A. Schütz, W. Sonntag, I. Christoph-Schulz, Ivica Faletar
{"title":"Assessing citizens’ views on the importance of animal welfare and other sustainability aspects in livestock farming using best–worst scaling","authors":"A. Schütz, W. Sonntag, I. Christoph-Schulz, Ivica Faletar","doi":"10.3389/fanim.2023.1201685","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fanim.2023.1201685","url":null,"abstract":"In recent years, farm animal welfare has become an important issue from both an animal science and a societal perspective. Moreover, livestock production is increasingly associated with negative consequences for human health, the environment, and the climate. Thus, there is clear evidence that a more sustainable focus in animal husbandry is needed. However, this is a complex and challenging task, as different stakeholders and emerging trade-offs regarding sustainability need to be considered. For example, outdoor climate housing systems may be socially valued and bring benefits to animal welfare, but at the same time may be detrimental to the environment, the climate, human health, or even animal health. With regard to a sustainable, future-oriented transformation of animal husbandry, it is crucial to identify potential trade-offs and to evaluate them from not only a scientific perspective, but also a societal perspective. Therefore, the aim of this study is to find out how citizens assess the importance of various aspects of livestock production from different goal categories (e.g., ensuring animal welfare vs. environmental or climate protection), as well as within the category “ensuring animal welfare” (e.g., good housing conditions vs. good health conditions). A total of 2,000 participants were recruited via an online panel provider using quota and split sampling. We used the best–worst scaling (BWS) approach to measure the importance of the different aspects for four different farm animal species (dairy cows: n = 503; fattening pigs: n = 500; broilers: n = 499; and laying hens: n = 498). The results show that, regardless of animal species, in a trade-off situation, citizens prioritize animal welfare and human health over other sustainability aspects and, in particular, over product attributes (i.e., product price and taste). In terms of animal welfare, the provision of good housing conditions was found to be the most important sub-aspect for all animal species, but good feeding and animal health were also ranked highly. We consider our results valuable for the development of policy frameworks aimed at a sustainable and socially accepted transformation of current animal husbandry.","PeriodicalId":73064,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in animal science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41702599","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}
Georgia-Athanasia Lavranou, M. Henchion, M. McCarthy, S. O'Reilly
{"title":"Valorizing meat by-products for human consumption: understanding consumer attitude formation processes","authors":"Georgia-Athanasia Lavranou, M. Henchion, M. McCarthy, S. O'Reilly","doi":"10.3389/fanim.2023.1129241","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fanim.2023.1129241","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction A considerable body of research has identified that meat by-products contain significant amounts of high-quality protein, which when properly extracted can lead to valuable opportunities for the food industry. However, the market success of food products containing protein extracted from meat byproducts is subject to consumer acceptance. This study explores Irish consumers’ attitudes toward hypothetical food products containing protein derived from beef offal sources. Methods A nationally representative survey (n = 953) was undertaken to investigate what attitude processes, that is intuitive and/or deliberative, dominate attitude formation toward food products containing beef offal-derived protein, while accounting for the effects of product familiarity and information provision. Using a 2 x 3 between-subject design, study participants were randomly assigned to one of the 6 study conditions. Participants were exposed to Affect Misattribution Procedure (AMP) tasks which measured their intuitive evaluations, followed by a number of questions that measured deliberative evaluation, attitude ambivalence, attitudes and acceptability toward the food products containing protein extracted from beef offal. Results The study reveals that consumers’ intuitive and deliberative evaluations worked in the same direction, predicting overall attitudes toward these products; however, deliberative evaluation was found to be a better predictor of consumers’ attitudesthan intuitive evaluation. Moreover, intuitive evaluations do not influence deliberative evaluations, suggesting that information provision that prompts deliberative evaluations could lead to the formation of more considered and stable attitudes. Familiarity influences acceptance: these findings suggest that the potential impact of a lack of familiarity with the ingredient is offset by familiarity with the carrier products. Consumers who received benefit information about the health and environmental consequences of consuming food products containing protein extracted from beef offal expressed a more positive deliberative attitude toward these products. However, interestingly, the provision of benefit- and risk-orientated information at the same time at the same time also had a positive effect on deliberative evaluations. Discussion The findings have implications for new product development, and more generally for strategies that seek to promote sustainable food production and consumption.","PeriodicalId":73064,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in animal science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47009987","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}
