Piglets performance, nutrient digestibility and gut health in response to feeding Ulva lactuca seaweed supplemented with a recombinant ulvan lyase or a commercial carbohydrase mixture.

Ulva lactuca, a green seaweed, may be an alternative source of nutrients and bioactive compounds for weaned piglets. However, it has a recalcitrant cell wall rich in a sulphated polysaccharide - ulvan - that is indigestible to monogastrics. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of dietary incorporation of 7% U. lactuca, combined with carbohydrases supplementation (commercial carbohydrase mixture or recombinant ulvan lyase), on growth performance, nutrient digestibility and gut health parameters (morphology and microbiota) of weaned piglets. The experiment was conducted over 14 days using 40 weaned piglets randomly allocated to one of four experimental diets: a control diet based on wheat-maize-soybean meal, a diet with 7% U. lactuca replacing the control diet (UL), a diet with UL supplemented with 0.005% Rovabio® Excel AP, and a diet with UL supplemented with 0.01% of a recombinant ulvan lyase. The dietary treatments had no major effects on growth performance, nitrogen balance and gut content variables, as well as histological measurements. Contrarily, dry matter and organic matter digestibility decreased with dietary seaweed inclusion, while hemicellulose digestibility increased, suggesting a high fermentability of this cell wall fraction independently of carbohydrases supplementation. Some beneficial microbial populations increased as a consequence of enzymatic supplementation (e.g., Prevotella), while seaweed diets as a whole led to an increased abundance of Shuttleworthia, Anaeroplasma and Lachnospiraceae_NK3A20_group, all related with a healthier gut. It also decreased Lactobacillus when compared to controls, which is possibly related to increased bioavailability of seaweed zinc. This study indicates that, under these experimental conditions, up to 7% dietary U. lactuca has no detrimental effect on piglet growth, despite decreasing acid detergent fibre digestibility. Carbohydrases supplementation of Ulva diets is not required at this incorporation level.

Unveiling the power of proteomics in advancing tropical animal health and production.

Proteomics, the large-scale study of proteins in biological systems has emerged as a pivotal tool in the field of animal and veterinary sciences, mainly for investigating local and rustic breeds. Proteomics provides valuable insights into biological processes underlying animal growth, reproduction, health, and disease. In this review, we highlight the key proteomics technologies, methodologies, and their applications in domestic animals, particularly in the tropical context. We also discuss advances in proteomics research, including integration of multi-omics data, single-cell proteomics, and proteogenomics, all of which are promising for improving animal health, adaptation, welfare, and productivity. However, proteomics research in domestic animals faces challenges, such as sample preparation variation, data quality control, privacy and ethical considerations relating to animal welfare. We also provide recommendations for overcoming these challenges, emphasizing the importance of following best practices in sample preparation, data quality control, and ethical compliance. We therefore aim for this review to harness the full potential of proteomics in advancing our understanding of animal biology and ultimately improve animal health and productivity in local breeds of diverse animal species in a tropical context.

Tropical Animal Health and Production: a 55-year bibliographic analysis setting the course for a globalized international reference journal.

In this paper, we carried out a bibliographic mapping analysis with data from Scopus on publications in Tropical Animal Health and Production (TAHP) from its creation. This analysis is important for the journal and its readership, as a self-evaluation in terms of the scope and impact of the journal and how it is changing as well as aiding the editors in shaping the future direction of the journal. A total of 6229 papers were found, with an average of 8.71 citations per paper. Article Influence, Percentage of papers in Open Access, Immediacy Index, and Journal Impact Factor have all risen in recent years, although improvements are still necessary. With a cited half-life of 7.2 years, the percentage of papers in international collaboration has stabilized since 2010 (around 40%), down from around a peak of 60% in 2006. The journal is a Q2 journal with 86.4% of its documents cited. Of all documents published, 2401 were classified in SDG3 (Good Health and Wellbeing) followed by SDG2 (Zero Hunger) with 136. We mapped citations, co-citations, and bibliographic coupling and identified major authors, sources, references, and countries publishing in TAHP. The journal continues to play a key role in advancing knowledge and understanding of animal health and production in tropical and sub-tropical regions and supporting the development of sustainable animal production and veterinary medicine in these vast regions of the globe.

Establishment of biochemical and hematological profiles of dromedary camel (Camelus dromedarius) under extensive and intensive production systems.

