This study was designed to assess the effectiveness of a mixture of Silybum marianum L. and Cynara cardunculus scolymus L. standardised extract (PHYTO-LAYER™) expressed as silibinin (2.4 g/L) and chlorogenic acid (2.2 g/L) content, respectively, provided intermittently to caged-laying hens to alleviate fatty liver syndromes, improve blood indices and health. In this study, 792 Lohmann LSL-White hens (41 weeks of age), randomly assigned to 2 replicated groups, control and treated (n = 396 each), were used. The treatment (1 mL/L) was supplied every 2 weeks for 7 days, at different time points (T0-T5) in a 7-week trial, by drinking water. At T0, T3 and T5, 13 identified hens/group were sampled for haematological analysis. At T5, all 13 hens per group were euthanised via cervical dislocation for organ weight, gut pH, and liver histological investigations. The treatment improved red blood cell, haemoglobin, hematocrit, and the serum antioxidant activity (P < 0.05). In treated hens, a reduction of liver weight and serum alanine aminotransferase activity was evidenced, associated with a reduction of liver steatosis cases and severity, evaluated histologically (P < 0.05). Other blood and serum indices were not affected by the treatment (P > 0.05). At T5, in treated hens, the duodenum (proximal tract) showed unexpectedly higher pH, compared to the control hens (P < 0.05). This study showed that the combined phytoextracts administration is useful in improving the liver health of caged-laying hens affected by liver disorders, reducing liver steatosis, associated with an upgrade of main blood indices.

Introduction:Egg quality is crucial to productivity and laying hens' health. However, hens' aging, oxidative stress, and metabolic disorders (e.g., liver steatosis) can impair egg production and quality during the production cycle. Nutritional interventions may help preserve productivity under these conditions. Among plant extracts, milk thistle (Silybum marianum L.) and artichoke (Cynara scolymus L.) are noteworthy for their bioactive compounds with hepatoprotective and antioxidant properties. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a combined extract of milk thistle and artichoke (PHYTO-LAYER™), standardized in silibinin (2.4 g/L) and chlorogenic acid (2.2 g/L), in maintaining or improving egg quality, lipid oxidation, and antioxidant capacity in caged-laying hens exposed to hepatic and metabolic stress. Methods:A total of 792 Lohmann LSL-White hens (41 weeks old) were randomly assigned to two groups, control and treated (396 hens per group). The treated group received the products via drinking water at a dose of 1 mL/L, intermittently for 7 weeks (7 consecutive days every 2 weeks). Sampling occurred at five time points (T0-T5). At T0, T3, and T5, 60 eggs per group were collected for quality indices evaluation, while 13 hens per group were sampled for serum biochemical investigations. Results:PHYTO-LAYER™ improved egg, yolk, and albumen weight (p < 0.000), eggshell thickness (p < 0.000), and the total polyphenol content (p < 0.026), with an enhancement of yolk antioxidant capacity (p < 0.024). However, the Haugh unit of treated eggs was reduced (p < 0.000). Discussion:Egg quality often deteriorates during late production stages due to oxidative stress and hens' aging. Given the antioxidant potential of silibinin and chlorogenic acid, their combined intermittent administration supports and maintains the egg quality in caged-laying hens exposed to metabolic stress and after the peak of production. However, further studies could be of interest to verify whether similar changes in egg-quality indices are observed with other phytoextract administration protocols, such as continuous administration, and at different administered doses.

This study was designed to assess the effectiveness of an authorized commercial standardized mixture of Artepillin-C, methyl-salicylates, flavonoids and curcuminoids (PHYTO AX'CELL™) provided intermittently during 8 weeks (wk) of trial to laying hens raised in enriched cages during the peak of the production, in the reduction of inflammation status, improving the immune response, and egg quality. In this study, 764 Lohmann LSL-White hens on the first day (d) of the 26th wk of age (T0), were randomly assigned to 2 replicated experimental groups, control and treated (n=382 each). The treatment was supplied in drinking water, as follows: 26th to 27th wk (T1, 14 d) first treatment administration at a dose of 1 mL/L (0.5 mL/L only the first d of the treatment); 28th to the 31st wk (T2, 4 wk of withdrawal period); 32nd to 33rd wk (T3, 14 d) second treatment at a dose of 1 mL/L, until the end of the trial (T4). At T0, mid-T3 and T4, 13 hens per group were sampled for serum biochemical analyses (metabolic profile, H/L ratio) and weighed, and 60 eggs per group were analyzed for quality parameters. At T4, 13 hens per group were sacrificed for histological investigations and gut IgA quantification. The treatment reduced the mortality rate in the treated group (0.00%) compared to the control (2.61%). An improvement in intestinal IgA production and immune reactivity in the treated hens was observed with a significant fluctuating trend of the heterophil, lymphocyte and their ratio (P < 0.05). The egg quality was improved by the treatment, with positive effects in the Haugh unit, shell weight and thickness (P < 0.05). A T4, significant reduction in duodenal and rectal pH was observed in the treated group (P < 0.05), without intestinal inflammation score changes, body weight, serum biochemistry, interleukin levels, and infectious bronchitis virus titers (P > 0.05). From the results, PHYTO AX'CELL™ improved the well-being and physical condition of laying hens raised in cages, modulating the immune system with a positive production of intestinal IgA, and egg quality parameters important for commercial purposes.

