularly critical during lactation, when mobilisation of bones occurs, and during gestation, when it should recover. Excess minerals influence environmental impacts and economic outcomes. The objective of this study was to assess the influence of a precision feeding (<strong>PF</strong>) strategy adjusted for energy, amino acids and P over three consecutive reproductive experimental cycles on sow productive performances, nutrient balances, health and mineral status. The PF strategy involved adjusting daily dietary supplies at the individual level based on quantity (energy) and quality, including amino acids (standardised ileal digestible lysine, <strong>SID-Lys</strong>) and minerals (apparent total tract digestibility of P, <strong>ATTD-P</strong>). Seven days after insemination, two batches of 28 Landrace × Large White gestating sows were allocated to one of the two feeding strategies (PF vs a standard feeding strategy with a single diet adjusted on energy requirements (<strong>SF</strong>)) based on their parity, BW and backfat thickness. The PF strategy consisted of mixing two iso-net energy (<strong>NE</strong>) diets (9.0 MJ/kg, 2.6 g/kg ATTD-P, with low: 3.3 g/kg or high: 8.5 g/kg SID-Lys content, respectively) in an automatic feeder on an individual and daily basis until day 80 of gestation. During the last month of gestation, an additional diet (4.0 g/kg ATTD-P) was supplied to ensure that the sows’ increased P requirements were met. In contrast, SF sows were supplied only one diet throughout gestation (9.0 MJ/kg NE, 2.6 g/kg ATTD-P and 4.7 g/kg SID-Lys). The SID-Lys intake over three consecutive gestations was 18% (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.001) lower for PF than SF sows without decreasing farrowing performances (<em>P</em> &gt; 0.10). PF reduced feed cost up to 5 €/tonne (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.001). Only during the last week of gestation, daily ATTD-P intake was 1.5 g greater for PF sows than for SF sows (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.001). The feeding strategy did not influence total ATTD-P intake or urinary concentration of C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen, a bone resorption marker (<em>P</em> &gt; 0.10). Adjusting P supplies to the sows’ P requirements only during the last month of gestation better met their nutritional needs, had no long-term effects on farrowing performances and did not decrease bone resorption compared to the SF strategy adjusted for energy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 10","pages":"Article 101638"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-08-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145151870","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Transmissibility model to evaluate transgenerational transmission of environmental effects in quails","authors":"K. Karami ,&nbsp;S. Rousse ,&nbsp;F. Pitel ,&nbsp;S. Eynard ,&nbsp;D. Gourichon ,&nbsp;S. Leroux ,&nbsp;A. Ricard ,&nbsp;I. David","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101636","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101636","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Both genetic and non-genetic information, which contribute to the development of phenotypes, can be transmitted across generations. Non-genetic information can be modified by the environment, allowing environmental effects to be transmitted to the next generation. The objective of the present study was to use an experimental design in quail combined with the transmissibility models, to demonstrate the vertical transmission of environmental effects. The study involved creating two lines: a control line and a treatment line, where female quails were fed a genistein-supplemented diet. Genistein is an endocrine disruptor that affects methylation patterns. Then, reproduction of these lines was conducted in a mirrored mating design over three generations, with a total of 1 566 animals studied. Quails underwent behavioural tests measuring locomotor activity and were weighed at one, four, and 7 weeks of age. At slaughter, body and abdominal adipose weights were recorded. The transmissibility model was a mixed model with fixed effects of rearing condition, sex, generation, age at time of measurement and direct effect of the genistein (on the animal, embryo and germ cells) and the random effect of the transmissible potential of the animal which transmissibility matrix contains sire and dam path coefficients of transmission that have to be estimated conversely to the genetic model where they are fixed to 0.5. The transmissibility model with environment included additional covariance for offspring of genistein-fed dams which is then transmitted to next generations via sires and dams. Models were chosen according to the likelihood ratio test. The proportion of transmitted variance varied from 0.34 (at 1 week) to 0.72 (at 7 weeks) for BW, 0.20 for the behavioural trait and 0.22 for adiposity. The estimated sire and dam path coefficients ranged from 0.42 to 0.52, but were not significantly different from 0.50. With the transmissibility model with environment, the additional covariance was significantly different from zero for BW traits, indicating transgenerational transmission of genistein’s effects. This value corresponded to a high correlation at 1 week (0.44) but low for other BW traits. The transmissibility model with environment demonstrated the transgenerational transmission of genistein-induced environmental effects on BW traits in quail, putatively mediated by epigenetic inheritance. The findings suggest that beneficial environmental factors can positively impact multiple generations, and combining this with genetic selection could accelerate adaptation to new environmental challenges.