S. Zoca, Julie A. Walker, A. Kline, T. Andrews, J. Rich, K. Epperson, J. Drum, M. Ortega, R. Cushman, G. Perry
{"title":"Relationship of field and in vitro fertility of dairy bulls with sperm parameters, including DAG1 and SERPINA5 proteins","authors":"S. Zoca, Julie A. Walker, A. Kline, T. Andrews, J. Rich, K. Epperson, J. Drum, M. Ortega, R. Cushman, G. Perry","doi":"10.3389/fanim.2023.1180967","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fanim.2023.1180967","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction Sperm interacts with the female reproductive tract and oocyte through proteins, and these cell-to-cell interactions may play a role in sperm fertility. For consideration of a protein as a potential marker of fertility, there must be variability expressed among animals. The proteins dystroglycan (DAG1) and plasma serine protease inhibitor (SERPINA5) have been reported to play a role in cell-to-cell interactions. Thus, the objectives of this study were to characterize the localization and abundance variability of DAG1 and SERPINA5 in bovine sperm, and to investigate the relationship of DAG1 and SERPINA5 with field fertility (i.e., sire conception rate; SCR), in vitro embryo production (IVP), and sperm parameters. Material and methods Dairy bulls (n = 22) were classified as high-SCR (SCR > 1.0) or low-SCR (SCR < –4.0), and good [blastocyst (BL)-by-cleavage (CL) ratio (BL/CL) > 39%] or poor (BL/CL < 38%) BL/CL. Sperm was evaluated for DAG1 and SERPINA5 immunolocalization, and concentration in two separate ejaculates. Variance between bulls compared with within bulls was evaluated using a generalized linear model (GLM) procedure. The relationship of SCR and IVP classification on DAG1 and SERPINA5 concentrations, percentage of tail labeled for SERPINA5, SCR, sperm total and progressive motility, sperm plasma membrane integrity (PMI), CL, BL, and BL/CL were evaluated with the GLIMMIX procedure, and the correlations between these variables were evaluated. Results Both proteins were localized on the sperm head; however, SERPINA5 was also localized on the sperm tail. There was greater variance in concentration among bulls than within bulls for DAG1 (P < 0.0001; 69.4 vs. 49.1, respectively) and SERPINA5 (P < 0.0001; 325.8 vs. 285.4, respectively). There was a positive correlation between the concentrations of DAG1 and of SERPINA5 (P = 0.01; r = 0.54). In addition, the percentage of tail labeled for SERPINA5 was correlated with PMI (P = 0.05; r = 0.44). There was no relationship between SCR and IVP classifications and DAG1 (P ≥ 0.55), SERPINA5 (P ≥ 0.54), or the percentage of sperm tail labeled for SERPINA5 (P ≥ 0.22). Discussion In conclusion, DAG1 and SERPINA5 were localized to the sperm head, and SERPINA 5 was also localized to the tail. Concentrations of DAG1 and SERPINA5 on the sperm head were correlated with each other. The percentage of tail labeled for SERPINA5 was correlated with sperm PMI; however, neither protein was associated with SCR or IVP. Thus, when evaluated by immunofluorescent microscopy, DAG1 and SERPINA5 concentrations are variable and are not good fertility markers for bull sperm.","PeriodicalId":73064,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in animal science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49557335","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}
A. Rentsch, A. Harlander, J. Siegford, Isabela Vitienes, B. Willie, T. Widowski
{"title":"Rearing laying hens: the effect of aviary design and genetic strain on pullet exercise and perching behavior","authors":"A. Rentsch, A. Harlander, J. Siegford, Isabela Vitienes, B. Willie, T. Widowski","doi":"10.3389/fanim.2023.1176702","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fanim.2023.1176702","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction To prepare laying hens for life in cage-free aviaries, they must be reared in aviaries that accustom them to the challenges of navigating a complex three-dimensional structure. Rearing aviaries vary in design and contain a brooding compartment in which chicks are confined during the first six weeks of age. These compartments vary greatly in their size and complexity. The present study aimed to examine the impact of environmental complexity during early life and birds’ genetic strain on their space use and forms/types of exercise. Methods Four consecutive flocks of brown and white chicks were raised in three styles of rearing aviary with low, intermediate, or high complexity. Behavioral observations were performed at three ages during the brooding phase (weeks 1, 3, and 5) and the open phase when the brooding compartments were opened (weeks 7, 11, and 17). Behaviors observed were categorized as aerial locomotion, perching, dynamic load-bearing behavior (DLB), and wing-involved load-bearing behavior (WLB). Results During the brooding phase, chicks in aviaries of high complexity exercised most frequently (e.g., DLB events/minute: 1.75 in High vs 1.11 in Mid and 0.10 in Low, p<0.0001), and the effect remained for whites, but not the browns, during the open phase. White pullets exercised more than brown pullets both in brooding (e.g., 1.47 vs 1.28 DLB events/minute, p<0.0001) and open phases in High and Mid (e.g., 1.17 vs 0.93 DLB events/minute, housing x stain interaction p=0.009). Throughout rearing, whites had higher odds of perching than browns (brooding: 0.52 vs 0.45, p=0.04, open: 0.27 vs 0.17, p=0.0007). Discussion We concluded that rearing aviary design can affect behavior during the brooding phase; however, once the brooding compartments were opened, housing differences almost exclusively affected white pullets. The data suggest that genetic strain of birds must be considered in the design of pullet housing with the goal of maximizing space use and musculoskeletal development of laying hen pullets.","PeriodicalId":73064,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in animal science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-05-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45509625","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}