Domestic chicken farming has been promoted and spread in several Italian municipalities and worldwide as an aid to the self-consumption of domestically produced food. This study investigated the levels of four toxic elements (As, Cd, Hg, and Pb) in eggs from an ethical laying hen farm, comparing the element concentrations with those possibly present in supermarket eggs. A total of 201 eggs, 141 from the farm and produced by different hen genotypes, and 60 from the supermarket, were collected. The levels of the toxic elements were evaluated in the yolk, albumen, and eggshells of all eggs. The results show that the supermarket eggs’ yolk and albumen were more contaminated with lead, compared to the rural eggs. Contrarily, the mean content of arsenic was higher in the albumen and eggshells of the rural eggs, compared to the supermarket eggs. The cadmium content was below the LOQ (0.005 mg/kg) in all samples. The mercury content was below or around the LOQ in all rural eggs. Overall, the supermarket egg albumens were significantly more contaminated than the rural ones. No significant differences were found in quality parameters for both types of eggs. The toxic element values that were detected were in line with other studies in the literature. However, despite the concentrations found not representing a risk to the consumers’ health, the results of this study raise a potential food safety issue, and it would be desirable to set specific MRLs for eggs for consumers’ protection.

Fish meal represents the main protein source for most commercially farmed aquatic species, as it is characterized by high nutritional value and lack of anti-nutritional factors. However, its availability and the market price have been recognized as serious problems at least for over a decade, making it necessary to search for non-conventional protein sources, as an alternative to fish meals. This review aims to comprehensively examine and critically revise the use of fish meal and all alternative protein sources explored to date on the health, welfare, and growth performance of the major aquatic species commercially interesting from a global scenario. The investigation revealed that the inclusion levels of the different protein sources, plant- and animal-derived, ranged from 10 to 80% and from 2 to 100% respectively, in partial or complete replacement of fish meal, and generated positive effects on health, welfare, growth performance, and fillet quality. However, the results showed that above a certain level of inclusion, each protein source can negatively affect fish growth performance, metabolic activities, and other biological parameters. Moreover, it is likely that by mixing different protein sources, the combination of each ingredient causes a synergistic effect on the nutritional properties. Therefore, the future of aquatic feed formulation is expected to be based on the blend of different protein sources. Overall, the analysis highlighted the need for additional research in the field of replacing fish meals with new protein sources, given that many knowledge gaps are still to be filled on aquatic species, which deserve to be investigated.

Climate change and the accumulation of waste are major challenges facing the world in the 21st century and have substantial impacts on the environment. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that food waste amounts to 1.3 billion tonnes per year. This study aims to explore the potential for reusing sea urchin waste to develop eco-sustainable products. A sustainable business model based on the environmental benefits of sea urchin exoskeleton waste is presented as an example. The powder, which can serve as a calcium supplement for laying hens, is evaluated using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and two different scenarios are considered. The results of the LCA analysis show that the Alternative scenario, which involves the reuse of sea urchin waste, has significantly lower negative impacts compared to the Baseline scenario, based on disposal of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (ORMSW). Although the sea urchin market is niche, the potential benefits from its waste are countless. The LCA-based approach and sustainable business model demonstrate the feasibility of creating new eco-sustainable products from sea urchin waste.

Grains are major farm animals’ diet ingredients, and one of the main concerns is when are mycotoxin (MyT) contaminated, compromising animals’ health, performance, and product safety. Among the natural phytocompounds that are being used to prevent MyT damage, silymarin (SIL), an extract from the seed of the milk thistle (MT) is a suitable candidate. This review aims to examine the scientific evidence concerning the anti-MyT toxicity effects of MT/SIL in poultry and livestock. In vitro and in vivo studies (n = 27) showed that MT whole plant, seed, or SIL-standardized extract had positive effects on animal health, performance, and restoring the hepatic activity, with a reduction of organ lesions caused by MyT. Furthermore, showed utility for combating MyT-immunodepression, improving intestinal health, and limiting the excretion of toxins residues in food of animal origin, although in some cases, MT/SIL supplementation does not produce appreciable effects. The use of MT in animal nutrition can be useful since the bioactive compounds, also if present in variable amounts, can help the animals to counteract the effects of MyT. The use of the phytoextract of SIL, due to its cost, can be useful if it reported the specific bioactive compounds, recognize for their pharmacological activities.

