The increasing demand for plant-based beverages as alternatives to dairy milk requires rapid and reliable methods to assess their composition and authenticity. This study investigated the feasibility of mid-infrared (MIR) and near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy for classifying plant-based beverages and predicting their nutritional profile. A total of 57 commercial beverages from five categories (oat, almond, soybean, rice, and coconut) were analyzed. Canonical discriminant analysis was used to discriminate among beverage categories, and modified partial least-squares regression models were developed using reference chemical analyses and spectral data to predict protein, fat, sugars, ash, acidity traits, minerals, and amino acid composition. Both MIR and NIR successfully discriminated among the five beverage categories. Quantitative prediction models were generally more accurate with MIR than with NIR. The most robust MIR models were obtained for protein, fat, glucose, ash, and selected minerals (P and K), reaching accuracy levels suitable for quality-control applications. Protein was predicted with excellent accuracy by both technologies. The most robust prediction models were achieved for amino acid composition, with all amino acids except phenylalanine showing satisfactory predictive performance, particularly with MIR spectroscopy. In conclusion, these results demonstrate the feasibility of infrared spectroscopy for the authentication and compositional assessment of plant-based beverages. In particular, MIR spectroscopy showed considerable potential for integration into routine quality-control workflows, similar to those currently implemented for dairy milk analysis.

Colostrum yield (CY, L) and concentration of immunoglobulin G (IgG, g/L) are important phenotypes to monitor in dairy farms because of their association with the risk of failure of the passive transfer of immunity in the newborn calf. This can occur when the CY of the parturient cow is insufficient or when the IgG concentration is low. Given that both of these traits are heritable, the present study aimed to investigate their genetic determinism by identifying significant genomic regions. A genome-wide association study coupled with an exploratory functional enrichment analysis was carried out to provide preliminary biological context of the detected signals for the ‘colostrability’ defined as the cow’s ability to secrete enough volume (≥ 4 L) of good-quality colostrum (≥ 50 g IgG/L) at calving. Data comprised 960 genotyped Italian Holstein cows with CY recorded within 6 h of calving, together with colostral IgG and total immunoglobulin concentrations. The significant SNPs associated with CY were scattered across BTA3, 5, 10, 11, 21, and 22, with 23 genes on BTA22 either harbouring or flanking significant signals. Apart from some genes already known, part of the significant regions have unclear function. Signals were detected on BTA1, 6, 7, 11, 19, 21, and 25 for IgG concentration, and on BTA6, 7, 11, 21, 23, and 25 for total immunoglobulin concentration. The functional enrichment analysis provided preliminary support for possible involvement of secretory, immune-signalling, and epithelial receptor-related processes. This study confirms the polygenic nature of cows’ ‘colostrability’ being regulated by different genomic regions distributed across the genome. However, exploration of the genomic determinism of CY and immunoglobulin concentration requires larger, independent, and harmonized data, ideally standardized and highly comparable. These findings, although relevant for improving calf health, represent only part of a more complex picture when the goal is selective breeding toward calf health. In addition to dam-related data, including colostrum traits, future studies should integrate calf-related phenotypes associated with failure of passive transfer of immunity, such as intestinal IgG absorption capacity, gut permeability, early-life survival, and health outcomes.

