Soy and its by-products are the main protein source in animal diets. This study evaluated the partial substitution of soybean meal (SBM) and corn meal with pea grain in buffaloes’ diets through two in vitro trials. In the first experiment nine pea grain commercial varieties (Aviron, Furious, Ganster, Lapony, Lump, Mowgli, Myster, Peps, Poseidon) were incubated over 48 h to assess their nutritional characteristics. Results showed significant variation among the varieties, with a high organic matter digestibility (>90%) and protein degradability (>50%), except for Mowgli variety. After multivariate cluster analysis, Ganster, Poisedon and Peps were selected for the second trial in function of highest organic and protein degradability. In the second experiment, the three best-performing pea grain varieties were each one incorporated into three diets similar for protein and energy content (Ganster, PSG; Poseidon, PSP; Peps, PSE), compared to a control diet (CTR) based on SBM and corn meal. The PSP and PSG diets significantly improved organic matter degradability. No one of experimental diets affected protein degradation. The PSE significantly decreased gas production (OMCV), while all experimental diet decreased gas production when related degraded organic matter (yield). All experimental diets showed higher fermentation kinetics than control diet. The PSP, PSG and PSE increased butyrate production while PSP and PSG increased branched-chain fatty acids. Overall, pea grain not only serve as a protein source but also as an energy supplier, potentially reducing the need for additional high-energy ingredients.

Traditional approaches to protect agricultural crops are based on the use of chemical pesticides. Nevertheless, these products are costly, contaminate the environment and are harmful to animals and humans. Reduction or elimination of chemical applications in agriculture is extremely needed, and the application of biostimulants and biological control agents is an efficient alternative for an eco-sustainable agriculture. This study demonstrated that formulations based on fungi belonging to Trichoderma genus had beneficial effects on forage crops and significantly affected plant metabolome.

The aim of this work was to study the effects of red orange and lemon extract (RLE) inclusion on volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and sensory profile of lamb meat aged seven days. A total of 44 Merino lambs were randomly divided into two experimental groups: one that received the RLE (n = 22) and the control group (CON; n = 22). The RLE extract was orally and individually administered (90 mg/kg of live weight) to each lamb every day from colostrum assumption until slaughter (40 ± 1 days). Longissimus lumborum muscle was sampled and dry aged at 4 °C for seven days. The VOC and sensorial analyses were carried out at 1, 3 and 7 days. A total of 65 VOCs were detected. Aldehyde family was the most abundant, followed by ketones and alcohols in both groups. Extending ageing period, content of aldehydes and thiols increased only in control group (p < 0.01), but no differences were observed 24 h after slaughtering (p > 0.05). Regardless of dietary treatment, sensory evaluation, tenderness and juiciness showed a similar trend in both groups. Along ageing days, a significant improvement in these patterns was observed (p < 0.05). Our results showed that RLE inclusion did not have effects on both volatile compounds and sensory profile after slaughtering; ageing improves some sensory characteristics of lamb meat and the inclusion of RLE also seems to have a positive effect on the production of VOCs and on sensory properties such as meaty odour and overall liking.

Nowadays climate change is affecting the planet’s biodiversity, and livestock practices must adapt themselves to improve production without affecting animal welfare. This work investigates the influence that some climatic parameters such as Environment Temperature, Relative Humidity, Thermal excursion and Temperature–Humidity Index (THI), can have on milk quantity and quality in two different dairy species (buffaloes and cows) raised on the same farm. A further aim was to understand if THI threshold used for cows could also be used for buffaloes. The climatic parameters were recorded daily through a meteorological station located inside the farm. Milk quantity (converted into ECM) and quality (Fat Percentage—FP; Protein Percentage—PP; Somatic Cell Count—SCC) were measured. Data were analyzed with Spearman’s correlation index, separately for buffaloes and cows. The results indicate a greater sensitivity of cows to heat stress and a strong negative correlation of the ECM with meteorological data (p < 0.01). The results of this study may stimulate the use of integrated technologies (sensors, software) in the dairy sector, since the IoT (sensors, software) helps to enhance animal well-being and to optimize process costs, with a precision livestock farming approach.