Avian coccidiosis caused by Eimeria spp. is a relevant disease for poultry usually prevented by synthetic coccidiostats. Citrus aurantium L. var. dulcis peel essential oil (Ca-EOs) and Yucca schidigera’s saponins (Ys) are tested as a valid natural alternatives to coccidiostats. A field study was conducted during the broiler production cycle to evaluate their effects on broiler reared in a rural free-range farm exposed to environmental coccidia infection. One-day-old female broiler chicks (n=140) were divided into 4 experimental groups (n=35 each), fed ad libitum with a coccidiostats-free diet, during 9 weeks of trial, from 1 (63 days). The treatment groups included: control (C); Ca-EOs (1 ml/l); Ys pure extract (0.05 ml/l); Ca-EOs+Ys (1.05 ml/l), administered by drinking water. Fecal coccidia oocysts count (OPG), and growth performance were evaluated weekly. At week 9 all animals were slaughtered, and serum biochemical parameters and intestinal lesions were histologically evaluated and scored. The orange EOs from peel waste and yucca saponins showed a coccidiostat-like effect maintaining the coccidiosis in the subclinical state. Results showed that from the 4th to 9th week, treated groups had significantly lower OPG than C (P < 0.05), with the lower value observed in Ca-EOs. All chickens showed a variable degree of intestinal lymphoplasmacytic and heterophilic inflammation without differences in the histological and intestinal lesion scores (P > 0.05). The body weight (BW) was greater in the treated groups compared to the C group (P < 0.05). However, no differences in FI, WDI, FCR, and mortality were evidenced. Albeit within the physiological range, serum AST, cholesterol, proteins, albumin, Ca, and P were higher in Ys and Ca-EOs+Ys groups (P < 0.05). The Ca-EOs and yucca saponins’ biologically active metabolites, even if taken in moderate concentrations, can help to reduce the coccidia life cycle and gut damage during the environmental coccidia infection, improving the chicken's performance.

Milk thistle, Silybum marianum , is a medicinal plant grown for its bioactive compounds with well-documented antioxidant and hepatoprotective properties. Milk thistle has a well-established pharmacological reputation for treatments of human liver disease, but it is also used in animals. This review summarizes the experimental evidence of milk thistle's effects on animals when administered as silymarin extract (feed additive) or a feed ingredient, if administered as seed or expeller/cake with the seed residue still containing the bioactive components. The use as a feed additive or feed ingredient is motivated by the complexity of silymarin registration as a veterinary drug. In farm animals, the drug improves the animals' performance and product quality and oxidative stability, supports liver function during the productive life-cycle, improves gut-health and morphology, and can reduce intestinal pathogens. In dogs and cats, the treatment is focused on acute and chronic liver diseases including the detoxification processes and support of drug treatments including chemotherapy. In equine athletes, milk seed cake showed positive effects and a faster return of cortisol to the resting values before exercise occurred. In aquaculture, it confirms its usefulness in supporting animal health and performance. In certain studies it is not clear what has been administered, and the composition and doses are not always clearly reported. A few studies reported no effects, but none reported problems connected to milk thistle administration. However, the overall picture shows that the use of milk thistle results in improved or restored health parameters or better animal performance.

The primary source of persistent organic pollutant (POP) exposure is food, especially fish. European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) and gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) are among the most eaten sea fish in Italy. Fish from lakes in Northern Italy, such as agone (Alosa agone), represent niche consumption for most people, but possibly constitute a much larger percentage of overall consumption volume for local residents. This study dealt with the presence of POPs in the above-mentioned fish species via GC-MS/MS analysis. None of the analytes for which maximum limits are in place showed concentrations above those limits. Moreover, none of the substances without maximum limits exceeded the provisional tolerable daily intake (PTDI) when given, nor did they exceed the more general values considered safe, even for 99th percentile consumers.

