1,721,347 research outputs found
FA0802 : the hub for Feed Food and health
No full textThe COST Action Feed for Health has addressed several scientific topics during the last three years. From a practical point of view three main scientific fields can be identified: feed- and animal nutrition; food of animal origin (FOA) quality and functionality and consumers' perception. In this context a general scientific output of the Action is that not all FOA are the same. Milk, as a functional food has been investigated in more depth than meat and eggs. The network activities have been based on the premise that the feed selected to produce FOA on the farm determines the concentration and composition of bioactive molecules in the final product, and hence the effect on human health. FA0802 provides a unique opportunity for linking animal science with social science. From this point of view It is generally accepted that consumers prefer animal products from livestock systems that used animal feed safe for consumers, friendly to the environment and the animals. Furthermore health and sustainability are issues that show both similarities and overlap with regard to products, consumer segments and consumer behaviour, imposing to the scientific community multidisciplinary approach
Image analysis and microscopy: a useful combination
No full textThe TSE Roadmap published in 2005 (DG for Health and Consumer Protection, 2005) suggests that short and medium term (2005-2009) amendments to control BSE policy should include “a relaxation of certain measures of the current total feed ban when certain conditions are met”. The same document noted “the starting point when revising the current feed ban provisions should be risk-based but at the same time taking into account the control tools in place to evaluate and ensure the proper implementation of this feed ban”. The clear implication is that adequate analytical methods to detect constituents of animal origin in feedstuffs are required. The official analytical method for the detection of constituents of animal origin in feedstuffs is the microscopic examination technique as described in Commission Directive 2003/126/EC of 23 December 2003 [OJ L 339, 24.12.2003, 78]. Although the microscopic method is usually able to distinguish fish from land animal material, it is often unable to distinguish between different terrestrial animals. Fulfillments of the requirements of Regulation 1774/2002/EC laying down health rules concerning animal by-products not intended for human consumption, clearly implies that it must be possible to identify the origin animal materials, at higher taxonomic levels than in the past. Thus improvements in all methods of detecting constituents of animal origin are required, including the microscopic method. This article will examine the problem of meat and bone meal in animal feeds, and the use of microscopic methods in association with computer image analysis to identify the source species of these feedstuff contaminants. Image processing, integrated with morphometric measurements can provide accurate and reliable results and can be a very useful aid to the analyst in the characterization, analysis and control of feedstuffs
Systematic analysis of choline supplementation in dairy cows
No full textAlthough, the choline requirement of dairy cows is still unknown, higher choline availability (by feeding rumen-protected choline, RPC) can improve milk production, suggesting that this substance may be a limiting nutrient in transition dairy cows. Based on these assumptions, we investigated the effects of rumen protected choline (RPC) administration on milk production and selected plasma metabolites (non-esterified fatty acids and beta-hydroxybutyrate) in 11 and 9 different studies, respectively, carried out between 1991 and 2008. Accordingly, 42 and 28 experimental groups for milk and plasma metabolites respectively, have been considered in the dataset. Mean and standard error data have been used in a regression model in which milk production response to RPC supplementation has been investigated. Dataset analysis indicated that although most of variability among experiments was related to treatments schedule, dry matter intake and dietary composition, these factors were also highly correlated. For this reason, and in order to avoid any redundancy in the model, our regression analysis included only RPC supplementation (control/treated) as fixed effect, while all the other variables have been considered as experimental effects and treated as random components in the mixed model, according to the idea that results of different experiments are affected by different experimental conditions. The data reviewed in this analysis are consistent with the fact that choline supplementation (5<20g/d) significantly (P<.05) increased milk yield in dairy cows. By contrast, effect of choline supplementation on plasma metabolites are inconclusive
Cost Action Feed for Health 2008-2012 main achievements
No full textFood of animal origin contributes significantly to the total nutrients in the current EU diet. The latest review of livestock production and trade indicates that more than 195 million tonnes of meat, milk and eggs were produced in the EU in 2011. To sustain this scale of livestock production, about 500 million tonnes of feedstuffs are required each year within the EU-27. Clearly, ensuring such high outputs of these traded products conform to adequate quality standards is a major undertaking and it is fair to say that the EU has made significant progress in defining standards and promoting legislation in this area. As a consequence the explicit and detailed formulation of the concepts of food/feed safety and food/feed quality, has given rise, within the EU, to legislation on the traceability, control and labelling of both feed and food. However nowadays both feeds/and foods must be considered not only in terms of their nutritional properties but also in terms of their ability to promote health and protect against disease. As a consequence, the role of animal nutrition in designing foods closer to the optimum composition for long-term human health are becoming increasingly important. In light of these topics a scientific network has been set up: the COST Action Feed for Health is a network supported by the European Cooperation in Science and Technology which involves 28 countries, mainly from EU. The main aim of the COST Action is to develop an integrated and collaborative network of research groups that focuses on the roles of feed and animal nutrition in improving animal health and also the quality, safety and wholesomeness of human foods of animal origin. A further topic of the action is to examine the perception of consumers as regards the effects of animal nutrition on animal health and on the quality and safety of the resulting food products. The Feed for Health project works mainly through four Working Groups (WG): Feed and food for health (WG1), Feed Safety (WG2), Feed Supply (WG3), and Consumer concerns and perceptions (WG4). During its life span the action evidenced that wholesome and balanced feed is essential not only for promoting animal growth, production and health, but also for producing high quality food products. This is particularly likely to be true in large scale animal production, where nutrition-based interventions for health can offer a practical and efficient solution to maintaining animal health. From the consumer point of view, it is generally accepted that FEED is perceived as particularly vulnerable in the livestock chain, and they prefer animal products from livestock systems that used high quality animal feed, safe for consumers, friendly to the environment and the animals
Sottoprodotti di origine animale: armonizzare l'interpretazione delle norme con il confronto
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Diffusione delle coltivazioni di colture GM nel mondo: implicazioni per la produzione mangimistica
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