In Algeria, camel husbandry is undergoing a shift from a traditional extensive system to one more intensive. Such a move in the production system of the dromedary camel should be well investigated in terms of animal welfare, health, and production status. The main objective of this study was to define and evaluate the effects of production systems on physiological responses (hematological and biochemical parameters) in Sahraoui dromedary camels to understand possible changes caused by intensive livestock farming. We analyzed the biochemical and hematological blood profiles in Sahraoui dromedary camel to evaluate and establish the differential responses to intensive conditions. Blood samples were taken from 41 healthy Sahraoui dromedary camels as part of routine veterinary analysis in southern Algeria. In total, 28 camels were from an intensive production system (IS) fed with formulated concentrate and a supply of minerals, and 13 camels were reared in a traditional extensive system (ES) maintained exclusively on grazing. Animals were of a different sex: 16 males and 25 females, and they were divided into three age categories: less than 4 years, 4 to 8, and above 8 years. All animals were healthy. This enabled us to simultaneously check the effect of age and sex on the blood profiles. Results showed that the production system affected the blood parameters of Sahraoui dromedary camel; as total protein, total cholesterol, and urea concentration were significantly higher in the plasma of animals in the intensive production system (P < 0.05). Glucose, triglycerides, and urea values differed significantly (P < 0.05) in camel plasma between age categories. Sex in our study had no effect on enzyme activities (P > 0.05). However, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) was significantly higher (P < 0.05) in camels reared in the extensive production system (1454.13 ± 290 IU/l) than those reared in intensive production system (1313.17 ± 32 IU/l). Age and sex had a marginal effect on mineral status in dromedary camel plasma as only iron concentrations were significantly higher in male camels (P < 0.05), while Ca, P, and K concentrations were increased in the intensive system. On the other hand, our findings showed that sex, age, and production system did not affect the hematological parameters of Sahraoui dromedary (P > 0.05), except for hematocrit (PCV %) that was significantly higher in the extensive system. This work contributes to a better understanding of Sahraoui dromedary camel biology regarding the effect of different production systems on hemato-biochemical parameters.

Effect of dietary inclusion of Spirulina on production performance, nutrient digestibility and meat quality traits in post-weaning piglets.

The effect of Spirulina (Arthrospira platensis), individually or in combination with two commercial carbohydrases, in piglet diets was assessed on growth performance, nutrient digestibility and meat quality traits. Forty post-weaned male piglets from Large White × Landrace sows crossed with Pietrain boars with an initial live weight of 12.0 ± 0.89 kg were used. Piglets were assigned to one of four dietary treatments (n = 10): cereal and soya bean meal base diet (control), base diet with 10% Spirulina (SP), SP diet supplemented with 0.005% Rovabio® Excel AP (SP + R) and SP diet supplemented with 0.01% lysozyme (SP + L). Animals were slaughtered after a 4-week experimental period. Growth performance was negatively affected by the incorporation of Spirulina in the diets, with an average decrease of 9.1% on final weight, in comparison with control animals. Total tract apparent digestibility (TTAD) of crude protein was higher (p < .05) in the control group than in other groups. In addition, lysozyme increased TTAD of crude fat and acid detergent fibre, relative to the SP and control groups, respectively. In addition, the incorporation of Spirulina, individually and supplemented with enzymes, did not impair meat quality traits. Surprisingly, no protective effect against lipid oxidation was observed with the inclusion of Spirulina in pork after 7 days of storage. This study indicates that growth performance of post-weaning piglets was impaired by the incorporation of 10% Spirulina in the diets, which is mediated by an increase in digesta viscosity and a lower protein digestibility, as a consequence of the resistance of microalga proteins to the action of endogenous peptidases. In addition, it also indicates that lysozyme, in contrast to Rovabio® Excel AP, is efficient in the degradation of Spirulina cell wall in piglet's intestine. However, the digestion of proteins liberated by Spirulina cell wall disruption is still a challenge.

The Portuguese Serrana goat breed: a review.

Goats were among the first animals to be domesticated over 10,000 years ago and are part of human societies since the beginning of agriculture. Goats play a major role both in commercial farming systems and in subsistence agriculture systems, particularly in tropical, subtropical and Mediterranean regions where they are crucial for the supply of meat, milk, fibre and dung. This review concerns the Serrana breed, the most important and numerous indigenous goat breed from Portugal that was furthermore exported to other regions of the world, notably South America during the Portuguese colonization. Herein, we describe the origin and history of the breed as well as the productive performance and most common production systems. Finally, we address the local and traditional PDO (protected denomination of origin) and PGI (protected geographical indication) that are produced from these animals.

A viewpoint on the use of microalgae as an alternative feedstuff in the context of pig and poultry feeding-a special emphasis on tropical regions.