Food waste affects the sustainability of the food supply chain leading to the squandering of economic, social, and environmental resources. Furthermore, food wasted ends its “life” with high nutritive elements. Among the food categories, a high portion of waste and loss is represented by fruit and vegetable. Earthworms have the ability to bio-convert fruit and vegetable waste (FVW) into products of high value: the vermicompost, a highquality fertilizer, and the earthworms themselves. Indeed, earthworms grown up on a safe substrate may represent a valuable food or feed source, reintroducing in the food chain all the nutritional components wasted in the FVW. If earthworms will be reared for food purpose, they have to be considered as “farmed animals” and FVW is admitted in EU legislation for feeding livestock. If they are reared as feed sources, earthworms could be used as feed in poultry and fish diet as a source of protein, reducing the use of soybean and fish meal and the livestock production impact. In this study, the bioconversion process of FVW to produce the earthworm meal (EM) as food or feed source, has been evaluated considering: the nutritional value of the EM as food or feed source; the safety of EM as food or feed; the propensity and willingness towards earthworms as future food and the environmental sustainability of the EM production process. The results showed that earthworms reared on FVW are a valuable source of protein 62.3% DM (Dry Matter) and essential amino acids 22.45% DM (particularly in lysine, threonine, methionine+cysteine), vitamin B12 and niacin, iron and iodine; toxicological and microbiological evaluation showed the safety of EM; as food, EM will be more accepted if included in salty snacks; compared to other food or feed protein sources the environmental impact of EM was lower. Therefore, reintroducing FVW into the food supply chain to produce earthworms is an eco-sustainable and ethical solution, which offers a valid resource of animal proteins and can reduce the downsides of meat production, addressing the future need for food in a fast-growing population scenario.

The production of wood pellets has grown considerably in the last decades. Besides woody biomass, other feedstocks can be used for pellet production. Among these, miscanthus presents some advantages because, even if specifically cultivated, it requires low inputs such as fertilisers and pesticides and shows high biomass yield (up to 28 tons of dry matter ha−1 in Europe). Even if in the last years some studies evaluated the environmental impact of woody pellet production, there is no information about the environmental performances of miscanthus pellet production. In this study, the environmental impact of miscanthus pellet was evaluated using the Life Cycle Assessment approach with a cradle-to plant gate perspective. Primary data were collected in a small-medium size pelletizing plant located in Northern Italy where miscanthus is cultivated to be directly processed. The results highlight how the miscanthus pellet shows lower environmental impact compared to woody pellet, mainly due to the lower energy consumption during pelletizing. The possibility to pelletize the miscanthus biomass without any drying offsets the environmental impact related to the miscanthus cultivation for all the evaluated impact categories (except for Marine eutrophication). In detail, for global warming potential, 1 ton of miscanthus pellet shows an impact of 121.6 kg CO2 eq. (about 8% lower respect to woody pellet) while for the other evaluated impact categories the impact reduction ranges from 4 to 59%. Harvesting, which unlike the other field operations is carried out every year, is by far the main contributor to the impacts of the cultivation phase while electricity is the main contributor to the pelletizing phase.

Compared to other food categories, fruits and vegetables are the most wasted. This leads to the squandering of economic, social, and environmental resources. The reallocation of fruit and vegetable waste (FVW) into animal feed contributes to the sustainability of livestock production, reducing the impact of feed production for land use. In this study, the fruit and vegetable waste from the General Wholesale Market of Milan was considered. FVW samples were collected for one year and were analysed for safety parameters and nutritional, vitamin, and mineral composition. Data showed that dry matter (DM) was on average 10.82 ± 1.21% and neutral detergent fibre (NDF) was on average 22.43 ± 4.52% DM. The presence of soluble sugars (30.51 ± 7.61% DM, on average) was also detected. However, the high moisture content of this waste makes it easily perishable, with detrimental effects on quality, storage, and transportation. A strategy was therefore proposed to reduce the water content of FVW by pressing. Overall, the results highlighted the significant nutritional value of FVW from the wholesale market and the need to develop appropriate technologies to maintain the food chain line safe.

Background: Urban food production in the developed world has recently been facing the challenge of feeding the world’s cities adequately and on a sustainable basis, and innovative models of food production can help this transition. Nevertheless, this field of research largely focuses on primary food production—so-called urban farming—while the subsequent steps of the food chain have scarcely been investigated. In this context, this study aimed to provide a preliminary evaluation of urban food processing, taking mozzarella cheese production in the city of Milan as a case study. Methods: Five urban farmers participated in a direct survey aiming at identifying how sustainable this specific production chain can be considered. Results: Results demonstrated that the concept of urban food production is really valorized through measures able to enhance the global sustainability of the food production process only in some of the dairy micro- enterprises and that the economic dimension must be considered the variable most critically involved in hampering the global sustainability of this specific food chain. Conclusions: This research suggests the need to disseminate a global governance of urban supply chains and to support local activities, which represent a sensitive and strategic sector.