Reducing milk consumption has the potential to negatively affect dietary mineral intake, and it is important to understand people's knowledge of milk's nutritional contributions to help them make informed decisions. This international study assessed consumer knowledge of milk as a dietary source of energy, nutrients, and minerals (i.e., Ca, P, K, Mg, Fe, and I), and how that knowledge differed based on whether the survey respondents were milk consumers. A questionnaire was developed using a 7-point Likert scale, with questions assessing the respondents' perception of milk as a source of energy, nutrients, and minerals, as well as ancillary information on their sociodemographic data and milk consumption habits. Answers to the questionnaire were analyzed using a multiple regression fixed effects model, which included consumer class (i.e., consumers of milk versus nonconsumers of milk), geographical area, educational status, gender, and age, as well as a series of 2-way interactions of these effects with milk consumption class. The sample, comprising both consumers (84.6%) and nonconsumers of milk (15.4%), consisted of 4,700 respondents from 16 countries recruited through convenience sampling. Sociodemographic characteristics were similar between milk consumers and nonconsumers; the sample was predominantly young (consumers, 55%; nonconsumers, 54%), female (consumers, 63%; nonconsumers, 70%), and university-educated (consumers, 61%; nonconsumers, 65%). Results revealed that milk consumers demonstrated slightly greater awareness of milk as an energy source compared with nonconsumers, though differences were modest. Respondents' knowledge of milk as a source of energy, nutrients, and minerals also differed by geographical region and educational status. Overall, respondents believed there was a strong association between calcium and milk, but awareness of the other minerals questioned (i.e., magnesium, potassium, phosphorus) was close to zero, indicating neutrality or possible uncertainty. In conclusion, this survey demonstrates that consumers of milk are more informed about milk as a source of energy; however, respondents' awareness of milk as a source of important minerals, other than calcium, is lacking. These results highlight a general gap in knowledge about critical health-related components in milk and underscore the need for targeted educational campaigns to promote milk as a mineral-rich dietary source that supports informed nutritional choices.

Body weight (BW) is an important trait in dairy cows; however, large-scale direct measurements are challenging. Heart girth (HG) has been proposed as a practical indicator of BW, but limited information is available for lactating cows, especially for locally adapted breeds. This study aimed to develop equations to estimate BW from HG in lactating Holstein, Simmental, and Rendena cows. A total of 293 cows (94 Holstein, 52 Simmental, and 147 Rendena) were selected from 6 farms equipped with an automatic milking system located in northern Italy. Both HG and BW were recorded on the same day, with HG measured using a tape and BW using a scale integrated into the automatic milking system. For each breed, linear, quadratic, and cubic regressions of BW on HG were tested, adjusting for days in milk and parity effects. The coefficient of determination and the root mean square error were reported. The best predictive performance was obtained with models adjusted for both days in milk and parity, with the highest accuracy achieved for Holstein and Simmental cows. These results corroborate that HG is a reliable predictor of BW in lactating cows of these breeds.

Pasteurized egg white is widely used in the food industry for its high microbiological safety, ease of handling, and versatile technological properties. However, heat-induced protein denaturation during pasteurization can affect its foaming, gelling, and emulsifying functionality. The present study aimed to validate a reversed-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography method for the simultaneous quantification of four major egg white proteins in commercial pasteurized samples, including ovomucoid, lysozyme, ovotransferrin, and ovalbumin. Ten cartons of commercial pasteurized egg white from different brands underwent chromatographic testing, with multiple aliquots analyzed over five consecutive days. The method demonstrated excellent repeatability and reproducibility across all proteins, with ovotransferrin and ovalbumin showing the best performances. Recovery rates ranged from 90.67% for lysozyme to 114.10% for ovomucoid, both at the medium spiking level. Method linearity was assessed using ten serial dilutions of pasteurized egg white in water (1:20 to 1:100). Linear regression of peak areas versus nominal protein concentrations yielded correlation coefficients above 0.99 for all target proteins, confirming a strong proportional response. Concentration of ovomucoid, lysozyme, ovotransferrin, and ovalbumin averaged 15.23, 2.23, 13.50, and 71.80 mg/mL (respectively), which suggests minimal impact of pasteurization on the egg white protein composition. The chromatographic method validated in the present study provides a reliable and practical tool for both research and industrial applications, enabling accurate monitoring of protein composition in commercial pasteurized egg white.