This study aimed to verify the impact of milking permission (MP) and concentrate supplementation (CS) on milking frequency (milkings per cow/day) and milk yield (kg per cow/day) in a farm using a pasture-based automatic milking system (AMS). Sixty-eight cows milked using this AMS unit were randomly assigned to one of 4 groups homogeneous for parity, days in milk and milk yield. Treatments used were: Frequent (F) or Restricted (R) MP, that granted cows permission to milk after 6 to 8 h or 9.6 to 14 h of the previous milking, respectively; and low (LC) or high (HC) CS of 0.5 kg or 3.5 kg per cow/day, respectively. The combination of the 2 levels of MP and the 2 levels of CS resulted in the 4 treatment combinations (FHC, RHC, FLC, RLC). This study was designed as a 2 X 2 factorial arrangement with treatment crossover: each of the 4 cow-groups was randomly assigned to one of the 4 treatment combinations for a 5-week experimental period (one pre-treatment week and 4 treatment weeks), and after each 5-week period groups crossed over to another treatment combination until they experienced all.Statistical analysis assessed the impact of MP, CS and their interaction on milk yield, milking frequency, box time, milking time and average milk flow rate. This was done using a mixed model analysis with repeated measures to account for repeated observations on the experimental unit (cow). Milk yield per cow/day and milkings per cow/day were significantly higher with the Frequent compared with the Restricted MP (1.5 kg and 0.65 respectively). Milk yield per cow/day and milkings per cow/day were significantly higher with the HC compared with the LC CS (3.1 kg and 0.25 respectively).Additionally, milk yield per cow/day was affected by the interaction of MP and CS and it was highest with the FHC (20.1 kg) treatment combination, followed by RHC (18.2 kg) treatment combination. The number of milkings per cow/day were also affected by the interaction of MP and CS. The highest estimated number of milkings per cow/day was recorded for the FHC (2.12) and the FLC (1.77) treatment combinations, followed by the RHC (1.38) and RLC (1.23) treatment combinations. Similarly, milking interval was 2.5 h longer for the RLC treatment combination compared with RHC. The shortest milking interval/milking was observed for the FHC (11 h) and FLC (12.8 h) treatment combinations.In conclusion, the study showed that allowing access to the robot between 6 to 8 h after the previous milking was sufficient (even with a minimal level of CS) to achieve acceptable milk production and milking performance in a pasture-based AMS.

Cortisol is the primary biomarker associated with the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis. This research aimed at assessing the predictive potential and the relationship of cortisol concentrations in four media (blood, milk, whey and hair) with parity, lactation stage and productive classes. Multiparous (n = 30) and primiparous (n = 38) Italian Mediterranean buffaloes were used and assigned to four productive classes (based on percentiles of mature equivalent milk yield (EMY) and mature equivalent energy corrected milk (eECM)), and cortisol concentrations were measured using a in house radioimmunoassay (RIA) method. Parity did not show a significant effect on cortisol concentrations of the four media. The catabolic stage of lactation (up to 90 d in milk (DIM)) was characterised by higher cortisol concentrations compared to the second anabolic stage (beyond 150 DIM) in milk formulations. The plasmatic concentrations of cortisol were higher at the catabolic and the first anabolic stage (91–150 DIM) compared to the second anabolic (p = 0.022 and p = 0.009, respectively). Buffaloes beyond 150 DIM differed from those below 90 DIM (p < 0.001) and between 91 and 150 DIM (p < 0.05) in hair. Finally, hair cortisol concentrations were negatively correlated to EMY, mature equivalent protein content (EPC) (p < 0.01) and eECM (p < 0.05). The whey showed a potential to predict the concentrations of cortisol in whole extracted milk (R2 = 0.31). Hence the development of a real-time automated cortisol measurement in milk could be a valuable tool in Italian Mediterranean Buffalo farming.

