Suchergebnisse

Krškopolje pig (KKP), a Slovenian autochthonous breed, has been little studied and more knowledge is needed about their growth potential and performances in different production systems. Present work aims to overview the preliminary results of H2020 project TREASURE, evaluating performance in different rearing systems: conventional (CON) organic (ORG) and traditional (TRD). Growth was evaluated in lactation (study 1, CON vs ORG, n=156), growing and fattening period (study 2, CON vs ORG n=36; and study 3, CON vs TRD n=12); main carcass traits were evaluated after slaughter at approximately 230 days of age (study 2 and 3). Results show that weight at weaning and growth rate in lactation were ≈20% lower in ORG than CON farms, whereas no major differences in growth rate were observed between pigs in two systems in growing/fattening period when similar nutritional value of the diet and feeding was provided. However, in fattening period pigs in ORG system had 13% higher daily gain than in CON system, which could be ascribed to high consumption of alfalfa hay and perhaps less feed dissipation. Yet no differences in body weight and carcass traits were noted between the two groups at the end of the trial. Similar daily gain was observed in KKP pigs raised in CON and TRD system during growing period (until app. 45 kg), whereas in the period between 45-90 kg pigs fed TRD meal (ad libitum), which is based on mix of cereals and root crops, achieved 49% lower daily gain (P0.05). Preliminary results presented provide some information about performance of KKP, however further studies are needed to know better its growth potential and nutritional needs. Funded by European Union's H2020 RIA program (Grant agreement no. 634476).

Krškopolje pig, the only Slovenian autochtonous breed is still relatively untapped, with almost no information available on the effect of rearing conditions or its aptitude for processing and meat product quality. In the present study, dry-fermented sausages were produced from Krškopolje pigs that were fed similar diets (with regard to ingredients, energy and protein content) but reared in either conventional (CON) or organic conditions (ECO). Sausage weight losses at the end of processing were recorded and their final pH, chemical composition (moisture, fat and protein content, proteolysis index, fat and protein oxidation, fatty acid and free fatty acid profile) were determined in addition to measurements of instrumental texture, sensory evaluation and volatile profile analysis. Compared with CON, ECO dry-fermented sausages had lower processing losses, lower pH, higher moisture, salt and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances content, less saturated fat and less free fatty acids. Volatile profile analysis showed that ECO dry-fermented sausages exhibited higher concentrations of compounds arising from lipid autooxidation and lower levels of volatile compounds resulting from microbial lipid β-oxidation, amino acid degradation and spices. Panellists perceived ECO dry-fermented sausages as saltier and less colour intensive, while both rheological and sensory analysis indicated that ECO sausages had softer texture than CON. The present results indicate that rearing of Krškopolje pigs according to organic standards induced differences in meat and fat properties which affected the quality of dry-fermented sausages, most distinctly in terms of softer texture and different volatile profile. ; The research has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 634476 (Project acronym TREASURE). The content of this paper reflects only the authors' view and Research Executive Agency is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains. Authors also acknowledge the financial support of the Slovenian Research Agency (grants P4-0133 and V4-1417) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry (V4-1417), from AGL2015-64673-R (MINEICO, Spain) and FEDER funds. ; Peer reviewed

Traits of interest concerning reproductive performance, growth performance, carcass and meat quality of local pig breeds involved in H2020 project TREASURE were collected from the available literature, unpublished data available to partners or results recorded in the experiments within the project. The survey revealed great variability in the availability and quality of information. Reproductive performance of local pig breeds is lower than in conventional modern pig breeds, not only due to their genetic background but also due to the management. Data on growth rates reflect the heterogeneity of different production systems and feeding regimes used. The growth potential of the majority of local pig breeds is not well exploited, and their nutritional requirements are not known. Generally, local pig breeds show low muscular development and high potential for fat tissue deposition and are slaughtered at older age and weight, which results in higher intramuscular fat and more intense colour of meat. However, considerable differences exist between them and their potentials, not only in their production systems. For many local pig breeds studied in the project, the collected information provides the first in-depth overview of their productive performance in their preserved, present-day phenotype. ; The research was conducted within the project TREASURE, which received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 634476. The content of this chapter reflects only the authors' view and the European Union Agency is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains. Core financing of Slovenian Research Agency is acknowledged (grant P4-0133 for MČP, NBL, UT and MŠ).