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 10","pages":"Article 101636"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-08-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145158872","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Opinion paper: The sound use of experimental hypotheses in animal science","authors":"G. Pulina","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101634","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101634","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 10","pages":"Article 101634"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145097131","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Tail tip temperature measured by thermography as an indicator of animal health in Holstein cows","authors":"A.A. Köhler ,&nbsp;A.M. Scholz ,&nbsp;P.V. Kremer-Rücker","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101621","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101621","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>There is an increasing focus on animal health in research, and a growing public interest in transparent animal welfare practices. Several indicators are already used to assess animal health. Recently, the health of the tail tip has gained attention in animal welfare studies. Previous research suggests that circulatory problems may cause alterations in the tail tip. The aim of this case study was to evaluate whether tail tip temperature, measured using IR thermography, can be used as an indicator of animal health and whether visible or palpable alterations in the tail tip are associated with the tail temperature. We also compared the results with known animal health indicators using a cluster analysis. This study was conducted on a dairy farm in Germany. Data from 530 observations of 351 Holstein Friesian cows were collected over a 14-month period. The variables included the minimum, maximum, and average tail tip temperature; multiple tail tip alterations; the somatic cell score; the rectal temperature score; ruminal health indicators; the locomotion score; the body condition score; milk performance test results; and the sum of the claw diagnosis score. We used cluster analysis to identify patterns among these variables, resulting in the formation of four distinct clusters. The analysis revealed that the claw diagnosis score followed by tail tip temperature had the strongest influence on cluster categorisation, suggesting their notable influence on animal health. In the case study, cows with good performance and no obvious health problems showed unaltered and warm tail tips (non-standardised average temperature of 31.55 °C), whereas lower tail tip temperatures and altered tail tips tended to be associated with udder and claw issues, reduced rumen filling, and indications of potential health restrictions. Overall, a change in tail tip temperature was observed, supporting the previously hypothesised circulation issues. In addition, the correlations between the tail tip condition and several health traits in dairy cows suggest that the tail tip can be considered as an animal health indicator, and this issue warrants further investigation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 10","pages":"Article 101621"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145050566","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Developing a greenhouse gas emission model for sport horses: case studies in dressage and jumping","authors":"I. Huisman,&nbsp;C.M. Groenestein,&nbsp;T.V. Vellinga,&nbsp;S.H. Pishgar-Komleh","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101622","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101622","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sustainability is gaining growing attention within the equine sector. Sustainability consists of various subjects including feed and nutrition, resource efficiency, animal welfare, carbon footprint (<strong>CFP</strong>) and biodiversity, for example. Studies in horse research focus mainly on behaviour and welfare. Little information is available about the environmental impact of equids. The few studies that can be found are principally concerned with local impact, such as nitrogen leaching or ammonia concentrations in bedding. Little is known about greenhouse gas emissions (<strong>GHG</strong>) for horses, although GHG emissions are part of the National Inventory Report, there is nothing known for different types of horses. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a model to calculate the GHG emissions of a sport horse. Using the developed model (Hoofprint), the CFP of a sport horse in the Netherlands was calculated and the GHG hotspots identified. The model was developed based on life cycle assessment approach where various models and standards were applied. The model was developed to be applicable for all types of horses and various disciplines. To calculate the CFP throughout the whole life of a sport horse, four main stages, reproduction, raising, sport and retirement were considered. It is important to take the first two stages into account; hence otherwise, the history is not taken into consideration, and therefore, the CFP would be incomplete. As case studies, the CFP for both a dressage horse and jumping horse was determined. Data were collected on reproduction, raising, level of training and feed production and feed intake in all phases. Results showed that the total emissions of a dressage horse and jumping horse do not differ much when transport is not taken into account. The CFP of a dressage horse varied from 4 132 to 4 334 kg CO₂ equivalent per year. The CFP of a jumping horse varied from 4 158 to 4 651 kg CO₂ equivalent per year. When the horses are transported, the CFP increases with 1 664 and 68 528 kg CO₂ equivalent per horse per year, respectively. Showing that transport and especially the mode of transport and distance have a great impact on the CFP of a sport horse. This study was a first attempt to calculate the CFP of a Dutch sport horse competing internationally. The equine sector, however, is more diverse and consists of more disciplines and different types of yards. More research is needed to create a better understanding of the sector’s impact.