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Author: c001os

High-tech cameras would detect “woody breasts”

Written by c001os on . Posted in Nutrinfo, Poultry.

A multidisciplinary team of scientists at the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station are testing to see if hyperspectral images can be used to detect a chicken breast defect known as “woody breast” that costs the poultry industry millions of dollars annually and decreases customer satisfaction. Dongyi Wang, assistant professor of biological and agricultural engineering, explains that hyperspectral imaging is a non-invasive sensing technique that combines a near-infrared sensor with a high-definition color camera to capture physical and chemical information.Woody breast detection with a hyperspectral camera system would take just a few seconds with a computer instead of grading by hand. “If hyperspectral imaging can be used in a poultry processing plant, that labor force could be diverted to another area.”

“Woody breast is still a safe product. It just can have a crunchy texture in some cases that is not appealing to customers, but it can be diverted for further processing into products like chicken nuggets, sausage, or chicken patties where the defect is not as noticeable,” said Casey Owens, the Novus International Professor of Poultry Science at the experiment station. Owens said one theory is that the fast-growing birds may be producing muscle faster than the blood vessels can support them, leading to muscle fiber damage and therefore increased collagen deposits. Chaitanya Kumar Reddy Pallerla, a food science graduate student working on the project, said each image with a hyperspectral camera takes up about 1 gigabyte of data. The photo is processed by a computer and correlated with a texture map indicating hardness levels in the fillet created with Owens’ previous research. Once calibrated, the system would rely on the images alone to detect woody breast. Wang said the hyperspectral camera, so far, has detected woody breast meat with about 84 percent accuracy. The goal is to accommodate high-speed sorting on a conveyor belt, or handheld portable devices, he added.

Recent ASF cases in Asia help Brazilian exports

Written by c001os on . Posted in Nutrinfo, Pig.

Brazilian pork export increased with 15.7% in the first quarter of 2023 in comparison to the same period last year. The country exported 274,800 tonnes this season against 237,500 tonnes between January and March of 2022. In the same period, revenue from export totaled US$ 646.3 million. This is 29.6% more than the total of the first 3 months of 2022, which totaled US$ 498.5 million.

“Rising production costs in the world, as well as the impact of health issues in several producing countries have supported the trend of increasing demand”, analyses president of the Brazilian Association of Animal Protein (ABPA) Ricardo Santin. The resurgence of African Swine Fever (ASF) in China and the Philippines should also keep Brazilian exports at levels above 100,000 tonnes a month in the coming months. China, the main destination of pork shipments, imported 109,600 tonnes between January and March. This was 25.6% more than in 2022, which totaled 87.200 tonnes. In the same period, sales to Chile also stood out with 21,300 tonnes (+96.8%), the Philippines, with 17,800 tonnes (+8), Singapore, with 15,900 tonnes (+25 .8%), and Japan, with 7200 tonnes (+36.9%).

Controversy in the US over mRNA vaccine use

Written by c001os on . Posted in Nutrinfo, Pig.

The safety of mRNA vaccines created for protection against Covid-19 remains controversial. The accuracy and extent of testing has been questioned by many, including government officials and industry employees. Currently, some of these vaccines are approved in the US only under ‘Emergency Use Authorisation, but as of April 18, “the monovalent Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccines are no longer even authorised for use in the US.” Now, the controversy has extended to using mRNA vaccines in pigs, cows and other livestock. For example, the Texas Agriculture Commissioner recently stated that “since news of the development of mRNA vaccines and mRNA-related treatments for livestock came to our attention, we have been working towards developing a fact- and science-based assessment of the risks.”

A company called Good Ranchers that sources all its meat from US independent farms and also strongly supports more accurate meat product labelling, states that “recently, some states have worked to make the mRNA vaccines mandatory. We have never and will never source meat from any farm that uses mRNA vaccines in their animals.” Years ago, Bayer joined with Germany-based BioNTech to develop mRNA vaccines for animals. Harrisvaccines created a swine mRNA vaccine platform called Sequivity in 2015. Merck Animal Health purchased it around that time. The company describes the platform as able to “create custom [veterinary] prescription products” such as vaccines against PCV2, PCV3, and PED. It also “allows for the creation of multivalent formulations by blending RNA particles to target multiple swine pathogens in one shot.” The US government granted a conditional licence for the Sequivity “PED Vaccine, RNA Caution” product sometime before 2015. Efficacy and potency test studies were in progress then. Dr Robert Malone, the originator of mRNA technology and very much against its use in vaccines, recently stated that Sequivity, which he calls a ‘pseudo mRNA’ vaccine, “has been approved for swine by the US Department of Agriculture, is on the market now and there is no special labelling for the meat.” However, in a recent podcast, molecular biologist Dr Kevin Folta of the University of Florida’s department of horticulture describes the controversy of using mRNA vaccines in livestock as “manufactured.”