Beef cattle farmers are increasingly criticised for the depletion and inefficient use of water resources associated with their activities. Existing studies mainly assess water footprints or theoretical efficiency models, which are difficult to generalise across production systems and fail to capture the practical challenges farmers face. A clear understanding of on-farm water practices is essential for designing effective strategies to improve water use. This study provides the first investigation of water use and management practices in specialised beef-fattening farms located in North-East Italy, a region that accounts for approximately 30% of national beef production. A survey was developed targeting 37 beef fattening farms, collecting information on barn characteristics, general water consumption and monitoring, water for animals, for washing and other purposes, and farmers’ perception of water resources. The farms collectively housed 23035 animals distributed across 167 barns. Space and drinkers’ allowance were examined according to fattening phase, floor, and bedding. Most farms relied on wells as their primary water source, yet 78.4% could not quantify water use due to a lack of monitoring systems. Although only 13.5% had experienced water shortages once, 62.2% perceived water as a limited resource and reported adopting good practices. However, no farmers or farm operators had received specific training on water. Overall, farmers require support through farm-scale water management tools, training, and economic incentives to improve the sustainability and resilience of beef production under increasing water scarcity.

Mineral elements are key to many physiological processes in mammals. Current reference methods for mineral identification and quantification in biological samples are inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). These analyses are costly, destructive and require trained personnel to operate. On the other hand, energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) can represent a valid alternative for the rapid determination of mineral concentrations in biological matrices. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of EDXRF for rapid quantification of major minerals (Na, Mg, P, S, Cl, K and Ca) in untreated urine samples, potentially reducing time and costs of the analysis. Reference concentrations were determined on 74 samples using ICP-OES. The performances of EDXRF for rapid quantification of urine mineral composition were assessed using a calibration set (100% of the samples), a training set (70%) and a testing set (30%). Rapid quantification performed by EDXRF displayed a strong correlation with reference quantification performed by ICP-OES for S and Cl, as well as a good correlation for Mg (with R2 in testing of 0.95, 0.89 and 0.70, respectively). Results of the present study suggest that EDXRF is suitable for rapid monitoring of urinary S and Cl and for rapid screening of urinary Mg. Aligning with the growing need for decision-supporting tools for farmers and nutritionists at both individual and herd levels, such findings may help in diagnosing nutritional imbalances and tuning dairy cows’ diets.

The objectives of this study were (i) to analyze the ClassyFarm welfare scores in loose housing system (LHS) and tied housing system (THS) Rendena herds, and (ii) to investigate the influence of the housing on individual milk yield and quality traits in Rendena cows. The dataset consisted of 3761 individual milk samples from 750 Rendena cows, collected between August 2022 and November 2023 from 17 single-breed herds of the Veneto region. Available data included days in milk (DIM), parity, and milk yield, as well as fat, protein, casein, and lactose contents, somatic cell count, differential somatic cell count, and urea concentration. For milk traits, a linear mixed model included housing system, DIM, and parity as fixed effects, while cow, herd-test-date, and residual variability were random effects. In both housing systems, a good level of welfare was observed, although shortcomings in biosecurity measures were identified in both LHS and THS. Milk quality (in terms of protein % and casein %) and yield were higher in LHS compared to THS. The observed differences cannot be explained by the housing system alone, as other management and nutritional factors may have played a role, highlighting the need for further studies to clarify these contributions.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that play crucial regulatory roles in gene expression in metazoans. While the miRNA repertoire and relative abundances have been extensively studied in terrestrial mammals, no information was available for the milk of marine mammals. Here, we present the first characterization of the miRNA genomic landscape and abundance in milk in the bottlenose dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus ). Using a sequence-based comparative approach, we identified 186 conserved miRNA families comprising 354 high-confidence precursors in the dolphin genome. Comparative analysis across 52 cetacean genomes revealed a small number of lineage-specific loss events, such as mir-187 in Delphinidae, and the absence of nine miRNA families in all cetaceans. Small RNA sequencing from pooled milk samples confirmed the detectable abundance of 119 miRNAs, with a landscape dominated by mir-148 , let-7 , mir-8 , and mir-21 , collectively accounting for over 70% of total miRNA reads. These dominant families include miRNAs frequently reported in the milk of terrestrial mammals, suggesting qualitative similarity in the major milk miRNA repertoire between dolphin and terrestrial mammals. These findings should be interpreted as a first sequencing-supported exploratory characterization of dolphin milk miRNAs.