With the current increase in meat and animal products consumption, there is a need to make production systems more sustainable. The use of microalgae in monogastric feeds, replacing widely used conventional feedstuffs such corn and soybean, can be a solution to overcome this problem. Several studies have shown promising results in the use of microalgae in feeding of both pigs and poultry. However, there are several important constraints associated to the production of microalgae. Such constraints are particularly limiting in the context of tropical regions. Research and scientific development on microalgae production systems are thus essential so that may be widely used in monogastric feeding. Herein, we conduct an overview of the major findings in the use of microalgae in the context of monogastric feeding and analyse the major constraints associated to its production and use, particularly in the specific context of tropical regions.

Biomarkers of fitness and welfare in dairy cattle: healthy productivity.

Milk production intensification has led to several unwanted aspects, such as sustainability issues and environmental pollution. Among these, increased milk outputs that have been achieved over the last 70 years have led to several health and pathophysiological conditions in high yielding dairy animals, including metabolic diseases that were uncommon in the past. Increased occurrence of diverse metabolic diseases in cattle and other domestic animals is a key feature of domestication that not only affects the animals' health and productivity, but also may have important and adverse health impacts on human consumers through the elevated use of drugs and antibiotics. These aspects will influence economical and ethical aspects in the near future. Therefore, finding and establishing proper biomarkers for early detection of metabolic diseases is of great interest. In the present review, recent work on the discovery of fitness, stress and welfare biomarkers in dairy cows is presented, focusing in particular on possible biomarkers of energy balance and oxidative stress in plasma and milk, and biomarkers of production-related diseases and decreased fertility.

The dairy sector in the Azores Islands: possibilities and main constraints towards increased added value.

The Azores archipelago is the most suitable region for dairy production in Portugal, representing 30% of the overall Portuguese dairy production. It has a production system characterized by an average milk yield of 6216 kg/cow/year, and the predominance of pasture-based feeding and cows that have longer productive lives and lower incidence of metabolic/production diseases, such as acidosis or mastitis. The biggest problem with the Azores Islands dairy sector is the cost of transport, as the main markets are located in continental Portugal, over 1500 km away, and local dairy products have to compete with dairy products produced in mainland Portugal and in the rest of the European Union. Herein, the evolution of the dairy sector in the Azores Islands from 2007 to 2017 is presented. A SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, and Threat) analysis was performed to find potential solutions to increase the value of the Azorean dairy sector. The most relevant solution considered was the valorization of the dairy production through three major aspects: higher milk quality, namely, better organoleptic properties; lower carbon footprint (not considering transport costs); and higher levels of animal welfare. Three examples are shown of such valorization: protected denomination of origin (PDO) cheeses, the "happy cows" program, and the production of an organic milk, from the Terceira Island. Some of these programs are relatively recent, so, it will be interesting to see how their sales and acceptance by consumers evolve, particularly under the current economic framework.

Correction to: Camelids: new players in the international animal production context.

In the originally published version of the article, Figure 4 image has an error. Corrected Fig. 4 is shown below.

Camelids: new players in the international animal production context.

The Camelidae family comprises the Bactrian camel (Camelus bactrianus), the dromedary camel (Camelus dromedarius), and four species of South American camelids: llama (Lama glama), alpaca (Lama pacos) guanaco (Lama guanicoe), and vicuña (Vicugna vicugna). The main characteristic of these species is their ability to cope with either hard climatic conditions like those found in arid regions (Bactrian and dromedary camels) or high-altitude landscapes like those found in South America (South American camelids). Because of such interesting physiological and adaptive traits, the interest for these animals as livestock species has increased considerably over the last years. In general, the main animal products obtained from these animals are meat, milk, and hair fiber, although they are also used for races and work among other activities. In the near future, climate change will likely decrease agricultural areas for animal production worldwide, particularly in the tropics and subtropics where competition with crops for human consumption is a major problem already. In such conditions, extensive animal production could be limited in some extent to semi-arid rangelands, subjected to periodical draughts and erratic patterns of rainfall, severely affecting conventional livestock production, namely cattle and sheep. In the tropics and subtropics, camelids may become an important protein source for humans. This article aims to review some of the recent literature about the meat, milk, and hair fiber production in the six existing camelid species highlighting their benefits and drawbacks, overall contributing to the development of camelid production in the framework of food security.

Biomarkers of fitness and welfare in dairy animals: healthy living.

