In diesem Beitrag wird die Einzigartigkeit der Forschungsinnovation vorgestellt, die im Rahmen des Projekts der Kroatischen Stiftung für Wissenschaft (HRZZ) "INNOVATIVE FUNKTIONELLE LAMMFLEISCHPRODUKTE" (IP-2016-06-3685) durchgeführt wurde. Wir glauben nämlich, dass unsere Projektinnovation, die in erster Linie das Ergebnis der im Rahmen des Forschungsprozesses des Projekts gewonnenen Erkenntnisse ist, auch ein Instrument zur Steigerung der Wettbewerbsfähigkeit und zur Förderung der Unternehmensentwicklung sein und somit zum wirtschaftlichen und sozialen Wohlergehen Kroatiens beitragen kann.

The objective of the present study was to determine the influence of age and sex on selected haematological and blood biochemical parameters in organically raised Dalmatian Pramenka lambs. Haematological and blood biochemical parameters were studied in 40 lambs with an equal representation of both sexes. The research lasted four months. Blood samples were collected once per month, from the beginning of the grazing season when lambs were at the average age of three months, and until the end of the production cycle for lamb meat. The distribution of the results according to age showed that the increase in the age of the lambs significantly reduced (P<0.05) the RBC, HGB, HCT and the concentration of GLU, BUN, BIT. The concentration of TP, ALB, GLO and the activity of enzyme AST significantly increased (P<0.05) with the increasing age of the lambs. The distribution of results by sex showed that female lambs had significantly higher WBC (P<0.05), RBC (P<0.01), and HGB (P<0.05) concentration, while male lambs had significantly higher values of MCV (P<0.01) and concentration of FFA (P<0.01). In conclusion, this research demonstrated that age and sex significantly influence most of the haematological and blood biochemical parameters of organically raised Dalmatian Pramenka lambs.

Nepotpuna prehrana životinja pa tako i ovaca, može dovesti do narušavanje homeostaze organizma, smanjenja proizvodnje, pojave bolesti pa i do uginuća. Vitamin D označava skupinu usko povezanih tvari koje posjeduju antirahitičnu aktivnost. Među vitaminima jedinstven je po tome što je jedini koji se u organizam ne unosi samo hranom (sijeno, a u mesojeda hrana animalnog podrijetla), već se u organizmu (koži) stvara i uz pomoć sunčeve svjetlosti. Uobičajeno je da pašno držane ovce rijetko kad trebaju dodatke vitamina D. To je stoga jer ovce ukoliko su izložene UVB zračenju, odnosno sunčevoj svjetlosti mogu nadoknaditi manjak vitamina D u hrani sintezom vitamina D unutar kože. No, ukoliko je izloženost ovaca suncu smanjena dugotrajnom naoblakom ili uzgojem u zatvorenom te kada je sadržaj vitamina D2 u hrani nizak, tada unesena količina vitamina D može biti nedostatna. U janjadi se deficit vitamina D očituje pojavom rahitisa, a u odraslih ovaca pojavom osteomalacije te hipokalcemije. U ovaca se obično javlja u kasnom graviditetu, ali je zabilježena i u životinja različite dobi. Slijedom svega navedenoga cilj je ovoga preglednoga rada je upoznati doktore veterinarske medicine s novim saznanjima o ulogama i metabolizmu vitamina D u ovaca te njegovom značenju za zdravlje i održavanje proizvodnih sposobnosti jedinke, odnosno stada.

Nepotpuna prehrana životinja pa tako i ovaca, može dovesti do narušavanje homeostaze organizma, smanjenja proizvodnje, pojave bolesti pa i do uginuća. Vitamin D označava skupinu usko povezanih tvari koje posjeduju antirahitičnu aktivnost. Među vitaminima jedinstven je po tome što je jedini koji se u organizam ne unosi samo hranom (sijeno, a u mesojeda hrana animalnog podrijetla), već se u organizmu (koži) stvara i uz pomoć sunčeve svjetlosti. Uobičajeno je da pašno držane ovce rijetko kad trebaju dodatke vitamina D. To je stoga jer ovce ukoliko su izložene UVB zračenju, odnosno sunčevoj svjetlosti mogu nadoknaditi manjak vitamina D u hrani sintezom vitamina D unutar kože. No, ukoliko je izloženost ovaca suncu smanjena dugotrajnom naoblakom ili uzgojem u zatvorenom te kada je sadržaj vitamina D2 u hrani nizak, tada unesena količina vitamina D može biti nedostatna. U janjadi se deficit vitamina D očituje pojavom rahitisa, a u odraslih ovaca pojavom osteomalacije te hipokalcemije. U ovaca se obično javlja u kasnom graviditetu, ali je zabilježena i u životinja različite dobi. Slijedom svega navedenoga cilj je ovoga preglednoga rada je upoznati doktore veterinarske medicine s novim saznanjima o ulogama i metabolizmu vitamina D u ovaca te njegovom značenju za zdravlje i održavanje proizvodnih sposobnosti jedinke, odnosno stada.

