The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of two dietary selenium (Se) sources in dairy goat's milk and cheese. Twentyone goats were allocated to 3 dietary treatments: control (C) with 0.07 mg of Se/kg dry matter (DM); Se yeast (SeY) with 0.14 mg of total Se/kg DM; and sodium selenite (SeNa) with 0.14 mg of total Se/kg DM supplementation. Individual blood and milk samples were collected to determine the Se content. Three cheese wheels were made from each group at three different time, and the Se content was determined. The enumeration of dairy microorganisms was also performed. The SeY group showed a significantly higher milk Se content (P < 0.05) than the SeNa group with 44.71 vs 39.29 mu g/l, respectively. Both values were also significantly higher (P < 0.01) than that of the group C (31.19 mu g/l). The SeY group showed a significantly higher Se carryover value (31.29%, P < 0.05) than the SeNa group (26.95%). Both values were significantly (P < 0.01) lower than in the C group (49.66%). Significant differences were also observed in cheese Se content among the 3 groups. The average Se content in cheeses from groups C, SeY, SeNa was 230 mu g/kg, 353 mu g/kg and 306 mu g/kg, respectively. Se yeast supplementation influenced Se concentration in goat's milk and cheese but, unlike other authors, we also observed an increase of Se concentration in milk and cheese supplemented with SeNa, although to a smaller extent. Our results indicate that Se yeast supplementation seems to be the best fortification source for dairy goat's products. In several countries the selenium intake is considered to be low in the human diet, the consumption of Se-enriched products could represent a good way to prevent the deficit in the Se intake currently reported in many countries.

For its nutritional composition, donkey milk is an excellent alternative to breast milk for infants suffering from cow’s milk allergies. Even in donkeys, a passage of aflatoxin from contaminated feed to milk could occur, as reported by many authors in other dairy species, but there are no studies on this topic. This work was aimed at studying the excretion of aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) and M2 (AFM2) in milk after feeding trials with contaminated feed. Six donkeys, at the end of lactation, received a diet with naturally contaminated corn containing 202 and 11 μg.kg −1 of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and aflatoxin B2 (AFB2), respectively. Individual milk samples were analyzed for AFM1 and AFM2 for 15 days after the contaminated feed administration. Amounts of AFM1 and AFM2 were detected in the milk. The steady state condition was reached after 6 days. No AFM1 or AFM2 were detected in milk after 28 h from the last contaminated feed administration. The carryover from AFB1 to AFM1 and from AFB2 to AFM2 was found to be 0.02 and 0.31%, respectively. The results obtained in this study are thus a further step toward understanding the possible carryover of aflatoxin in donkey milk.

The trial was performed on 36 goats (50.3±2.6kg body weight) having free access to pasture, constituted by 60% Leguminosae and 40% Graminee, equally divided into three groups (CTR, SC, AS) homogeneous in parity and milk production at the previous lactation. Concentrate of groups SC and AS was supplemented with 20g/head/day of Saccaromyces cerevisiae and Aspergillus oryzae fermentation extract plus S. cerevisiae respectively, while group CTR was CTR was not supplemented and was used as control. Average milk yield did not differ statistically among the groups (g/head/day 1480 vs 1630 vs 1630 for CTR, SC and AS, respectively). By contrast, milk fat percentage was significantly (P<0.01) lower in SC and AS compared to CTR. Group AS showed significantly (P<0.01) lower milk protein percentage than CTR. Lactose was unaffected by treatments. Finally, milk fatty acid profile was unaffected by treatments. In conclusion, the supplementation of diet with live yeast and fungal extracts does not appear useful when goats are fed on pasture.

Currently, donkey milk is receiving an increasing attention from consumers and research community because of its several beneficial aspects, such as a poor allergenic nature and a remarkable antimicrobial compound content. In this study, we evaluated the growth rate of Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538, Listeria monocytogenes ATCC 7644TM, Campylobacter jejuni ATCC 33291, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853 at refrigeration conditions (4 ± 2 °C) in goat milk added with different percentages of donkey milk (1, 2.5, 5, 10% v / v ) along 6 days of storage; furthermore, donkey milk and goat milk samples were employed as controls. Lysozyme content of donkey milk was determined and ranged from 1 mg.mL −1 up to 2 mg.mL −1 . An inhibited growth rate in donkey milk samples was observed during storage for S. aureus , L. monocytogenes , and C. jejuni , with a growth decrease of 0.61 log CFU.mL −1 , 5.55 log CFU.mL −1 , and 1.72 log CFU.mL −1 , respectively. These data confirm the antibacterial activity of donkey milk against Gram-positive and Gram-negative microorganisms; however, microbial growth rates in milk mixtures and goat milk were comparable, with no significant increase in antibacterial activity due to donkey milk addition. Considering a potential employment of donkey milk in dairy products, further studies should be performed in order to detect the optimal balance of milk mixtures in terms of caseins and antimicrobial molecules amounts.

Two experiments were carried out in 2013/2014 in order to evaluate the forage yield and the nutritional value of the fresh, hayed and ensiled common buckwheat. Two varieties were harvested at the Green and Brown achene stages. The silage was produced in experimental mini-silo. The need for wilting the forage (at 35% dry matter) and for adding Lactobacillus plantarum as inoculum was evaluated. From Green to Brown achenes, the dry matter (DM) yield, the relative feed value (REV) and the total digestible nutrient (TDN) increased (from 3 to 4 t ha(-1), from 136 to 152 and from 56 to 59%, respectively) while the crude protein (CP) decreased from 14 to 10%. Compared with the fresh forage, haymaking resulted in a marked decrease of CP, RFV and TDN, while ensiling did not change the CP and slightly decreased REV and TDN. Forage wilting worsened the silage quality, while the inoculation improved it. Quali- and quantitative differences between varieties were detected.