This study evaluated two alternative bedding materials (poplar pellet-PP and vine pellets-VP) in against conventional wood shavings (WS) on production performance, health status, hygiene, immune-related genes expression and meat quality of broilers reared in organic-like conditions. A total of 252 male Ross-308 chicks were assigned to 9 pens in a randomized blocked design with 3 replicates; 50 % were slaughtered at 42d while the remaining at 84d in accordance with organic farming regulations. Broilers raised on VP resulted in lower body and carcass weight than those on PP, which had the lowest feed conversion ratio at 63d. Compared to WS broilers on PP were heavier, cleaner and had lower water consumption, water consumption ratio, and water to feed ratio in organic rearing period. Pelleted beddings were drier until mid-trial; PP had a consistently higher fiber content (aNDF, ADF, lignin) than WS. Despite higher microbiological contamination pelleted beddings did not affect Lactobacillus spp. growth. Poplar pellet increased footpad and hock score (HS), while VP improved HS and plumage cleanliness (CS) at 28d but worsened HS at 84d. A blood protein reduction was observed in pellet beddings leading to increased creatinine levels. Birds reared on PP had the greatest thickness of tunica mucosa, villus-height (VH) and VH /crypt depth ratio at 42d. At 84d, VP increased IL-8 expression and reduced survival rate compared to PP. Overall, from a production perspective, pelleted beddings are suitable for fast-growing broiler hybrids under conventional and organic regimens. The PP is particularly recommended for organic production systems.

The objective of this study was to quantify the effect of protein polymorphisms on milk composition, coagulation properties, and protein profile in dairy sheep from a New Zealand flock. A total of 470 test-day records, from 147 lactating ewes, were used in the statistical analyses. Protein polymorphisms observed in the RP-HPLC were selfnamed for purposes of the present study. Data were analyzed using a mixed linear model, including the fixed effects of ewe age, litter size, coat-colour, and stage of lactation, and, as a covariate, deviation from the median lambing date of the flock. The effects of protein polymorphisms were added to the model, one at a time. Protein polymorphisms were significantly (p < 0.05) associated with milk composition and protein profile. Polymorphisms of beta-lactoglobulin were significantly associated with milk heat stability, being AB type more heat stable than AA. The other processability traits were not significantly affected by protein polymorphisms. Further studies are required to confirm the protein variants and the properties of individual protein polymorphisms.

Among κ-CN variants in milk, κ-CN B is the most reactive to chymosin activity, enhancing the quality, profitability, and sustainability of the final cheese product. The aim of this study was to assess the agreement between reverse phase HPLC (RP-HPLC) reference method and a rapid ELISA technique for the quantification of κ-CN B in individual bovine milk samples. Chromatographic and immunoenzymatic analyses were performed on individual milk samples from 933 Brown Swiss cows, with κ-CN B expressed as (1) milligrams per milliliter of milk, (2) percentage of κ-CN B over total milk protein content, and (3) grams of κ-CN B yielded on a milking event. The agreement between κ-CN B phenotypes measured through RP-HPLC and ELISA was evaluated through r and z-scores. Results suggested a general agreement between the 2 techniques, with r ranging from 0.88 for κ-CN B expressed in milligrams per milliliter and as a percentage to 0.90 for κ-CN B expressed in grams. This is further supported by relatively low z-scores (<0.5), which suggested the absence of significant differences between the values obtained from RP-HPLC and ELISA. Observed discrepancies were likely because ELISA does not provide quantitative results for concentrations of κ-CN B >10 mg/mL, and to the limited sensitivity of the ELISA at low concentrations of κ-CN B. Overall, findings of the present study demonstrated a strong agreement between the 2 techniques.