Increased animal productivity has reduced animal fitness, resulting in increased susceptibility to infectious and metabolic diseases, locomotion problems and subfertility. Future animal breeding strategies should focus on balancing high production levels with health status monitoring and improved welfare. Additionally, understanding how animals interact with their internal and external environment is essential for improving health, fitness, and welfare. In this context, the continuous validation of existing biomarkers and the discovery and field implementation of new biomarkers will enable us to understand the specific physiological process and regulatory mechanisms used by the organism to adapt to different environmental conditions. Thus, biomarkers may be used to monitor welfare and improve management and breeding strategies. In this article, we describe major achievements in the establishment of biomarkers in dairy cows and small ruminants. This review mainly focuses on the physiological biomarkers used to monitor animal responses to, and recovery from, environmental perturbations. We highlight future avenues for research in this field and present a timely positioning document to the scientific community.

Dairy science and health in the tropics: challenges and opportunities for the next decades.

In the next two decades, the world population will increase significantly; the majority in the developing countries located in the tropics of Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean. To feed such a population, it is necessary to increase the availability of food, particularly high-value animal protein foods produced locally, namely meat and dairy products. Dairy production in tropical regions has a lot of growth potential, but also poses a series of problems, particularly as dairy production systems were developed in temperate countries and in most cases are difficult to implement in the tropics. Drawbacks include hot weather and heat stress, the lack of availability of adequate feeds, poor infrastructure, and cold chain and the competition with cheap imports from temperate countries. This position paper reviews the major drawbacks in dairy production for the five major dairy species: cattle, water buffalo, sheep, goat, and camel, as well as the future trends in research and development. It also concerns the major trends in reproduction and production systems and health issues as well as environmental concerns, particularly those related to greenhouse gas emissions. Tropical Animal Health and Production now launches a topical collection on Tropical Dairy Science. We aim to publish interesting and significant papers in tropical dairy science. On behalf of the editorial board of the Tropical Animal Health and Production, we would like to invite all authors working in this field to submit their works on this topic to this topical collection in our journal.

Barbados Blackbelly: the Caribbean ovine genetic resource.

Ovine production is one of the most important activities in animal production in tropical regions. The Barbados Blackbelly, a very interesting genetic resource, particularly well adapted to a harsh home environment in the humid tropics of the Caribbean. This review concerns this breed. It comprises aspects related to the breed history and standards and most importantly its reproductive and productive performances and gastrointestinal parasite tolerance in the Caribbean, North America and Central America and their introduction and use in crossbred trials in other regions of the tropics.

Mammary gland and milk fatty acid composition of two dairy goat breeds under feed-restriction.

Goat dairy products are an important source of animal protein in the tropics. During the dry season, pasture scarcity leads animals to lose up to 40% of their body weight, a condition known as Seasonal Weight Loss (SWL) that is one of the major constraints in ruminant production. Breeds with high tolerance to SWL are relevant to understand the physiological responses to pasture scarcity so they could be used in programs for animal breeding. In the Canary Islands there are two dairy goat breeds with different levels of tolerance to SWL: the Palmera, susceptible to SWL; and the Majorera, tolerant to SWL. Fat is one of the milk components most affected by environmental and physiological conditions. This study hypothesises that feed-restriction affects Majorera and Palmera breeds differently, leading to different fatty acid profiles in the mammary gland and milk. An interaction between breed and feed-restriction was observed in the mammary gland. Feed-restriction was associated with an increase in oleic acid and a decrease in palmitic acid percentage in the Palmera breed whereas no differences were observed in the Majorera breed. Palmitic and oleic acids together constituted around 60% of the total fatty acids identified, which suggests that Palmera breed is more susceptible to SWL. In milk, feed-restriction affected both breeds similarly. Regarding the interaction of the breed with the treatment, we also observed similar responses in both breeds, but this influence affects only around 2% of the total fatty acids. In general, Majorera breed is more tolerant to feed-restriction.

An overview of food safety and bacterial foodborne zoonoses in food production animals in the Caribbean region.

Foodborne diseases (FBDs) in the Caribbean have a high economic burden. Public health and tourism concerns rise along with the increasing number of cases and outbreaks registered over the last 20 years. Salmonella spp., Shigella spp., and Campylobacter spp. are the main bacteria associated with these incidents. In spite of undertaking limited surveillance on FBD in the region, records related to bacterial foodborne zoonoses in food-producing animals and their associated epidemiologic significance are poorly documented, giving rise to concerns about the importance of the livestock, food animal product sectors, and consumption patterns. In this review, we report the available published literature over the last 20 years on selected bacterial foodborne zoonoses in the Caribbean region and also address other food safety-related aspects (e.g., FBD food attribution, importance, surveillance), mainly aiming at recognizing data gaps and identifying possible research approaches in the animal health sector.