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 10","pages":"Article 101622"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145057209","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Title page","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/S1751-7311(25)00243-5","DOIUrl":"10.1016/S1751-7311(25)00243-5","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 ","pages":"Article 101660"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145128117","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Review: Enhancing resilience of Mediterranean food systems through insect-based biotransformation of agri-food side streams (black soldier fly and yellow mealworm)","authors":"V. Khieya ,&nbsp;A. Francis ,&nbsp;S. Smetana","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101587","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101587","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Biotransformation of agricultural waste streams using insects presents a promising solution to the environmental and food security challenges encountered in the Mediterranean. Research has demonstrated the potential advantages of biotransformation systems in establishing new connections within the food system and providing alternative protein sources from a circularity perspective. This paper explores how these innovative methods enhance resilience properties (absorbability, adaptability, and recoverability) while tackling sustainability challenges in the food sector. The study reviews current experimental research on biotransformation approaches and their role in augmenting each resilience property. Findings suggest that existing studies predominantly focus on absorbability, reflecting the urgency to mitigate the impact of the agri-food system, particularly by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, which are significantly high for traditional protein sources. However, resilient properties like recoverability remain underexplored, particularly regarding the recovery of degraded ecosystems evident in traditional farming systems, such as toxicity towards plants, soil, and water. Research gaps also persist in understanding the adaptability of local economic potential and trade-offs for existing farmers, especially as the new market transition is expected to grow exponentially in the coming years. Additionally, the review was limited by the complexity of these aspects, ongoing legal regulations, and the still-growing industry, with none of the papers assessing them directly. To achieve long-term sustainability, addressing and improving all three resilient properties is crucial.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 ","pages":"Article 101587"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144644083","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Prediction of the digestibility and digestible energy content of hay for horses using an enzymatic degradability method","authors":"D. Andueza,&nbsp;W. Martin-Rosset","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101597","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101597","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The nutritive value of forage for horses is closely dependent on the digestibility of organic matter (<strong>OMD</strong>), which is typically measured <em>in vivo</em>. Researchers have developed a variety of prediction methods to estimate the digestibility value of hay. In ruminants, pepsin-cellulase degradability, expressed as dry matter enzymatic degradability (<strong>dCS</strong>) and organic matter enzymatic degradability (<strong>dCO</strong>), is a commonly employed method for predicting OMD in forage types. The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of predicting the dry matter digestibility (<strong>DMD</strong>), OMD, energy digestibility (<strong>ED</strong>) and digestible energy (<strong>DE</strong>) content of hay through enzymatic degradability or a combination of enzymatic methods with other chemical composition parameters. For that purpose, a database of 43 hays harvested in a temperate zone (32 natural grassland hays, five grass hays and six lucerne hays) was constructed from studies carried out at the French National Institute of Agricultural Research. The dCS and dCO of each hay type were determined, as well as their <em>in vivo</em> digestibility in horses. The range of OMD across the entire dataset was between 0.42 and 0.63, and the range of dCS cellulase digestibility was between 41.0 and 62%. The results demonstrated that there were no significant differences (<em>P</em> &gt; 0.05) between the slopes of the models obtained for the various forage types. The models used for the prediction of DMD, OMD, ED and DE from dCS and dCO were characterised by R² values between 0.87 and 0.91. The incorporation of chemical composition variables as independent variables into the prediction models did not result in a meaningful improvement in the model results obtained from dCS and dCO. The proposed models represent an alternative approach to the existing models for predicting the nutritive value and DE content of hay from their chemical composition.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 8","pages":"Article 101597"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144771411","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Aims and Scope","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/S1751-7311(25)00244-7","DOIUrl":"10.1016/S1751-7311(25)00244-7","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 ","pages":"Article 101661"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145128118","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}