This study investigated the effects of changing from milking parlour (MP) to automatic milking system (AMS) on test-day milk yield and quality traits of dairy cows, using data from 2012 to 2024. Only cows present in both milking systems were considered. Two datasets were available: (i) a single-breed set (38,290 test-day records from 1463 Holstein cows in 31 herds) and (ii) a multi-breed set (8892 test-day records from 403 Holstein, Brown Swiss, and Simmental cows in 11 herds). A linear mixed model was applied, accounting for fixed effects of parity, lactation stage, milking system, and their interactions. Random effects of cow and herd-test-day were included. In multi-breed data, breed and milking system x breed were also added. Holstein cows in single-breed herds yielded 1.40 kg/d more milk in AMS than MP, especially in primiparous cows. However, AMS milked cows had higher somatic cell count (SCC), urea concentration, and pH, with a lower casein index. In multi-breed herds, milk yield differences between systems were not statistically significant. Across breeds, the casein index was lower in AMS than MP. Then, SCC was treated as binary trait (<= and > 200,000 cells/mL) and logistic regression was performed using the models described above. Holstein cows milked with AMS were more likely to have SCC >200,000 cells/mL, with no such differences in other breeds. Even if switching to the AMS results in increased milk yield, it leads to a deterioration of milk quality, suggesting that the transition is a stressor for the cows.

Background/Objectives: Metabolites are low-molecular-weight organic compounds (<1 kDa) that act as intermediates and end products of cellular metabolism. Their characterization provides valuable information on the nutritional quality, functionality, and potential health impacts of food products. In the dairy sector, proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopy has emerged as a powerful tool for metabolite profiling, enabling the simultaneous identification and quantification of diverse compounds. In this study, 1H NMR was applied to characterize and compare the metabolic composition of whey, a major by-product of cheese and yogurt production, and whey protein concentrate (WPC-80), a whey derivative containing approximately 80% protein by weight and rich in essential amino acids. Methods: Five whey and four WPC-80 samples from a single Parmigiano Reggiano dairy plant were collected, each representing a biologically independent sample. Statistical evaluation was performed using Mann–Whitney U tests to identify significantly different metabolites between groups, while principal component analysis and partial least squares discriminant analysis were employed to assess group separation and determine discriminant metabolites. Results: The results revealed marked compositional differences: whey was higher in dimethyl sulfone, succinate, orotate, fumarate, and lactose (p < 0.05), whereas WPC-80 contained significantly higher levels of histidine, formate, glucose + glucose-6-phosphate, acetate, and choline (p < 0.05). Moreover, metabolites such as hippurate, valine, lactate + threonine, and uracil were exclusively found on whey and not in WPC-80, likely due to processing steps such as ultrafiltration. Conclusions: These findings highlight the metabolic distinctions introduced by WPC-80 processing from Parmigiano Reggiano whey and provide insights into the nutritional and functional characteristics of whey-derived products. Such knowledge can inform the design of innovative dairy ingredients and functional foods, with potential benefits for both industry applications and consumer health.

The rising demand for nondairy and nonanimal protein sources has increased plant-based beverages (PBB) consumption. However, research on their functional properties, metabolic profile, and discrimination potential is limited. This study evaluated the potential of proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopy as an authentication method to discriminate milk (cow and goat) and PBB macro-groups, including soy-based, fruit-based (almond and coconut), and cereal-based (rice and oat) beverages, based on their metabolic profile. A total of 22 PBB (soy-, almond-, coconut-, rice-, and oat-based beverages), 4 cow milk, and 4 goat milk cartons were analyzed with 1H NMR spectroscopy to obtain their metabolic profile. Relevant metabolites to discriminate PBB macro-groups and cow and goat milk were identified through the Mann-Whitney U test and partial least squares-discriminant analysis. Results revealed that uridine diphosphate glucose and adenosine were key metabolites for the identification of goat and cow milk. At the same time, choline and guanosine emerged as important markers for different PBB macro-group detection. In addition, lactose played a significant role in differentiating milk from PBB. In conclusion, these findings represent an initial step toward applying 1H NMR spectroscopy for authentication and nutritional analysis of PBB, opening the door for further research into their authenticity and metabolic profiling.