The impact of dietary Laminaria digitata and alginate lyase supplementation on the weaned piglet liver: A comprehensive proteomics and metabolomics approach.

The brown seaweed Laminaria digitata, a novel feedstuff for weaned piglets, has potentially beneficial prebiotic properties. However, its recalcitrant cell wall challenges digestion in monogastrics. Alginate lyase is a promising supplement to mitigate this issue. This study's aim was to investigate the impact of incorporating 10% dietary Laminaria digitata, supplemented with alginate lyase, on the hepatic proteome and metabolome of weaned piglets. These diets introduced minor variations to the metabolome and caused significant shifts in the proteome. Dietary seaweed provided a rich source of n-3 PUFAs that could signal hepatic fatty acid oxidation (FABP, ACADSB and ALDH1B1). This may have affected the oxidative stability of the tissue, requiring an elevated abundance of GST for regulation. The presence of reactive oxygen species likely inflicted protein damage, triggering increased proteolytic activity (LAPTM4B and PSMD4). Alginate lyase supplementation augmented the number of differentially abundant proteins, which included GBE1 and LDHC, contributing to maintain circulating glucose levels by mobilizing glycogen stores and branched-chain amino acids. The enzymatic supplementation with alginate lyase amplified the effects of the seaweed-only diet. An additional filter was employed to test the effect of missing values on the proteomics analysis, which is discussed from a technical perspective. SIGNIFICANCE: Brown seaweeds such as Laminaria digitata have prebiotic and immune-modulatory components, such as laminarin, that can improve weaned piglet health. However, they have recalcitrant cell wall polysaccharides, such as alginate, that can elicit antinutritional effects on the monogastric digestive system. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a high level of dietary L. digitata and alginate lyase supplementation on the hepatic metabolism of weaned piglets, using high throughput Omics approaches.

The Naked Neck Gene in the Domestic Chicken: A Genetic Strategy to Mitigate the Impact of Heat Stress in Poultry Production-A Review.

The poultry sector is one of the most important food industries in the world. Poultry production generates high-value protein products (meat and eggs) that are produced efficiently without the need for large areas. In poultry production, especially in the tropics, environmental factors, such as temperature and humidity, play a major role. Heat stress (HS) causes behavioral, physical, and physiological changes in poultry, with severe financial impacts. Therefore, it is important to find strategies to minimize it. The naked neck (Na) is an autosomal, incompletely dominant gene. Compared with normal feathered birds, these animals are known for their ability to adapt, perform, and reproduce under hot and humid climate conditions. Due to the absence of feathers on the neck, these animals increase heat dissipation, alleviating adverse heat effects, especially on productive performance. Genetic improvement of heat tolerance may provide a low-cost solution, of particular interest for developing countries in the tropics. The focus of this review is to evaluate the impact of HS in poultry with a special emphasis on the advantages of using the Na gene.

Dietary Ulva lactuca and CAZyme supplementation improve serum biochemical profile and hepatic composition of weaned piglets.

Ulva lactuca is a seaweed with antinutritional cell wall for monogastrics. Carbohydrate-Active enZymes (CAZymes) supplementation can potentially cause its disruption. This study evaluates four diets: Ctrl-control diet; UL-control + 7% U. lactuca (wild caught, powdered form); ULR-UL + 0.005% Rovabio® Excel AP; ULU-UL + 0.01% ulvan lyase on piglets' haematologic and serologic profiles, hepatic lipids and minerals. White blood cells and lymphocytes reached the highest values in piglets fed UL compared to control, and to control and ULR; respectively (P < 0.05). IgG levels were boosted by seaweed incorporation compared to control (P = 0.015). The glycaemic homeostasis was assured by the seaweed inclusion. Dietary seaweed decreased serum lipids (P < 0.001), with the exception of ULU, due to HDL-cholesterol increase (P < 0.001). Cortisol was decreased in ULR and ULU (P < 0.001). No systemic inflammation was observed (P > 0.05). While hepatic n-3 PUFA increased in piglets fed with seaweed diets due to increment of beneficial 22:5n-3 and 22:6n-3 fatty acids (P < 0.05), the opposite occurred for n-6 PUFA, PUFA/SFA and n-6/n-3 ratios (P < 0.05). Hepatic pigments were unchanged (P > 0.05). ULR reduced α-tocopherol levels (P = 0.036) and increased serum potassium levels (P < 0.001) compared to control. Seaweed contributed to overcome piglets' weaning stress, with some benefits of including CAZyme supplementation.