E. Zeinstra, J. Vernooij, Mireille Bentvelzen, F. J. van der Staay, R. Nordquist
{"title":"Wool cortisol as putative retrospective indicator of stress in ewes during the third trimester of pregnancy, and their newborns: effects of parity and litter size — an exploratory study","authors":"E. Zeinstra, J. Vernooij, Mireille Bentvelzen, F. J. van der Staay, R. Nordquist","doi":"10.3389/fanim.2023.1056726","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fanim.2023.1056726","url":null,"abstract":"Stress is an important factor in animal welfare. Hair or wool cortisol concentrations are considered to be potential long-term indicators of stress experienced by an animal. Using Swifter sheep, we investigated whether ewe parity and litter size affect the wool cortisol concentrations in ewes and their offspring. We hypothesized that multiparous ewes and their offspring would have higher wool cortisol concentrations than primiparous ewes and their offspring, that ewes with larger litters and their offspring would have lower wool cortisol concentrations than ewes with smaller litters and their offspring, that male lambs would have higher wool cortisol concentrations than female lambs, and that the wool cortisol concentrations in the wool of ewes and their lambs would be correlated. Lamb wool grows in utero during the third trimester of pregnancy. In ewes, the shave–reshave method was used so that wool samples from ewes also covered approximately the last trimester of pregnancy. Our study confirmed that litter size affected ewe wool cortisol concentrations: ewes that gave birth to larger litters (i.e., 3 or 4 lambs) had higher wool cortisol concentrations than ewes that gave birth to smaller litters (i.e., 1 or 2 lambs). There was no evidence that the wool cortisol concentrations of the ewes and their lambs were correlated. Neither litter size nor parity of the ewe affected wool cortisol in the lambs. Our study confirms that wool cortisol can be reliably measured in ewes and their newborn lambs, and suggests that it may be useful as a retrospective indicator of stress during the last trimester of pregnancy.","PeriodicalId":73064,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in animal science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-05-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45389487","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}
R. Arena, Simona Manuguerra, Eleonora Curcuraci, M. Cusimano, D. Lo Monaco, C. Di Bella, A. Santulli, C. Messina
{"title":"Fisheries and aquaculture by-products modulate growth, body composition, and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid content in black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae","authors":"R. Arena, Simona Manuguerra, Eleonora Curcuraci, M. Cusimano, D. Lo Monaco, C. Di Bella, A. Santulli, C. Messina","doi":"10.3389/fanim.2023.1204767","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fanim.2023.1204767","url":null,"abstract":"The black soldier fly (BSF) (Hermetia illucens L.) is one of the most promising species for the production of ingredients, mainly protein, useful for animal feed formulation, owing to its ability to convert organic waste into biomass with a high nutritional value. However, the low percentage of n-3 series polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in its fatty acid profile is a limiting factor for the utilization of BSF in fish feed. Recent studies have highlighted that wastes derived from different agro-food value chains could affect the nutritional composition of BSF larvae, depending on the composition of the wastes used as larvae-growing substrate. Due to the significant amount of n-3 PUFA in marine products, both in edible produce and in by-products, in this study, different sources of fish by-products were included in experimental diets for BSF to evaluate the effect of its addition on the final nutritional profile of BSF pre-pupae. One control diet and five experimental diets were prepared to feed the BSF larvae: wheat bran as the control diet (diet B), bycatch from Mediterranean trawl fisheries (diet F), Parapenaeus longirostris processing by-products (diet S), aquaculture processing by-products (diet R), Thunnus albacares processing by-products (diet T), and Engraulis encrasicolus processing by-products (diet A). In this study, the effects of the different diets were analyzed on the growth, body composition, and fatty acid profile of BSF larvae and pre-pupae. The obtained results showed that the different experimental diets affected total lipids content and fatty acids composition, when compared with the control. A significant increase in eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in BSF larvae and pre-pupae fed with all fish by-products was observed when compared