The use of green feed for livestock breeding is an important strategy to encounter both the increasing demand for animal derived products and the perceptions of the consumers regarding animal welfare and sustainability. The aim of this study was to compare different feeding strategies in lactating water buffaloes by using a metabolomic approach. The study was carried out on 32 milking buffaloes that were randomly divided into two groups for a total period of 90 days (3 sampling times). DD Group (dry diet) received a standard total mixed ratio (TMR) characterized by dry forages and concentrates; ZG Group (zero grazing) fed an isoenergetic and isoproteic diet obtained using 30% of sorghum as green forage. Samples of milk and rumen fluid were analyzed by liquid chromatography—mass spectrometry (LC–MS) techniques. Data analyses revealed the presence of several differentially accumulated metabolites and among these, ten compounds were putatively identified in milk samples (i.e. l -carnitine, acetylcarnitine, propionylcarnitine, butyrylcarnitine, 2-methylbutyroylcarnitine, 2-hexenoylcarnitine, hexanoylcarnitine, glycerophosphocholine, δ-valerobetaine and γ-butyrobetaine) and four in rumen fluid (3-(2-hydroxyphenyl) propanoate, Indole-3-acrylic acid, oleamide (cis-9,10-octadecenoamide) and 20-carboxy-leukotriene B4). The modulation of these molecules in buffalo milk is significantly related to the green/dry based feeding and some the natural compound detected could be considered as health-promoting nutrients.

The study aimed to verify the influence of different milking machine setting parameters on Italian Mediterranean buffalo milking performance. Data on milking machine settings (Milking Dry Tests [MDTs]) and milk Test-day (TD) were collected by the Italian Breeders Association (AIA). Data for each TD consisted of milk yield (MY), fat percentage (FP), protein percentage (PP), lactose percentage (LP) and linear score (LS). Working vacuum level (VL), pulsation ratio (PR), automatic cluster removal system (AC) and effective vacuum reserve (EVR) were recorded from each MDT. A total of 558 MDTs, 217,967 TD, collected from 43,593 buffaloes in 198 buffalo farms were utilised. MDT, TD and Animal data (AD) were analysed through a mixed linear model and a logistic regression model was used to evaluate the relationship between VL and EVR. Analysis of MY and quality revealed that an incorrect setting of the milking was responsible for a higher LS and lower MY and LP, along with higher FP and PP compared to farms with adequate EVR. Except for PP, the height of the milking system significantly influenced all milk parameters. Conversely, VL affected all milking traits. A higher PR (70:30) was responsible for significantly lower LS and higher FP compared to a 60:40 PR. Similarly, the presence of AC showed a significant effect on FP and MY and a slight reduction in LS. Finally, the diameter and length of the pipeline (DL) ratio lower than 2.5 m was associated with a decrease in LS. These results suggest that buffaloes require specific milking parameters.

A feeding strategy that maintains high content of functional molecules in buffalo milk has been verified by giving Sorghum vulgare as green fodder, but it is not available all year round. The aim of this study was to evaluate the inclusion of former food products (FFPs) containing 87% biscuit meal (nonstructural carbohydrate: 60.1%; starch 14.7; crude protein 10.6), in the diet of buffaloes in terms of: (a) fermentation characteristics through gas production technique; (b) milk yield (MY) and quality; (c) content of some biomolecules and total antioxidant activity. The experiment was performed involving 50 buffaloes divided into two groups: Green group and FFPs group (animals fed Total Mixed Ration with either green forage or FFPs respectively). Daily MY was recorded and milk qualitative analyses were determined monthly for 90 days. Furthermore, fermentation characteristics of the diets were studied in vitro. No significant differences were recorded in feed intake, BCS and MY and quality. Similar in vitro fermentation data of two diets were found, with slight differences in terms of gas production and degradability. During the incubation, kinetic parameters showed a faster fermentation process with the diet of the FFPs group in relation to Green group (p < 0.05). Green group had higher levels (p < 0.01) of γ-butyrobetaine, glycine betaine, l-carnitine and propionyl l-carnitine in milk, whereas no differences were observed for δ-valerobetaine and acetyl l-carnitine. Total antioxidant capacity and iron reduction antioxidant assay were higher (p < 0.05) in the plasma and milk of the Green group. The administration of a diet high in simple sugars, obtained with FFPs, seems to favour the ruminal biosynthesis of some metabolites in milk, such as δ-valerobetaine and acetyl- l-carnitine, similar to green forage administration. Overall, the use of biscuit meal can be an alternative to green fodder when it is not available to ensure environmental sustainability and optimize costs without compromising milk quality.

