Massimiliano Lanza

University of Catania | UNICT · Department of Agriculture Food and Environment (Di3A)

This study aimed to assess the effect of dietary tara (Tara spinosa (Feuillée ex Molina) Britton & Rose) hydrolysable tannins on performance and meat quality of finishing pigs. Twenty barrows (crossbred PIC × Piétrain; age: 125±5 d; bodyweight: 60.8±3.89 kg) were randomly assigned to two groups and fed ad libitum for 7 weeks a control diet (CON) or...

This study assessed the impact of different calf rearing systems on calf health, behavior, meat quality, and oxidative stability. The study involved two groups of bull calves: conventionally penned calves (control, fed with use of automatic feeders) and calves reared alongside foster cows (experimental). The presence of foster cows was found to hav...

This study aimed to investigate the effect of dietary hazelnut skin (HNS), a by-product of confectionery industry, on the oxidative stability of lamb meat. Twenty-two finishing lambs were randomly assigned to 2 groups and fed ad libitum for 56 days on different concentrate-based diets: one control and one experimental, in which 150 g/kg of corn was...

Five groups of lambs (n = 9 each) were used to test the effect of plant extracts rich in hydrolysable (HT) or condensed tannin (CT) on animal performance, fatty acid composition of rumen content, liver and meat. The control group (CO) received a concentrate-based diet without tannins supplementation. The other groups received the same diet as the c...

Gut microbiota contributes to animal health. However, identifying which microorganisms or associated functions are involved remains, still, difficult to assess. In the present study, the microbiota of healthy broiler chickens, under controlled diet and farm conditions, was investigated by 16S rRNA gene sequencing in four intestine segments and at f...

Cardoon meal is a by-product of oil extraction from the seeds of Cynara cardunculus and can serve as a novel alternative feedstuff for ruminants. This study examined the rumen fermentation, biohydrogenation of fatty acids (FA) and microbial community in lambs fed a concentrate diet containing 15% dehydrated lucerne (CON, n = 8) or cardoon meal (CMD...

s The objective of the study was to assess the effect of fresh bergamot pulp in lactating goat diets to determine its effects on milk and suckling kid fatty acid composition. Eighteen pregnant does were randomly assigned to two groups of two different diets: alfalfa hay (1 kg/head/day), supplemented with commercial concentrate (1 kg/head/day–Contro...

Common pathogens of intensive poultry farms, either parasitic or bacterial, such as Coccidiaor Salmonella, are well known and strictly controlled by veterinary management. This case study reports an unusual case of runting stunting syndrome (RSS) observed on a Sicilian poultry farm of broiler chickens during 2019. The investigation was carried out...

The emergence of multidrug resistance among Enterobacteriaceae in livestock poses a serious public health threat. Escherichia coli, a usual host of intestinal microbiota, is recognized also as etiological agent of numerous infections widespread in both humans and animals. The colibacillosis is one of the most reported zoonoses worldwide, typically...

Five groups of lambs (n = 9 each) were used to test the effect of plant extracts rich in hydrolysable (HT) or condensed tannin (CT) on animal performance, fatty acid composition of rumen content and meat. The control group (CO) received a concentrate-based diet without tannins supplementation. The other groups received the same diet as the control...

Marek’s disease is widely controlled by vaccination programs; however, chickens are not totally protected, especially immediately after the vaccination when a strong challenge could interfere with the effectiveness of vaccination in the absence of proper biosecurity practice. This case report describes the occurrence of Marek’s disease (MD) observe...

The present study aims to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation based on a blend of microencapsulated organic acids (sorbic and citric) and essential oils (thymol and vanillin) on chicken meat quality. A total of 420 male Ross 308 chicks were randomly assigned to two dietary treatments: the control group was fed with conventional diet (...

This study investigated the effect of including whole pomegranate by-product in lamb diet on meat oxidative stability. Seventeen lambs were assigned to two experimental treatments and fed a cereal-based concentrate (CON) or the same concentrate where 200 g/kg DM of cereals were replaced by whole pomegranate by-product (WPB). Meat from WPB-fed lambs...

The goal of the trial was testing the effects of a blend of organic acids and essential oils dietary supplementation on growth performance and gut healthiness in broiler chickens. In total, 420 male Ross 308 chicks (1-day old) were randomly assigned to two dietary treatments: basal (BD) and organic acids and essential oils (OA&EO) diets (three repl...