Plemenita pečurka (Agaricus bisporus), osim što je zdrava hrana, pripada i skupini funkcionalne hrane što potiče daljnja istra-živanja njezine primjene kao funkcionalne hrane, odnosno funkcionalnog dodatka hrani ljudima, a i za domaće životinje namijenjene ljudskoj prehrani. Zbog prisutnosti nekih bi¬oaktivnih sastojaka iz skupine polisaharida, lipopolisaharida, esencijalnih aminokiselina, peptida, glikoproteina, nukleozida, triterpe¬noida, lektina, masnih kiselina i njihovih de¬rivata, za ove gljive poznati su protuupalni, protuvirusni, protubakterijski, hepatoprotek¬tivni, protudijabetički, hipolipemijski, pro-tutrombotski, hipotenzivni učinci i sinbiotska svojstva (neizravni probiotik/izravni prebio¬tik). U ovom istraživanju opisane su pozitivne naznake smanjenja lipida i povećanja aktiv¬nosti enzima u m. semimembrannosus janjadi hranjene svježom plemenitom pečurkom, što upućuje na bolji metabolizam i kvalitetu mesa. Na temelju dosadašnjih istraživanja u sklopu projekta HRZZ-a Inovativni funkcionalni proizvodi od janjećeg mesa (IP-2016-06-3685) te istraživanja prikazanih u ovom radu, može se zaključiti i da A. bisporus u janjadi ima poten¬cijalan učinak promotora rasta. Stoga u ovom radu dobiveni rezultati istraživanja imaju znanstveno dokazanu primjenjivu vrijednost za plemenitu pečurku kao prirodan funkcio¬nalni dodatak u dnevni obrok za janjad iz ko¬jeg će se predstaviti tržišno novi i inovativni proizvod u obliku funkcionalne hrane za ljude (janjeće meso dobrog aroma profila s obzirom na sastav hlapljivih spojeva podrijetlom iz ple¬menite pečurke).

Data concerning the morphometric parameters of sheep red blood cells (RBCs) obtained using computer-assisted image analysis have not yet been investigated, and there are no data on any analyses of ovine RBC subpopulations based on their morphometric parameters. The aims of this study are to determine the values of RBC haematological and morphometric size and shape parameters, to form groups according to the obtained values of haematological parameters; to determine the differences in RBC morphometric parameters between the formed groups, and to determine RBC subpopulations and their respective proportions in the formed groups. Thirty-six blood samples were collected from the jugular vein of clinically healthy Lika pramenka sheep, aged between 2 and 5 years. Haematological parameters including haemoglobin (HGB), haematocrit (HTC), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC), and RBC distribution width were analysed using a haematology analyser. Haematological parameters were categorized into two groups: those with lower values or values below the physiological range (Groups 1) and groups with higher values or values above the physiological range (Groups 2). Morphometric parameters of RBCs were determined from stained blood smears using SFORM, a computer-assisted program. Significantly higher values of RBC area, outline, convex, minimal and maximal radius, as well as length and breadth were established in Groups 2 compared to Groups 1 of HGB, HCT, MCV, MCH, and MCHC, respectively. Based on the morphometric parameters of RBCs, three RBC subpopulations were obtained using principal component and cluster analysis: ES 1-the smallest and most elongated RBCs, ES 2-the biggest and most rounded RBCs, and ES 3-average size and shape RBCs. Significantly higher proportions of ES 2 and ES 3 subpopulations, as well as a significantly lower proportion of ES 1 subpopulation, were established in Groups 2 compared to Groups 1 of HGB, HTC, MCV, and MCH, respectively. It can be concluded that ovine RBC subpopulations, based on their morphometric parameters, can be obtained by using computer-assisted image analysis of RBC morphometry and multivariate statistical methods, including principal component and cluster analysis. RBC morphometry, including classification into subpopulations, could serve as a basis for future possibilities in the diagnostic interpretation of anaemic syndromes in veterinary medicine, especially in normocytic, macrocytic, and microcytic anaemias in sheep.