The aim of the present work was to deploy sustainable and sensor-based measures to assess the influence of climatic parameters such as environmental temperature (ET), relative humidity (RH), thermic excursion (ET) and temperature-humidity index (THI) on milk quantity and quality of two different dairy species (buffalo and cow) reared in the same farm. The climatic parameters were recorded daily through a weather station located inside the commercial dairy farm, while milk quantity (ECM) and quality parameters - such as fat (FP) and protein (PP) percentages, and somatic cell count (SCC) - were recovered monthly from test days. For each species a distinct Spearman analysis was carried out. The results denoted cows were more prone to heat stress compared to buffaloes, probably because of the tropical origin of the latter species. Moreover, in Holstein cows, ECM had strong negative correlations with weather data (p < 0.01). However, the correlations were very low for FP, PP and SCC and climatic parameters for both species. The findings reported in this study, although suggesting the reliability of IoT for animal welfare purposes in the dairy sector, highlight the importance of further studies to be performed to assess and validate new THI levels proper of buffalo species.

Precision Livestock Farming, as a specific sub-sector of Public Health Informatics, focuses on the application of process engineering principles and techniques to achieve an automatic monitoring, modelling, and management of animal productions. In the present work a timely "protocol" is proposed for unobtrusive direct/indirect monitoring of biometric parameters for the estimation of body conditions on Mediterranean Buffalo populations, using low-cost automated systems already present on the market i.e., smart cameras endowed with depth perception capabilities.

The paper discusses the challenges facing the dairy industry due to increased farm sizes and reduced staff-to-animal ratios, which are impacting animal welfare. The development of precision livestock farming (PLF) technologies has gained momentum to address these challenges. PLF technologies can assess animal welfare and health status by monitoring animal behavior and biological changes, and alerting farmers of any issues. However, the applicability of PLF tools in other productive phases of the dairy cattle is still limited. The article focuses on the challenges of managing unweaned dairy calves, particularly the variability in relation to when calves start consuming solid feed, and how PLF technologies can be used to monitor individual calf intake and manage weaning at the individual level. The attention is mainly focused on the advantages of using automated feeders for unweaned dairy calves, including labor savings, greater precision in measurement and control of individual intake of liquid and solid feed, and higher preweaning growth rates. In particular, a method is proposed, involving a 3D depth camera and a proper algorithm to measure the volume and weight of eaten feed. The method is preliminarily assessed in tests conducted in laboratory, which highlight a remarkable concurrence (differences as low as 2 %) with respect to nominal values.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of neem oil on caprine pediculosis and on kids’ growth performances. The neem (Azadirachta indica) belongs to the Meliaceae family, and in Eastern countries it is mainly considered for the insecticidal activities of the kernel oil. The neem seeds contain bioactive principles, such as azadirachtin A, salannin, nimbin, and nimbolide. The trial was carried out on 24 kids, 120 days old, maintained in open yards. Animals were divided in 4 homogeneous groups (n = 6 animals/group) based on age, louse count, body condition score (BCS) and live body weight: Control Group (C, saline NaCl, 0.9%), Neem Group 1 (NO-100, 100 mL of neem oil per 10 kg), Neem Group 2 (NO-200, 200 mL/10 kg), Neem Group 3 (NO-300, 300 mL/10 kg). The treatments were performed by spraying the insecticide on the goat’s body. The study lasted 56 days, and weekly, the kids underwent louse count, BCS and body weight determination, and FAMACHA score. Data were analyzed by ANOVA for repeated measures. The species of lice identified was Linognathus stenopsis. Kids belonging to NO-200 and NO-300 showed a stronger reduction of louse count throughout the study (>95%). The daily weight gain recorded was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in NO-300 than C. No differences were found for BCS and FAMACHA scores. The results of this trial showed that the administration of neem oil to control caprine pediculosis caused by sucking lice represents an alternative to synthetic compounds.