Sixteen Nero Siciliano pigs were used to investigate the effect of dietary tomato processing waste on meat quality. During 86 days one group (CON, n = 8) received a pelleted conventional diet, while another group (TOM, n = 8) received the same diet in which tomato waste replaced 15% of corn. The dietary treatment did not affect growth performances....

This work investigated the effects of feeding whole pomegranate by-product (WPB) to lambs on ruminal, liver and intramuscular fatty acids (FA). Seventeen lambs, divided into two groups, were fed for 36 days with a cereal-based concentrate diet (CON) or with a concentrate diet containing 200 g/kg DM of WPB to partially replace barley and corn (WPB)....

Equine meat, including horse and donkey species, is considered an alternative option for red meats’ consumers due to wholesomeness especially in terms of nutritional value. The present chapter shows the nutritional composition of this type of meat, is characterized by low levels of fat and cholesterol, relatively high concentrations of n-3 fatty ac...

Little information is available on the effects of different sources of tannins on ruminant product quality. Nowadays several tannin-rich extracts, produced from different plants, are available and contain tannins belonging to different chemical groups, but most of these have not been used so far as feed supplements. The present study aimed at compa...

The effect of dried tomato pomace (DTP) was tested on lamb performances, meat fatty acids and oxidative stability. For 36 days, one group of lambs (n = 7; CON) was fed a commercial concentrate, while the other group (n = 7; DTP) received DTP in addition to CON diet. The administration of DTP reduced (P < .05) concentrate intake, with no effect on a...

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of dietary whole dried citrus pulp (DCP) on the antioxidant status of lamb tissues. In total, 17 lambs were divided into two groups and fed for 56 days: a barley-based concentrate diet (CON – eight animals), or a concentrate-based diet including 35% DCP to partially replace barley (CIT – nine anim...

In the present study, we have hypothesized that replacing barley with high proportions of dried citrus pulp in a concentrate-based diet for lambs could increase the intake of unsaturated fatty acids and could reduce the rate of the ruminal biohydrogenation of PUFA, with a consequent improvement of the intramuscular fatty acid composition. To test t...

The effect of feeding pigs with carob pulp on meat quality was investigated. Nine pigs were finished on a conventional concentrate-based diet (control), while two groups received a diet comprising of the same ingredients with the inclusion of 8% or 15% carob pulp (Carob 8% and Carol) 15%, respectively). Feeding carob-containing diets reduced the co...

Carob (Ceratonia siliqua) is commonly found in the Mediterranean region and may be used as an alternative feed resource in livestock production. However, carob contains plant secondary compounds, such as polyphenols, which limit its use due to potential toxicity problems. This study aimed to investigate whether the substitution of barley by carob p...

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of the inclusion of stoned olive cake and rolled linseed in a concentrate-based diet for lambs on the fatty-acid composition of polar and non-polar intramuscular lipids of the longissimus dorsi muscle. To achieve this objective, 32 Appenninica lambs were randomly distributed into four groups o...

Over 72 days, 33 lambs were fed: concentrates in stall (S), grass at pasture for 8 hours (8 h), or grass at pasture for 4 hours in the afternoon (4h-PM). The 4h-PM treatment did not affect the carcass yield compared to the 8h treatment. Meat colour development after blooming was unaffected by the treatments. The 4 h-PM treatment increased the propo...

The aim of this experiment was to study the effect of concentrates including legume seeds (Vicia faba var. minor or Pisum sativum) on lamb performances and meat quality, emphasizing the intramuscular fatty acid composition. Thirty lambs (14.5±3.45 kg live weight) were randomly assigned to three dietary treatments: i) group fed on concentrate includ...

Several efforts have been done in the last years to trace grass feeding directly in the herbivore products and different methods, based on carotenoid pigments (Priolo et al., 2002; Prache et al., 2003) have been proposed. Some volatile compounds, such as 2,3-octanedione or 3-methylindole (skatole) have been indicated as excellent indicators of past...

Fourteen lambs were individually penned for 60 days. Seven lambs (C) were fed a barley-based concentrate, while 7 animals (T) received the same concentrate supplemented with 8.96% (dry matter basis) quebracho (Schinopsis lorentzii) extract. Tannin supplementation extended colour stability of fresh longissimus dorsi muscle (LM) over 7 days of aerobi...

Eighteen Girgentana lactating goats, nine homozygous for strong alleles (AA) and nine homozygous for weak alleles (FF) at αs1-casein locus, were used to evaluate the effect of genotype×diet interaction on goat milk fatty acid composition. Animals were divided in two groups. First group consisted of 5 AA and 4 FF, the second one consisted of 4 AA an...