The steady increase in the global food demand requires alternative sources. Food sources from invertebrates could be a viable alternative. Despite a growing interest in terrestrial invertebrates as novel food, Western consumers have to cope with fears and taboos. This research aims to investigate possible communication strategies of novel food through labels. To understand the complexity underlying food choice and novel food attitude, two studies were carried out. In Study 1, the main drivers in the food decision-making process were identified. Based on these results, in Study 2, two different food labels for crackers made with earthworm flour were designed. Applying a neurophysiological approach, we measured participants’ neuropsychophysiological activation and behavioural response while watching food labels. A video on nutritional and ecological issues was shown to consumers to reduce aversion towards earthworms as food. The results in Study 1 indicate health and sensory dimensions as the major drivers in food choice. The data of Study 2 supported the effectiveness of the statement about nutritional qualities of the products on male participants, who tend to have a more positive reaction than female participants toward the novel product made with earthworm flour when the label’s claim focuses on nutritional advantages. Limitations and practical implications are discussed.

The Sustainable Development Goals are a set of global goals that provide a framework for shared action. These goals also include the reduction of food waste and the definition of sustainable solutions to achieve food security. In this context, the aim of the study was to describe all phases of a pilot earthworm rearing project started in September 2017 and concluded in December 2017, together with a risk analysis carried out in order to evaluate if earthworms can represent a safe and sustainable protein source for human consumption and/or animal nutrition. The conversion rate, that in this study is more appropriately identified as the "waste reduction efficiency," was also calculated in order to define the extent to which earthworm rearing can contribute to the objective of reducing fruit and vegetable waste (FVW). The results showed that earthworms can bio-convert 3750 kg of FVW in three months producing 1050 kg of compost and 82 kg of fresh earthworms with minimal environmental impact showing good waste reduction efficiency. Moreover, the risk analysis conducted on earthworm rearing highlighted a microbiological hazard after the freeze-drying phase. The critical control point was therefore identified, and, in order to guarantee the total food safety of the finished product, corrective action was taken consisting in the implementation of heat treatment-sterilization at 121 °C for 20 min. The results of microbiological analyses carried out on the earthworm meal after the sterilization treatment showed that the treatment guarantees microbiological safety for the consumer and ensures a balanced approach in relation to two main topics-public health and food-borne diseases. In conclusion, earthworm meal is a concentrate of valuable nutrients useful for human and animal nutrition and can also transform fruit and vegetable waste into a resource.

Food and feed contamination by emerging mycotoxins beauvericin and enniatins is a worldwide health problem and a matter of great concern nowadays, and data on their toxicological behavior are still scarce. As ingestion is the major route of exposure to mycotoxins in food and feed, the gastrointestinal tract represents the first barrier encountered by these natural contaminants and the first structure that could be affected by their potential detrimental effects. In order to perform a complete and reliable toxicological evaluation, this fundamental site cannot be disregarded. Several in vitro intestinal models able to recreate the different traits of the intestinal environment have been applied to investigate the various aspects related to the intestinal toxicity of emerging mycotoxins. This review aims to depict an overall and comprehensive representation of the in vitro intestinal effects of beauvericin and enniatins in humans from a species-specific perspective. Moreover, information on the occurrence in food and feed and notions on the regulatory aspects will be provided.

In the European Union, 88 million tons of food is wasted annually, 30% of which comes from the production and processing sectors. Among the different food waste, vegetable ones represent a remarkable share and their management is complicated by the usually high-water content and the difficult storage. In this context, the earthworms are an interesting solution because transform vegetable waste into valuable products: the vermicompost, that can be sold as organic fertilizer, and the earthworms that, thanks to their high protein content can be used for feed and food production. This study aims to evaluate the environmental impact related to the production of vermicompost and dry earthworm meal. LCA approach was applied, 1 kg of dry meal for feed production was selected as functional unit. Inventory data were collected during experimental tests carried out in 2017 in a composting plant located in Northern Italy where earthworms were fed with vegetable waste. Secondary data were used about emissions during earthworms rearing. A quantity of 1 kg of fresh earthworms (16% of dry matter with 67% of protein content) and 13 kg of vermicompost were produced from 45 kg of vegetable wastes. Between earthworm rearing and processing, the first one is the main responsible for the environmental impact for all the evaluated impact categories except for freshwater eutrophication and ecotoxicity. GHG emissions during composting are the main hotspots for Climate Change.