Turopolje pig (TP) is an endangered Croatian autochthonous breed typically reared in an outdoor production system linked to local oak forests and marsh meadows in Turopolje region in Central Croatia. To self-sustain TP breed the utilization of meat products with added value has recently been proposed in TREASURE project. So far little information is available on the quality attributes of TP meat products, including the effect of locally available feeding resources. Hence present study aimed to examine the quality and aromatic profile of dry-fermented sausages of TP that were reared in similar conditions but fed either conventional (CF) or acorn supplemented (AF) finishing diet. The quality of end product, pH and aw values, moisture, fat and protein content, fatty acid (FA) profile, oxidative stability, texture profile analysis (TPA), sensory evaluation and aromatic profile were determined. Data were analysed by TTEST or NPAR1WAY (for sensory data) procedure at an alpha level of 0.05. Compared to CF, AF sausages tended (P<0.1) to have higher moisture content and TPA chewiness, but generally had similar physicochemical, rheological and sensorial traits and FA composition, except for higher share of C14:0. Lipid oxidation, measured as 2-thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances, was more pronounced in AF than CF sausages. Aromagram showed terpenes as the most abundant volatiles (around 52% of the total area) in both types of sausages, followed by aldehydes (11-14%), aromatic hydrocarbons (6-10%), phenols (6-7%), alcohols (5-6%), acids (4-6%), Sulphur compounds (2- 5%), ketones (around 3%), esters (less than 2%) and aliphatic hydrocarbons (less than 1%). Compared to CF, AF sausages had less aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons and sulphur compounds, and more esters. These results suggest that acorn feeding may affect some properties of TP dry-fermented sausages but more research is needed. Funded by European Union's H2020 RIA program (grant agreement no. 634476).

In this study (of project TREASURE*), two objectives were pursued; to investigate the incidence and effect of RYR1 genotype on carcass and meat quality traits in the only Slovenian local pig breed Krškopolje (KK). Thirty-six castrates originating from 12 litters were reared on the same farm and slaughtered in a commercial abattoir at the average age of 228±6 days and weight of 121±14 kg. Carcass properties and longissimus dorsi (LD) quality traits and chemical composition were determined. Pigs were genotyped for c. C1843 (p. Arg615Cys) at RYR1 locus by PCR-RFLP method (mutant allele further denoted as 'n' and wild as 'N'). Data were analysed using GLM procedure of SAS/STAT module, with fixed effect of RYR1 genotype in the model. Genotype frequencies were 2.7, 41.6 and 55.5% for n/n, N/n and N/N respectively. Compared to N/N animals, pigs with mutant recessive allele (N/n) exhibited lower growth rate and leaner carcasses (i.e. higher lean meat %, muscle thickness and loin eye area, thinner backfat and smaller fat area over LD, P<0.05). A marked effect of RYR1 on meat quality was also observed. In N/n pigs, the rate of pH fall was faster (P<0.05). Meat of N/n pigs exhibited also higher shear force resistance (P<0.05) in addition to lower water holding capacity (higher drip, thawing and cooking loss, P<0.05). The present results demonstrate relatively high incidence of RYR1 mutation in KK pigs calling for more breeding effort for its elimination and thus improvement of meat quality and processing aptitude of the breed. Funded by European Union's H2020 RIA program (grant agreement no. 634476).

The Krškopolje pig is the only indigenous Slovenian pig breed being still farmed. The breed is characterised by its rusticity and adaptation to the traditional farming system and has a black coat colour with a white belt across shoulders and forelegs. Despite the limited number of animals, the breed is on the way of becoming more sustainable due to the growing interest for local traditional breeds, in particular for organic farming. The objective of our study (made within project TREASURE) was to characterise the gut microbiota composition in 36 Krškopolje pigs raised by using three different diets: conventional feed, conventional feed supplemented with alfalfa pellets and organic feed supplemented with alfalfa hay. The gut microbiota composition of all pigs at two time points (155 and 228 days-ofage) was determined by resequencing the bacterial 16S gene in an Illumina MiSeq. Bioinformatics analyses were performed by using Qiime's open-reference OTU calling subsampled method following author's recommendations. NMDS and PERMANOVA analyses performed by the Vegan R package showed significant effects of dietary regime, showing that the organic feed produces a differentiation of the gut microbiota composition when compared with the other two diets and the two time points analysed. This pilot study illustrates the power of metagenomic analyses for the identification of effects of diets in the farming conditions of local European pig breeds. Funded by European Union's H2020 RIA program (Grant agreement no. 634476).