One of his guests, Dr Alison Van Eenennaam of the University of California-Davis, noted that mRNA breaks down quickly and would not survive the digestive process. However, scientists in China concluded in a 2022 study “that bovine milk-derived exosome-based-mRNA vaccine could serve as a new strategy for preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection. Meanwhile, it can also work as a new oral delivery system for mRNA.” For his part, Dr Malone recently stated that the mRNA in vaccines “has not been tested and it is not ‘normal’ mRNA like what is found in the body … ‘Pseudo’ uridine has been substituted for uridine in the mRNA. We ingest mRNA and DNA daily in our food. Our stomachs break it down. But this is not normal mRNA. So, who knows?” He also questioned the safety of other vaccine components such as lipid nano particles. “Will there be trace amounts in the meat? Will heat break it down? How much heat? Are there other chemical components in the products? We just do not know. If [testing] has been done, show me the data.”

Here’s how the EU dairy cow herd looks now

Written by c001os on . Posted in Cattle, Nutrinfo.

Two European Union countries – Germany and France – have more than a third of all the dairy cows across member states. Between them, they had more than 7 million cows in 2022 out of a total of 20.1 million, according to Eurostat figures. Germany had the largest dairy cow population within the EU, recording 3.8 million animals, accounting for 17% of the total EU dairy population. France had 3.2 million animals while Poland had the third-largest national herd with just over 2 million animals.

The majority of EU countries recorded an annual decline in cow numbers in 2022, with France recording the largest loss with 91,720 (2.7%) fewer animals than in the previous year. One country to buck the trend was Austria, which recorded the largest expansion within the EU last year. The population reached 551,000 head, up 24,090 (4.6%) on 2021. At the other end of the scale, Malta continued to be the smallest milk-producing nation within the EU, with just 6,120 recorded in 2022. There are likely to be further falls in cow numbers this year. In its short-term dairy outlook, the European Commission forecasted a drop of 0.2% in milk production for 2023. With a forecasted 1% increase in slaughtering, there will be less milk available in 2023 due to a declining dairy herd.

China aims to reduce soymeal use in animal feed

Written by c001os on . Posted in Nutrinfo.

China’s agriculture ministry has issued a three-year action plan to reduce the inclusion rates of soybean meal in animal feed in an effort to reduce the country’s dependence on soybean imports. According to a Reuters report, the new plan calls for soybean meal inclusion in animal feed to be reduced to less than 13% by 2025 from 14.5% in 2022.

The plan would “guide the feed industry to reduce the amount of soybean meal, promote the saving and consumption reduction of feed grains, and contribute to ensuring the stable and safe supply of grain and important agricultural products”, according to the document, published by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. Similar guidelines were already published in April 2021, recommending a reduction in the amount of corn and soybean meal in pig and poultry feed. The guidelines also recommended feed formulations based on the country’s regions, such as reducing corn in pig rations by at least 15% in the Northeast using rice and rice bran, and using sorghum, cassava flour, rice bran meal and barley in the southern region. China’s soybean imports in March were up 7.9% year-on-year, as Chinese buyers stocked up ahead of expected strong demand. Imports in the first three months of the year totalled 23 million tonnes, up 13.5% from a year earlier, the data showed. Much larger volumes are expected in the coming months, according to traders and analysts, but demand has proven weaker than expected.

Meatball from woolly mammoth cultured in the Netherlands

Written by c001os on . Posted in Nutrinfo.

A giant meatball made from flesh cultivated using the DNA of an extinct woolly mammoth was unveiled at the Nemo science museum in the Netherlands, Reuters reported. The meatball was created by the Australian in vitro meat company Vow, with the aim of bringing cultured meat into the public debate as a more sustainable alternative to real meat. “We wanted to create something that was totally different from anything you can get now,” Vow founder Tim Noakesmith told Reuters, adding that another reason for the choosing mammoth is that scientists believe the animal’s extinction was caused by climate change. The meatball was made from sheep cells into which a single gene from the mammoth, myoglobin, has been inserted.

“When it comes to meat, myoglobin is responsible for the aroma, the colour and the taste”, James Ryall, Vow’s Chief Scientific Officer explained. Since the mammoth’s DNA sequence obtained by Vow had a few gaps, African elephant DNA was inserted to complete it. “Much like they do in the movie Jurassic Park”, Ryall said, stressing the biggest difference is that they were not creating actual animals. While creating cultured meat usually means using blood of a dead calf, Vow used an alternative, meaning no animals were killed in the making of the mammoth meatball. The meatball, which is said to have the aroma of crocodile meat, is currently not for consumption. “Its protein is literally 4,000 years old. We haven’t seen it in a very long time. That means we want to put it through rigorous tests, something that we would do with any product we bring to the market,” Noakesmith said.