The objective of this study was to examine whether the intake of the dry and raw fruiting bodies of white button mushrooms influence biochemical blood parameters in lambs of the Lika Pramenka sheep breed. This study was performed on 42 clinically healthy, three- month-old lambs (21 females and 21 males), randomly divided into three groups comprised of 14 lambs each (seven males and seven females). The group I was a control, in which lambs were fed on a standard diet. The group II was fed for six weeks on commercial lamb feed supplemented with 1.5% Agaricus bisporus powder (ABP), and the group III was fed on a commercial lamb feed supplemented with 15% of raw Agaricus bisporus (ABR). Supplementation within both treatment groups significantly reduced blood glucose concentrations (p < 0.0001) in both sexes compared to the control and baseline. When the blood glucose level between supplemented groups was compared, there was a statistically significant (p < 0.0001) lower level in group ABP than in ABR. Total cholesterol concentrations showed the same trend. Group ABP had a statistically significant (p < 0.0001) lower total cholesterol concentration compared with the baseline and the control and ABR groups. It was concluded that feed supplemented with Agaricus bisporus mushroom had a lowering effect on the blood glucose and total cholesterol concentrations in lambs.

Haematological and blood biochemical variables are key elements for routine assessment of animal health status, with implications in animal production and food safety. However, only reliable reference intervals of haematological and biochemical blood variables can provide the basis for accurate interpretation of the obtained blood results. Haematological and biochemical blood values critically dependent on living conditions, region, husbandry, rearing location, and diet. The aim of this study was to determine the reference intervals for selected important and informative haematological and blood biochemical variables for females of the Croatian indigenous sheep breed, Lika pramenka. We used several advanced statistical methods and assessed their applicability for determination of relevant reference intervals under conditions specific to indigenous sheep breeding. The results show that the reference intervals from the available literature are orientational but not adequate for the specific challenges encountered in raising indigenous breeds in their natural habitat. This was illustrated by the large number of clinically healthy animals with blood variable values falling outside the reference intervals given in the sources available previously.

Goat breeding has been one of the most important activities of the rural population in Dalmatian Zagora for decades. The predominant breed was, and still is, the Croatian coloured goat, bred almost exclusively for meat. Extensive farming is currently a dominant farming system with some flocks being bred under organic conditions. In this research we monitored an organic flock in the area of Dinara Mountain during one season. Blood samples were randomly collected from 80 does on two occasions: in March in their early lactation and in October in their early gravidity, and were analysed for the most common biochemical parameters (glucose, urea, bilirubin, total proteins, albumin, triglycerides, cholesterol, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) and two parameters of metabolic profile (non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB)). Significant differences were found between all of the parameters, except BHB and AST. The obtained results from multi-coloured goats may represent a contribution to a better understanding of metabolic processes during early lactation and early gravidity in indigenous Croatian goats.

Pasteta je mesni proizvod razlicitog sirovinskog sastava o kojem ovisi njegova nutritivna i prehrambena vrijednosti koji se koristi u svakodnevnoj prehrani diljem svijeta. Cilj ovoga rada bio je utvrditi kakvocu pastete od janjeceg mesa senzorskim ocjenjivanjem te određivanjem osnovnog kemijskog i masnokiselinskog sastava gotovih proizvoda. Svi parametri senzoricke pretrage janjece pastete ocijenjeni su sa zadovoljavajucim ocjenama, te je proizvod u konacnici dobio 17.20 od mogucih 19.00 bodova. Kolicina vode u proizvodu kretala se od 55.10% do 57.41%, kolicina masti od 26.39% do 28.03%, bjelancevina od 12.26% do 13.34%, pepela od 2.02% do 2.14%, te kolicina soli (NaCl) od 2.22% do 3.04%. Analizom sastava masnih kiselina u janjecoj pasteti utvrđena je ukupna kolicina zasicenih (SFA) masnih kiselina od 54.05 % te 42.58 % mononezasicenih (MUFA) i 3.37 % polinezasicenih (PUFA) masnih kiselina.

utjecaj transporta, privremenog smještaja i klaoničke obrade na kvalitetu mesa janjadi 1 Tomislav Mikuš. Autor za korespondenciju: zcvrtila@vef.hr

In recent years, studies have shown that tobacco and second-hand tobacco smoking are not only dangerous for humans, but also for pets that live in tobacco smoking households. Results from the literature confirm that exposure to tobacco smoke is correlated with the incidence of certain cancers in dogs and cats, the incidence of allergic reactions in dogs, and as well, the incidence of diseases of the eyes, skin and of respiratory system in birds. The presence of nicotine in body fluids clearly indicates exposure to nicotine in smokers, but also in individuals (people or animals) exposed to second-hand smoke. In this study, we tested 21 dogs (seven in each group) and we recorded measurable concentrations of nicotine in serum of dogs living in smoking households. Nicotine concentration was dependent on the amount of cigarettes smoked in a household where the dog lived 24 hours before blood sampling. The serum nicotine concentration in dogs from households in which people smoked more than 20 cigarettes a day was almost three times greater (0.142 +/- 0.067 mg/L) than that in dogs from households in which people smoke around one pack of cigarettes (0.05 +/- 0.05 mg/L). The results showed that pets exposed to tobacco smoke, especially in households where owners smoke more than one pack of cigarettes a day can be categorised as passive smokers.