In the buffalo dairy sector, a huge effort is still needed to improve mastitis prevention, detection, and management. Electrical conductivity (EC) and total somatic cell count (SCC) are well-known indirect indicators of mastitis. Differential somatic cell count (DSCC), which represents the proportion of neutrophils and lymphocytes on the total SCC, is instead a novel phenotype collected in the dairy cattle sector in the last lustrum. As little is known about this novel trait in dairy buffalo, in the present study we explored the nongenetic factors affecting DSCC, as well as EC and total somatic cell score (SCS), in the Italian Mediterranean buffalo. The data set used for the analysis included 14,571 test-day (TD) records of 1,501 animals from 6 herds, and climatic information of the sampling locations. The original data were filtered to exclude animals with less than 3 TD per lactation and, for the investigated traits, outliers beyond 4 standard deviations. In the statistical model we included the fixed effects of herd (6 classes), days in milk (DIM; 10 classes of 30 d, with the last being an open class until 360 d), parity (6 classes, from 1 to 6+), year-season of calving (11 classes, from summer 2019 to winter 2021/2022), year-season of sampling (9 classes, from spring 2020 to spring 2022), production level (4 classes based on quartiles of average milk yield by herd), and temperature-humidity index (THI; 4 classes based on quartiles, calculated using the average temperature and relative humidity of the 5 d before sampling). Average EC, SCS, and DSCC vary across herds. Considering DIM, greater EC values were observed at the beginning and the end of lactation; SCS was slightly lower, but DSCC was greater around the lactation peak. Increased EC, SCS, and DSCC levels with increasing parity were reported. Year-season calving and year-season sampling only slightly affected the variation of the investigated traits. Milk of high-producing buffaloes was characterized by lower EC and SCS mean values, nevertheless it had slightly greater DSCC percentages. Buffaloes grouped in the highest THI classes (classes 3 and 4) showed, on average, greater EC, SCS, and DSCC in comparison to the lower classes, especially to class 2. Results of the present study represent a preliminary as well as necessary step for the possible future inclusion of EC, SCS, or DSCC in breeding programs aimed to improve mastitis resistance in dairy buffaloes.

The adoption of Automatic Milking Systems (AMS) in Europe and Italy has been increasing gradually in recent years, driven by the advantages they offer over traditional milking methods. AMS reduces the need for manual labor, increases milk production, standardizes teat cleaning and disinfection, and promotes animal welfare. The adoption of milking robots also allows for continuous monitoring of milk parameters, animal health status, and production performance. In a recent study, the authors analyzed the improvements achieved by a buffalo farm in Southern Italy that switched from an older model (Classic ) to a newer generation model (VMS 300) of milking robot, showing an increase in production quantity and quality.

This study aimed to partially replace starch with simple sugars as a carbohydrate source in the diet of Italian Mediterranean buffaloes, substituting corn with molasses. Sixty lactating buffaloes located on a commercial farm in Caserta province were divided into two groups according to days in milk (DIM), parity, and milk yield (MY), recorded both in the previous two weeks and the previous lactation: Group C (Control; n=30; 48.7±4.1 DIM; average MY: 13.69±0.5 kg) and group T (Treated; n=30; 49.4±4.3 DIM; average MY: 13.65±0.5 kg). The two groups were maintained in separate paddocks throughout the study, which lasted 120 days. Two diets with the same dry matter (DM) content (16.5 kg) and nutritional characteristics on a DM basis (crude protein: 14.9%; NDF: 38.5%; Ash: 6.3%; NSC: 34.5%; energy density: 0.93 Milk Forage Units) were prepared. In the T diet, 1.7 kg of molasses was inserted, replacing corn meal and maize silage; thus, starch content was 19.8% and 17.2% in Diet C and T, respectively. The diets were administered twice/day in each group, and refusals were weighed and sampled daily to calculate average feed intake. Individual milk yield was recorded daily, and 15 days apart, an individual milk sample was collected for milk quality analysis (fat, protein, casein, lactose, urea, β- hydroxybutyrate [BHB] and fatty acids profile) through mid-infrared spectroscopy (Milkoscan FT6000®, Foss Electric). Data were analyzed through a mixed ANOVA. The average milk yield throughout the experimental period was 11.7±0.1 vs 12.2±0.1 kg, Group C and T, respectively. Buffaloes in Group C showed lower (p<0.01) fat content compared to Group T (8.33±0.1 vs. 8.58±0.1 in Group C and T, respectively) and similar protein and casein content (protein 4.41±0.0 vs 4.43±0.0 and casein 3.54±0.0 vs 3.57±0.0 in Group C and T, respectively). Interestingly, the urea concentration was higher in Group C compared to Group T (43.1±0.1 vs. 35.7±0.1, in Group C and T, respectively). In contrast, following simple sugars administration, BHB content was lower (0.22±0.1 vs 0.28±0.1 in Group C and T, respectively), probably because of higher butyric acid production. Regarding the acidic profile, only medium-chain fatty acids were lower in Group C vs. Group T (3,135±77 vs 3,379±79 in groups C and T, respectively). In conclusion, simple sugar administration in the diet of lactating buffaloes seems to increase milk yield and fat content, probably through an improvement in rumen efficiency.