The availability of high-throughput whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data illustrating differences among different pig breed genomes opened a new area of genomic research focused on variation caused by single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP), small scale variation and structural variants which may all contribute to phenotypic variation among pig breeds. In our study (performed within TREASURE project) we re-analysed WGS-based data sets from more than 20 breeds, including commercial and local breeds as well as some wild boar genomes, deposited in publicly available databases. This bioinformatics tool enables discovery of new SNPs, estimation of allele frequencies (genotyping by sequencing) at candidate loci and identification of structural variation in a wide range of pig breeds. The analysis underlined the relevance of structural differences at KIT and MC1R locus involved in colour pattern formation, as well as LEPR locus associated with fatness, fatty acid metabolism and intramuscular fat composition. This approach allows discovery of important genomic differences between commercial breeds and local breeds which are analysed in the frame of the TREASURE project. Extensive mining of publicly available genomic data can together with the newly generated genomic information from local breeds, significantly contribute to the detailed characterisation of animal genetic resources present in local pig breeds. Funded by European Union's H2020 RIA program (grant agreement No. 634476).

In order to further allow implementation of breeding programs in local pig breeds, with selection objectives defined for each local breed, we aimed at developing a standardised recording of carcass and meat quality traits. These data have to be connected with herdbooks to estimate genetic parameters of the traits (heritabilities and genetic correlations) which are necessary to define breeding objectives. Today the situation is very different from one local breed to another. No or very few phenotypes are recorded in some of them, while breeding programs already exist for a few breeds. To promote phenotyping, a dedicated database and a website were developed in the frame of the TREASURE project. First, the required variables have been collected for six local breeds: Basque (FR), Bísaro (PT), Crna slavonska (HR), Gascon (FR), Krškopoljski (SI) and Schwäbisch-Hällisches (DE). In total 74 variables have been identified dealing with animal herdbook information (10), rearing and growth (22), carcass (22) and meat quality (20) attributes. The database is compatible with the various identifiers used in the different countries: animal IDs, breed, farm… codifications. Major attention has been paid to the description of measurement methods of traits. Thus, each carcass and meat quality phenotype is associated to a method description representing 35 additional variables. The website can be easily translated into several languages. The website and database are currently on test until the end of the TREASURE project. All the breeds studied in TREASURE are free to use these tools. The database can be duplicated so that each partner can host its own data. Funded by European Union H2020 RIA program (grant agreement no. 634476).

The study of gut microbiota and its effects on hosts has emerged as an essential component of host homeostasis and global efficiency. Besides host's influence on gut microbiota, major quantitative and qualitative changes may occur in the composition of the intestinal microbiota due to the influence of diet and other environmental factors. In accordance with the TREASURE project global aim of enhancing sustainability of production systems for local pig breeds, the objective of our task was to conduct a pilot characterisation of intestinal microbiota in order to test its usefulness to characterize several local European pig populations and their production systems. This approach has been applied to populations belonging to the following European traditional breeds: Gascon (France), Iberian (Spain), Krskopolje (Slovenia), Mangalitsa (Serbia), Moravka (Serbia) and Turopolje (Croatia). For each breed, faecal samples have been collected along different experiments performed in the TREASURE project targeting the comprehension of a particular traditional production system (e.g. open-air farming), management practice, or the comparison of breeds. In all experiments, the metagenomics technique employed is the resequencing of the bacterial 16S in an Illumina MiSeq system. Overall, the results have shown that the gut microbiota analysis is a promising approach for the characterisation of these local breeds, by allowing a deeper understanding of their production systems and potentially allowing the development of new certification approaches. Preliminary results will be summarized in this communication. Funded by European Union's H2020 RIA program (Grant agreement no. 634476).