Meat from native-bred animals is growing in popularity worldwide due to consumers’ perception of its higher quality than meat from industrial farms. The improvement in indigenous pork has been related to increased intramuscular and unsaturated fat and a reduced saturated fat content resulting in a healthy product with enhanced sensorial attributes. This manuscript aims to provide an overview offering useful information about the fat content and the fatty acid profile of different autochthonous pork. Fat content and fatty acid profile are greater in native than in industrial pig breeds, even though certain factors, such as genetics, nutrition, farming system, age, or slaughter weight, may influence these variations. Among that, studies on dietary strategies to improve these parameters have been evaluated. According to the results obtained, many natural ingredients could have a positive effect on the lipid profile when added to indigenous pigs’ diets. This fact may promote autochthonous pork intake. Nevertheless, there is a wide range of potential natural ingredients to be added to the indigenous pig diet that needs to be evaluated.

The use of insects can be a possible source of protein. This study uses Calliphora sp. larvae (CLM) as a protein source in 320 one-day-old medium-growing male chicks (RedBro) during their first month of life. Chickens were randomly assigned to four dietary treatments. Each group consisted of 10 animals, and a total of 8 replicas. Control group was fed with a certified organic feed. The experimental treatments were supplemented with 5% (T2), 10% (T3), or 15% (T4) of CLM, reducing in each case the corresponding percentage of feed quantity. Productive development and meat quality were analyzed, and near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) was used as a tool for classifying the samples. Chickens of T4 showed greater final body weight and total average daily gain, but they reduced consumption and feed conversion ratio (FCR). The chicken breast meat of T4 had lower cooking losses and higher palmitoleic acid content (p < 0.01). NIRS classified correct 92.4% of samples according to the food received. CLM is presented as a potential ingredient for the diet of medium-slow growing chickens raised in organic systems.

Using additives can reduce the negative effects of aging on factors affecting profitability, such as the availability of nutrients, production, and egg quality. Maca is an herbaceous plant rich in protein, crude oil, essential acids, and pharmacological compounds. Maca has positive effects on different health parameters. In this study, the effect of adding Maca powder to the diets of young and old laying quails at the end of the 10-week trial was investigated. In total, 150 laying Japanese quails (Coturnix japonica) (209.1 ± 10.0 g) were randomly distributed to a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement with two ages (10 weeks and 30 weeks) and three Maca powder levels (0, 1, or 2 g/kg), with five subgroups per treatment. According to the study, eggshell quality, total cholesterol, triglyceride, progesterone, and testosterone concentrations of serum were lower in old quail than in young quail, while egg weight, feed intake, and follicle-stimulating hormone increased significantly as quail aged. (p < 0.05). Furthermore, aging negatively affected the histomorphology of the ileum and cortical bone thickness (p < 0.05). Additional findings show that adding 1 g/kg Maca powder to the diet of quail significantly improved eggshell, ileum, and bone traits that deteriorate with age, without affecting performance, and adding 2 g/kg Maca powder to the diet significantly reduced serum total cholesterol levels (p < 0.05). Incorporating Maca powder into the diet of aged birds could reduce the negative effects of aging.

The current study determined the ideal dose of choline in the diet of laying quails based on egg development, egg quality, and antioxidant capacity. A total of 120 female quails (244.7 ± 10.38 g) were randomly assigned to 6 experimental groups with 5 replicates of 4 quails each. In the 10-week trial, treatment diets were formed by adding 6 choline chloride−60% concentrations providing 1500 (control), 2000, 2500, 3000, 3500, and 4000 mg/kg of choline. The feed intake of quails was quadratically affected (p < 0.05) by the choline level of the diet, in other developmental parameters, and by egg quality among these treatments. The feed intake was reduced to 2500 and 3000 mg/kg levels of choline in the diet compared to the control group. Free radical scavenging capacity (DPPH) of the yolk increased linearly (p < 0.001) with dietary choline levels. In contrast, the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) value decreased as dietary choline levels increased, except for 4000 mg/kg levels. Based on the findings of the current study, 1500 mg/kg of dietary choline is adequate to maintain performance parameters and egg quality in laying quails. However, to increase egg antioxidant capacity, in terms of the DPPH value, the dietary choline dose needs to be increased to 3500 mg/kg.