The present work aims at describing a viable "protocol" for unobtrusive direct/indirect monitoring of biometric parameters for the estimation of body conditions on Mediterranean Buffalo populations, using low-cost automated systems i.e., smart cameras endowed with depth perception capabilities.

The growth of the world population that will occur in the next 30 years will be responsible for an increase in animal-derived food and proteins of animal origin. The livestock sector will be obliged to face new challenges, such as the reduction of environmental impact, the improvement of animal-derived food quality and safety, the reduction of antibiotics, and the increase in efficiency. One of the strategies that could be adopted is Precision Livestock Farming (PLF), recognized as the most sustainable tool to improve farm sustainability. It can be defined as "the continuous, automated, and real-time monitoring of production, reproduction, health, and welfare through the application of advanced information and communication technologies (ICT)". In this new farm concept, animals, environment, machinery, and processes become "information objects" to enhance data; farm management and animals are defined as CITD systems: they are Complex, Individually different, Time-variant, and Dynamic. Several PLF technologies have been recently applied to buffalo species, improving some critical points of the farm, such as milking, nutrition, reproduction, and management. This short review reports some experiences carried out in buffalo species.

The measurement of milk electrical conductivity (EC) is a relatively simple and inexpensive technique that has been evaluated as a routine method for the diagnosis of mastitis in dairy farms. The aim of this study was to obtain further knowledge on relationships between EC, production traits and somatic cell count (SCC) in Italian Mediterranean Buffalo. The original dataset included 5411 records collected from 808 buffalo cows. Two mixed models were used to evaluate both the effect of EC on MY, PP and FP and EC at test-day, and the effect of EC on somatic cell score (SCS) by using five different parameters (EC_param), namely: EC collected at the official milk recording test day (EC_day0), EC collected 3 days before official milk recording (EC_day3), and three statistics calculated from EC collected 1, 3 and 5 days before each test-day, respectively. All effects included in the model were significant for all traits, with the only exception of the effect of EC nested within parity for FP. The relationship between EC and SCS was always positive, but of different magnitude according to the parity. The regression of EC on SCS at test-day using different EC parameters was always significant except when the regression parameter was the slope obtained from a linear regression of EC collected over the 5-day period. Moreover, in order to evaluate how well the different models fit the data, three parameters were used: the Average Information Criteria (AIC), the marginal R2 and the conditional R2. According to AIC and to both the Marginal and Conditional R2, the best results were obtained when the regression parameter was the mean EC estimated over the 5-day period.

The temperature–humidity index (THI) has been commonly used to analyse heat stress in dairy cattle, but little is known about its effects on buffaloes. In this study, daily milk yield (MY), fat percentage (FP), protein percentage (PP) and somatic cell count (SCC) data from 808 buffalo cows plus environmental temperature and relative humidity were used to investigate the consequence of heat stress. Two mixed models were used to evaluate the impact of THI on MY, FP, PP and log transformed SCC (SCS). The effect of THI was significant for PP, FP and SCS, whereas its interaction with parity was statistically significant for PP and SCS. The relationship between PP and FP and THI was positive but of different magnitude according to the parity. When THI was below 62, an unfavourable effect was observed, especially in primiparous buffalo cows. A significant interaction between SCS and THI across parities was also observed. The effect of THI on MY across parities was not definite but overall a favourable relationship was observed. Our findings depict a susceptibility of buffaloes to low values of THI, suggesting an optimal THI range for water buffaloes between 59 and 63, although some deleterious effects were observed in primiparous buffaloes at THI values lower than 62. Additional investigations are needed to better elucidate the influence of THI on buffalo species.HIGHLIGHTS The overall effect of THI on buffalo diverges from what commonly observed in dairy cattle Cold stress affects milk and udder health in buffaloes The effect of THI on buffaloes’ performance depends on parity, with a larger susceptibility in primiparous than pluriparous buffalo cows Udder health in buffaloes, evaluated using somatic cell count, is also affected by THI