Given the lack of data that relates consumer acceptance of lamb colour to instrument measures a study was undertaken to establish the acceptability thresholds for fresh and displayed meat. Consumers (n=541) were asked to score 20 samples of lamb loin (m.longissimus thoracis et lumborum; LL) on an ordinal scale of 1 (very acceptable) to 5 (very unac...

A study was carried out to evaluate how the energy level of the diet can affect milk production and quality in Girgentana lactating goats in relation to polymorphism at the alphas1-casein (CSN1S1) genotype locus. Twenty-seven goats, homogeneous for milk production (1.5+/-0.3 kg/d), days of lactation (90+/-10 d) and body weight (35.8+/-5.5 kg) were...

This study evaluated the effects of tannins on ruminal biohydrogenation (BH) due to shifts in the ruminal microbial environment in sheep. Thirteen lambs (45 days of age) were assigned to two dietary treatments: seven lambs were fed a barley-based concentrate (control group) while the other six lambs received the same concentrate with supplemental q...

Twenty-one male Comisana lambs were divided into three groups at 45 days of age and were individually penned for 60 days. Seven lambs were fed a concentrate-based diet (C), seven lambs received the same concentrate with the addiction of tannins from quebracho (Schinopsis lorentzii; T), whereas the remaining animals were fed exclusively fresh vetch...

Twenty-eight male lambs were divided into two groups at age 45 d. Fourteen lambs were given fresh herbage (vetch); the remaining lambs were fed a concentrate-based diet. Within each treatment, seven lambs received a supplementation of quebracho tannins. At slaughter (age 105 d) the ruminal content and the muscle longissimus dorsi (LD) were collecte...

A 2 × 2 factorial experiment was carried out to evaluate the effect of herbage or concentrate feeding and dietary tannin supplementation on fatty acid metabolism and composition in sheep ruminal fluid, plasma, and intramuscular fat. Twenty-eight male lambs were divided into 2 equal groups at 45 d of age and kept in individual pens. One group was gi...

The impact of homogenization speed on Particle Size (PS) results was examined using samples from the M.longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LL) of 40 lambs. One gram duplicate samples from meat aged for 1 and 5days were homogenized at five different speeds; 11,000, 13,000, 16,000, 19,000 and 22,000rpm. In addition to this LL samples from 30 different...

Fourteen male Comisana lambs were divided into two groups at 45 days of age: lambs fed a concentrate diet (C), or lambs fed the same concentrate with the addition of quebracho (Schinopsis lorentzii) tannins (T). Sheep were slaughtered at 105 days of age. Lipid oxidation, colour coordinates, haem pigment concentration, and metmyoglobin percentages w...

The goal of the trial was to evaluate meat quality, with an emphasis on intramuscular fatty acid composition, of Sanfratellano foals, compared to that from Haflinger foals,both slaughtered at 18 months of age. Thirty foals, half of Sanfratellano breed and half of Haflinger breed, naturally weaned at 7-8 months, were divided into two homogeneous gro...

The present paper reviews the quality of meat and milk from sheep and goats offered alternative feeds as a replacement for concentrates. Legume seeds and pods, shrubs, local agro-industrial by-products or novel pasture species are cheap and widely available in Mediterranean countries and are suitable for sheep and goat nutrition. Many of these alte...

The degradation of muscle myofibrillar proteins under post-mortem conditions can be assessed by determining the extent of the fragmentation of myofibrils when subjected to homogenization. A myofibrillar fragmentation index (MFI) can be derived by determination of protein content and measurement of the turbidity of samples adjusted to a common prote...

The degradation of muscle myofibrillar proteins under post-mortem conditions can be assessed by determining the extent of the fragmentation of myofibrils when subjected to homogenization. A myofibrillar fragmentation index (MFI) can be derived by determination of protein content and measurement of the turbidity of samples adjusted to a common prote...

The aim of this trial was to investigate the effects that dietary tannins have on lamb intramuscular fatty acids. Twenty-seven lambs were divided into three homogeneous groups: control group, receiving commercial concentrate based on maize; tannin group, fed a diet based on carob pulp (45% as fed basis); PEG group, receiving the same diet as the la...

SUMMARY - Barbaresca male lambs were divided, after weaning, into four different trials to test the use of alternative legume seeds (faba bean, peas, chickpeas) in the diets. Growth and slaughter performances and meat quality on longissimus dorsi were assessed. Faba bean in total replacement of soybean meal and cereal grains enhanced hind leg bone...

