Effect of Edible Onion (Allium cepa L.) Film on Quality, Sensory Properties and Shelf Life of Beef Burger Patties.

The production of edible film from onion (Allium cepa L.) to be applied as packaging is attractive, due to its chemical properties and biodegradable characteristics. Thus, we tested the hypothesis that edible onion film can positively influence the sensory properties, quality and increasing shelf life of beef burgers patties. The experiment was designed in a 4 × 2 factorial scheme, with two treatments (beef burgers patties with or without edible onion film) at an interval of four storage times (0, 3, 6 and 9 days) at 4 °C. The uncoated burger patties (control) suffered the most intense color modifications during the storage (p < 0.05). The luminosity index was higher (p < 0.05) in the control at all storage times, except at day 6, and redness, yellowness and chrome were higher (p < 0.05) in the edible onion film patties at all storage times. The pH of the beef burger patties was lower (p < 0.05) at all storage times when the edible onion film was applied. For the texture profile, only the chewiness was affected, as the inclusion of the edible onion film improved the chewing of the beef burgers patties over the storage time (p < 0.05). Additionally, there was an inhibition of the microbial growth of mesophiles and psychrophiles with the application of the edible onion film in beef burgers patties. The use of edible onion film improved the perception of panelists for the variables texture, color, flavor, odor and overall appearance, and increased the preference of panelists. The edible onion film is recommended for preserving beef burgers patties, as it delays the proliferation of unwanted microorganisms, stabilizes and improves the color parameters and sensory attributes, and increases the overall acceptance of the consumer.

Effect of different blend levels of spineless cactus and Mombasa hay as roughage on intake, digestibility, ingestive behavior, and performance of lambs.

This study aimed to determine the best level of the blend of spineless cactus (Nopalea cochenillifera) and Mombasa (Panicum maximum) hay as roughage in the diet of lambs based on intake, digestibility, ingestive behavior, and lamb performance. Forty-eight uncastrated crossbred Santa Ines breed lambs with an average age of 4 months old and an average initial BW of 20.5 kg ± 2.8 kg were distributed in two experiments using a completely randomized design: experiment 1: 16 lambs (four treatments and four replicates) for in vivo digestibility trial in metabolic cage; experiment 2: 32 lambs (four treatments and eight replicates) in feedlot to determine intake, ingestive behavior, and performance. As the amount of cactus in the roughage increased, there was a linear reduction (P <0.001) on intake (g/day) of dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), non-fibrous carbohydrates (NFC) digestibility, time spent ruminating, feeding efficiency of NDF (P = 0.0153), NDF rumination efficiency rate (P = 0.032), final BW, TWG, and ADG of lamb. However, there was a linear increase (P <0.001) on the intake of the NFC and TDN, digestibility coefficient of DM, CP, total carbohydrates (TC) and NDF gross energy, metabolizable energy, and time spent idling when spineless cactus increased in the roughage blend. The least amount of cactus in the roughage (112-637 g/kg DM) promoted higher intake of DM and CP, improving lamb performance. However, the blend up to 450-300 g/kg DM improved digestibility and energy production as well as it did not affect the feed efficiency.

Polymorphism of the beta-casein gene and adaptability of Sindhi cows to semiarid conditions.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of beta-casein genotypes (A1A2 and A2A2) in three different thermal comfort conditions on the adaptability of Sindhi cows and as a tool for selecting thermotolerant cattle. Twelve Sindhi cows were used in a completely randomized design in a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement, with six replicates, with two genotypes, and three thermal comfort conditions. The climatic variables were recorded, while black globe temperature, humidity index, and radiant heat load were calculated. We measured respiratory rate, surface temperature, and rectal temperature while the heat tolerance coefficient was calculated. Genotype had no significant effect (p > 0.05) on any of the parameters measured. However, there was a thermal comfort condition effect (p < 0.05) on rectal temperature, surface temperature, and thermal gradients. The respiratory rate and heat tolerance coefficient were not significantly affected (p > 0.05). Therefore, although the results indicate substantial adaptability of Sindhi cows under any thermal conditions, the tested genotypes should not be used as a tool for selecting thermotolerant Sindhi cows.

Factors affecting occurrence of demodecosis by Demodex bovis in Sindhi cattle (Bos indicus).

The objective was to evaluate the factors affecting the occurrence of bovine demodecosis from the clinical aspects of injuries, blood profile, and the correlation with weight gain and the season of the year in Sindhi-breed animal management in a tropical environment. Thirty-three Sindhi-breed animals were used: 23 females and 10 males. Clinical examination diagnosed that 90% of the examined animals presented skin lesions characteristic of bovine demodecosis caused by Demodex bovis (P < 0.05). The Sindhi presented a higher fecal parasite egg count and showed a lower body weight gain in the rainy season and a greater weight loss in the drought season (P < 0.05), medium injury predominating, with no effect of sex (P > 0.05). During the drought season, animals clinically infected with bovine demodecosis presented lower red blood cell and platelet counts and total plasma protein, and higher mean corpuscular volume and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, a blood count typical of regenerative macrocytic anemia (P < 0.05). During the rainy season of the year (April to June), the animals showed greater weight gain, but a higher fecal parasite egg count with no effect on the incidence of bovine demodecosis. Infection by gastrointestinal nematodes negatively influenced body weight gain and demodecosis in the animals.