with those fed with diet B, in particular in larvae and pre-pupae fed with diet A, demonstrating that the utilization of fish processing by-products is a suitable solution for improving the nutritional value of insects as ingredients in aqua feeds. The reuse of marine by-products can contribute to the industry’s “zero waste” goal, increasing the sustainability of the fishery value chain and the formulation of new valuable products.","PeriodicalId":73064,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in animal science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49256759","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":"The use of Moringa oleifera in ruminant feeding and its contribution to climate change mitigation","authors":"A. Amad, J. Zentek","doi":"10.3389/fanim.2023.1137562","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fanim.2023.1137562","url":null,"abstract":"Livestock production in developing countries faces several difficulties such as a general shortage of feed resources, regional availability, and quality. Climate change further exacerbates these problems, leading to a massive reduction in ruminant productivity. Therefore, there is a need for the use of adaptable and resilient forage plants that can also contribute to reducing greenhouse gases. The Moringa oleifera tree is well known as an agroforestry tree and has adapted to growing in harsh conditions. It produces a high amount of biomass in a short period and contains high levels of nutrients and biologically active components. All parts of the Moringa tree are valuable and have multiple benefits and applications. Therefore, Moringa oleifera has great potential and can be used as a forage crop, storing carbon dioxide (CO2) and improving ruminant performance and the livelihoods of farmers in the tropics. This article aimed to present the results and findings of studies related to the use of Moringa in ruminant feed (cattle, sheep, and goats) and its contribution to climate protection. Several studies highlighted that M. oleifera can be used as green fodder either individually or in combination with other crops or concentrate feeds to improve the performance of ruminants, such as the growth rate, milk yield, and milk constituents, without negatively impacting animal health. This improvement in performance could be attributed to the favorable nutrient content in M. oleifera, delivering proteins in conjunction with bioactive compounds such as alkaloids, flavonoids, phenolics, glucosinolates, carotenoids, sterols, saponins, phenolic acids, tannins, and isothiocyanates. Furthermore, it has been shown that this plant can be produced in high yields and thus might be an excellent carbon dioxide sink to absorb and utilize carbon dioxide, reducing the anthropogenic load of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. In addition, feeding cattle and other ruminants with M. oleifera leaves or seeds significantly decreases ruminal methane emissions, which could contribute to adapting to climate-friendly farming. Thus, the use of Moringa can make a sustainable contribution to strengthening animal production, especially in countries with limited feed resources.","PeriodicalId":73064,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in animal science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-05-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45170428","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":"The importance of essential fatty acids and their ratios in aquafeeds to enhance salmonid production, welfare, and human health","authors":"I. Carr, B. Glencross, Ester Santigosa","doi":"10.3389/fanim.2023.1147081","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fanim.2023.1147081","url":null,"abstract":"Long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA), namely those from omega-3 (n-3) and omega-6 (n-6) families, are paramount for both fish and human nutrition. Some of these biomolecules cannot be synthesized de novo and must be acquired through the diet, being termed dietary essential fatty acids (EFA). Fish requirements for EFA have traditionally been met through the incorporation of fish oil (FO) in the formulation of aquafeeds. However, with limited supply of FO the aquaculture industry is searching for additional sustainable sources of LC-PUFA. This has significantly shifted the type of ingredients used in aquafeed formulation, namely vegetable oils (VO) deficient in long-chain omega-3, often resulting in imbalanced levels and ratios of fatty acid classes. Such imbalances can negatively affect fish performance and welfare, as well as the levels of health promoting omega-3 LC-PUFA present in fish fillets. Given the relevance that salmonid aquaculture plays in global fish production (principally Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar), as well as its growing role as a source of dietary health promoting omega-3 LC-PUFA for humans, the present review summarizes the scientific knowledge available to date on the dietary requirements for LC-PUFA by salmonids and humans. We discuss the implications of using imbalanced aquafeed formulations upon fish performance and welfare, as well as the subsequent consequences for human nutrition, along with current efforts to replace FO by alternative ingredients such as algal oil (AO) that can safeguard high-quality salmonid products for human consumption.","PeriodicalId":73064,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in animal science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42351169","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}