Fourteen Barbaresca lambs were divided into two groups of seven at 24h from birth and reared exclusively on natural milk (NR) or on artificial milk (AR). Lambs were slaughtered at 40 days of age. The NR group tended (P<0.10) to grow faster, thus resulting in a higher (P<0.10) carcass weight as compared to the AR group. AR meat was darker (P<0.05),...

Twenty pregnant Comisana ewes were divided into two groups of 10. One group was allowed to graze a vetch pasture (grass). The second group of animals was housed collectively in a pen and was given hay and concentrates (concentrate). After lambing, all the ewes were allowed to stay with the respective lambs between 18:00 h and 07:00 h of the followi...

Twenty-four male Comisana lambs aged 85 d were assigned to one of three treatments (control, sulla and PEG). The sulla group was offered fresh sulla as sole diet. The PEG lambs received fresh sulla but were also orally drenched once daily with 80 g of polyethylene glycol (PEG) with the aim to eliminate the effects of condensed tannins from sulla. T...

The purpose of this trial was to study the effects of citrus pulp inclusion in ostrich diets on meat quality, evaluated on iliofibularis and gastrocnemius muscles. M. iliofibularis had a lower ultimate pH (P<0.05) and was lighter in colour (P<0.05) than M. gastrocnemius. The latter had higher moisture (P<0.05) and lower crude protein contents (P<0....

Twenty-six Barbaresca lambs were randomly divided into three groups at age 60 days (SBM, Chickpeas 20, or Chickpeas 42). The SBM lambs received a commercial pelletted diet. The Chickpeas 20 received a diet in which part of the maize and part of the soybean meal were replaced by 20% of chickpeas. The Chickpeas 42 lambs received a diet with 42% of ch...

Fifty Comisana ewes were randomly divided into two groups of 25 animals each at 63 days after parturition. One group (control) received 3.5kg per head per day of a total mixed ration based on maize silage. The second group (grass) grazed a pasture in Sicily 4h per day and received 600g per head of oats hay after returning from pasture. During each...

Twenty-seven weaned Barbaresca lambs, divided on the basis of live weight into three groups of nine animals, were offered access to one of three different diets addressing the partial or total replacement of soybean meal and maize by chickpeas ( Cicer arietinum L.). Soybean meal, maize and chickpeas were present in the diets in the following propor...

Thirty weaned Barbaresca lambs were divided into three groups and fed diets that differed in their protein supplement source; the main protein source was soybean meal in SBM diet treatment, totally or partially replaced by peas in P39 and P18 diet treatments, respectively. Soybean meal and peas were present in the diets in the following proportions...

In recent years a renewed interest towards the use of local legume seeds in animal nutrition was raising in Mediterranean areas. Conventional feedstuffs such as maize and soybean and animal by-products, the former widely diffused as genetically modified organisms (GMO) and the latter related to “mad cow disease” produced significative changes in pu...

Fourteen male Comisana lambs were divided into two groups of seven at age 45 days and were fed a diet containing 56% of dried carob pulp ( as fed basis). One group (P10) received a supplement of 10 g of polyethylene glycol ( PEG) for each kg of diet, while the second group (P40) received a supplement of 40 g of PEG for each kg of diet. Both diets w...

Twenty "Merinizzata Italiana" lambs were introduced to two experimental diets. Ten animals (five males and five females, control group) received the traditional diet that is supplied by farmers in southern Italy, which comprised of oat hay ad libitum and commercial concentrate. The second group (the same number of lambs, silage group) received citr...

Fourteen weaned lambs (43 days of age) were divided into two equal groups of seven animals and received two different diets. The experimental diet contained 10% of carob pulp and 10% of orange pulp associated to 54% of faba bean. The control diet contained 12% of maize meal and 12% of barley meal associated to 49.2% of faba bean. Both diets were pl...

We conducted an experiment to evaluate the effects that a diet containing condensed tannins with and without polyethylene glycol (PEG) has on lamb growth and meat quality. Twenty-three male Comisana lambs were introduced to the three experimental diets between 45 and 50 d of age. Eight were given a diet containing 56% of Ceratonia siliqua (carob) p...

Sixteen male Comisana lambs were divided into two groups of eight at age 45 days. One group received a commercial pelleted diet (control) and the other group (carob) received a diet in which 20% carob pulp was used in partial replacement of barley. The animals were slaughtered at 100 days. No significant differences were observed for live weight, a...