French insect protein producer Ynsect pulls out of feed production

Written by c001os on . Posted in Nutrinfo.

French insect-based ingredients producer Ynsect will refocus its strategy on high-margin markets such as pet food, close a production plant and cut jobs after raising €160 million from investors, Reuters reported, citing the company’s CEO. The company, which is negotiating additional funding, will use the money to expand the world’s largest vertical insect farm in Amiens in northern France, as well as for new projects, Antoine Hubert told Reuters in an interview. Farmed insects, such as mealworms, are ground down to produce proteins for aquaculture, livestock, pet food, fertiliser and human nutrition. They are considered environmentally friendly proteins because they require less land and water than crops and emit fewer greenhouse gases. But the technology is costly, making insect meal much more expensive than its plant-based alternatives. “In an environment where there is inflation on energy and raw materials but also on the cost of capital and debt, we cannot afford to invest loads of resources in markets which are the least remunerative (animal feed), while you have other markets where there is a lot of demand, good returns and higher margins,” Hubert said, referring to pet food, human nutrition and fertilisers.

Testing of four bird flu vaccines starts in the US

Written by c001os on . Posted in Nutrinfo, Poultry.

The US government has begun testing vaccines against avian influenza for poultry after a record-breaking outbreak forced the slaughter of more than 58 million chickens, turkeys and other poultry. The trials carried out by the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Research Service are a first step towards the possible use of vaccines. The USDA is testing 2 vaccines developed by its Agricultural Research Service, 1 each from Zoetis and another from Merck Animal Health. Zoetis previously supplied its vaccine to a USDA stockpile in 2016, following the massive outbreak in the US a year earlier, but it was never used. Initial data from the animal study with a single dose of the vaccine are expected to be available in May, with researchers hoping to have 2-dose vaccine challenge studies with results in June. If the trials are successful and USDA elects to continue development, it would take at least 18-24 months for a vaccine that matches the current virus to be commercially available.

DNA helps understand pig muscle development

Written by c001os on . Posted in Nutrinfo, Pig.

Analysis of pig DNA has offered insights into important correlations with muscle growth. This can provide tools to help predict piglet growth and support pig breeding programmes. Researchers from the Roslin Institute and the Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health sought to find and examine regions of DNA that regulate muscle development in piglets. The team used a technique to study DNA in frozen tissue, which is advantageous because it can help limit the numbers of animals used for research. They applied this technique to samples from muscle in piglets at various stages of development, to pinpoint regions of DNA that control activity in genes linked to muscle growth, and to study activity in these genes. Variations in regions of DNA were observed between small and large piglets. These variations suggest a difference in how DNA is regulated – which in turn governs muscle growth – between large and small piglets. Researchers hope to explore their data further to identify variations in the genetic code of pigs that are linked to growth, and better understand how these differences regulate the activity of key genes involved in muscle development, to inform pig breeding programmes.

Hemp products high in THC can contaminate milk

Written by c001os on . Posted in Cattle, Nutrinfo.

Cows fed hemp silage high in tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) produced contaminated milk and showed signs of intoxication in a study that has garnered attention for making cows “get high” on hemp. But the study also showed that other forms of hemp silage did not have the same effect, suggesting concentrations of cannabinoids like THC will be critical to determining which hemp products should be approved for use in animal feed. In the study, led by researchers at the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, lactating dairy cows initially received a diet in which corn silage was partially replaced by a hemp silage made from the whole hemp plant. The initial silage was intentionally selected to contain lower concentrations of THC in order to provide the cows with an “adaptation” period, according to the researchers.

After this adaptation period, the researchers switched the cows to a diet containing hemp silage comprised exclusively of the leaves, flowers and seeds of the hemp plant. This silage intentionally contained a higher concentration of of THC, the cannabinoid known to be responsible for most of the intoxicating effects associated with cannabis, with the researchers estimating that the cows ingested up to 86 times more THC than would be required to trigger negative health effects in humans. Cows developed symptoms including increased salivation and nasal secretion after they began eating the high-THC diet. The study also observed that feed intake, and therefore milk production, decreased significantly two days after the high-THC silage was administered. These symptoms abated after the high-THC diet was removed, according to the researchers, and did not occur during the initial adaptation period. Researchers also observed that the milk from the cows in the study contained detectable levels of multiple cannabinoids, including THC, during the adaptation period where the cows received the low-THC hemp, and when they were fed the high-THC hemp. The amount of THC that accumulated in the milk exceeded the acute reference dose at which negative health effects may occur in humans. However, the researchers noted that the acute reference dose is a hypothetical limit and that the study did not test whether the milk had any actual effect on humans. The results of the study indicate that “livestock farmers should only feed components of commercial hemp plants that are approved as feed or components of feed,” said the spokesperson for the German Federal Institute for Risk Management.