Abstract:A study was carried out to determine the quality characteristics, antioxidant capacity, oxidative status, and consumer acceptability of chicken meat after dietary administration of a semi-solid olive cake, known as "paté" (pOC), in broilers. pOC is an olive oil industry waste rich in bioactive compounds, such as polyphenols, obtained by mechanical extraction from destoned olives. Two hundred and ninety-seven 22-day-old fast growing (Ross 308) female chicks were randomly assigned to three experimental grower-finisher diets. Each dietary group consisted of three replicates, each with 33 birds. The experimental treatments were: (1) basal control diet (C); (2) C diet supplemented with a low dose of pOC (82.5 g/Kg, L-pOC); and (3) C diet supplemented with a high dose of pOC (165.0 g/Kg, H-pOC). Chicken growth rate increased with increasing pOC concentration in the diet. Polyphenol analyses were performed through liquid-chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry technique (LC-MS/MS). In meat of animals belonging to L-pOC and H-pOC groups, tyrosol and sulphate metabolites of hydroxytyrosol were detected. Meat quality parameters and proximate composition were not affected by the dietary treatment, whereas the antioxidant status and the oxidative stability of meat were positively affected, especially when the highest level of pOC was applied. These results demonstrate that pOC can be recommended in chicken diets to improve performance and meat oxidative status.

The microbiota is extremely important for the animal’s health, but, to date, knowledge on the intestinal microbiota of the rabbit is very limited. This study aimed to describe bacterial populations that inhabit the different gastrointestinal compartments of the rabbit: stomach, duodenum, jejunum, ileum, caecum, and colon. Samples of the luminal content from all compartments of 14 healthy New White Zealand rabbits were collected at slaughter and analyzed using next generation 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing. The findings uncovered considerable differences in the taxonomic levels among the regions of the digestive tract. Firmicutes were the most abundant phylum in all of the sections (45.9%), followed by Bacteroidetes in the large intestine (38.9%) and Euryarchaeota in the foregut (25.9%). Four clusters of bacterial populations were observed along the digestive system: (i) stomach, (ii) duodenum and jejunum, (iii) ileum, and (iv) large intestine. Caecum and colon showed the highest richness and diversity in bacterial species, while the highest variability was found in the upper digestive tract. Knowledge of the physiological microbiota of healthy rabbits could be important for preserving the health and welfare of the host as well as for finding strategies to manipulate the gut microbiota in order to also promote productive performance.

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The effect of the organic production system and genotype on chicken behavior and muscle fiber characteristics was assessed. Three hundred day-old male chicks from slow-growing (Leghorn), medium-growing (Kabir), and fast-growing (Ross 208) genotypes were assigned to 2 different production systems: conventional, housing in an indoor pen (0.12 m(2)/bird); and organic, housing in an indoor pen (0.12 m(2)/bird) with access to a grass paddock (4 m(2)/bird). Behavioral observations were recorded from 73 to 80 d of age in the morning and afternoon. At 81 d of age, blood samples were collected to measure lactate dehydrogenase and creatine kinase, and 20 birds per strain and rearing system were slaughtered. Samples of pectoralis major, ileotibialis lateralis, and semimembranosus muscles were obtained for histological evaluations. Behavioral observations showed that genetic selection of animals for a better growth rate modified their behavior, reducing kinetic activity. Indeed, Leghorn birds were characterized by moving activities, whereas Kabir and Ross strains were discriminated on the basis of their lying, standing, and eating activities, and these activities were strongly associated with energy conservation, growth, and muscle fiber characteristics. Fiber characteristics and muscle enzyme functions were affected by rearing system only in animals adapted to the organic system. Interesting results relative to Leghorn chickens are the presence of alpha-Red fiber in breast muscle and the increased cross-sectional area of the ileotibialis lateralis muscle, which together with behavioral data could affirm that this genotype is the most adapted to the organic rearing system.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of phenolic extract derived from olive vegetation water (PEOVW) in deep-water rose shrimps (Parapenaeus longirostris) at the day of packaging (D0) and after three (D3), six (D6) and eight (D8) days of refrigerated storage. Freshly caught shrimps were randomly divided into four groups: the phenolic extract (PE) group (2 g/L of phenols); the sulfites (S) group (0.5% sodium metabisulfite solution); the phenolic extract + sulfites (PE + S) group (0.25% sodium metabisulfite solution with 1 g/L of phenols), and the control (CTRL) group (tap water). Concerning color coordinates, there were no variations either between groups or over time, while it is important to highlight that phenolic extract (PE group) led to a significant reduction in total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N; p < 0.001) and thiobarbituric reactive substances (TBARS; p < 0.001) values. Furthermore, PE also had a relevant effect in reducing bacterial counts and decreasing the microbial development. Finally, as concerns melanosis, the effect of phenolic extract alone was marginal, but when combined with half a dose of sodium metabisulfite, it was as effective as the shrimps treated with only sodium metabisulfite in delaying black spots (p < 0.05). These results are very promising with a view to commercializing additive-free shrimps.