Minerals and trace elements are vital for numerous physiological processes in mammals. The current reference analysis for mineral determination in biological matrices is inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). This analysis is costly, time-consuming, and destructive. While commercial kits are a viable alternative to ICP-MS due to the lower cost, their limit lies in the ability of determining only one mineral at a time. Energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (ED-XRF) has been proposed as a potential alternative for the rapid determination of mineral concentration in biological matrices. This study evaluated the accuracy of ED-XRF as an alternative to commercial diagnostic kits to predict the concentrations of sodium, magnesium, phosphorus, chloride, potassium, calcium, iron, and selenium in cattle plasma without sample pretreatment, potentially reducing the time of analysis compared to commercial kits and costs and labor compared to ICP-MS. Reference mineral concentrations were determined in 277 samples using in vitro diagnostics regulation-certified commercial diagnostic kits. The results indicated a moderate prediction accuracy only for potassium. For the other minerals, the prediction accuracy of ED-XRF was insufficient, which suggests that some degree of sample preparation is necessary to improve the determination of minerals in plasma.

Marbling or visible intramuscular fat is a crucial indicator of beef eating quality. This study investigated the heritability of marbling score (MS), as defined by the Meat Standards Australia (MSA) grading scheme, in Charolais cattle, laying the groundwork for future breeding programs for improving this trait. The dataset included 909 animals (523 young bulls and 386 heifers), progeny of 531 sires and 905 dams imported from France, fattened in specialised units located in northern Italy, and slaughtered in a single abattoir where MS was assessed on a scale from 100 to 1190 using the MSA protocol. Variance components for MS were estimated using a single-trait linear animal model. The heritability (posterior SD) of MS was 0.46 (0.18). The progeny of the top 5% ranked sires (n = 4), with an average estimated breeding value (EBV) accuracy of 0.67, averaged 469 points for MS, compared to 305 points for the progeny of the bottom 5% ranked sires (n = 5). The presence of additive genetic variation for this trait represents a prerequisite for effective selection toward the desired MS to align meat-eating quality with market demands and consumer preferences.

The Simmental breed is widely known for its resilience, robustness, and resistance to disease, and the incidence of ketosis in this breed is therefore generally lower compared with Holsteins. Blood concentrations of nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA), BHB, and urea provide valuable information about the metabolic, health, and nutritional status of lactating animals. In the present study, we estimated h2 of BHB, NEFA, and urea in blood predicted from milk mid-infrared spectra and assessed their genetic correlation with milk yield and composition traits in the Italian Simmental cattle breed using phenotypes of 3,549 cows in 207 herds. Two sets were considered: early (1,920 records, 1 per cow, between 5 and 35 DIM) and whole (14,378 records, at least 3 per cow, between 5 and 305 DIM) lactation. In early lactation, h2 estimates were 0.06 for blood BHB as-is, 0.06 for log-transformed BHB, 0.18 for NEFA, 0.14 for log-transformed NEFA, and 0.05 for blood urea. In the whole lactation, the h2 were 0.09 for blood BHB as-is, 0.16 for log-transformed BHB, 0.03 for NEFA, 0.04 for log-transformed NEFA, and 0.04 for blood urea. As far as the genetic correlations were concerned, blood BHB was positively correlated with NEFA and blood urea. Blood BHB and NEFA were generally positively correlated with milk fat-to-protein ratio and milk, but only the first was negatively correlated with lactose content and positively with SCS. Sires' EBVs for BHB with accuracy >= 0.60 were extrapolated for a posteriori evaluation of the daughters' observed performance. The progeny of the top 5% of sires exhibited, on average, lower blood BHB, NEFA, and urea compared with the daughters of the bottom 5%. Overall, it is highly recommended to monitor the genetic variability of the metabolic traits in the dual-purpose Italian Simmental breed to monitor the incidence of metabolic diseases in future generations.