Donkey milk is known for some nutritional and nutraceutical peculiarities compared to the milks traditionally used for human nutrition. Moreover although the number of studies on donkey milk production has increased the asinine species still remains little investigated. This is the first study providing a multiple assessment approach in order to extend the knowledge on the production of donkey milk, on the haematological and milk cytological parameters during the whole span of lactation. Furthermore, this study characterised the LYZ and OXT genes. Twenty two individual milk and blood samples from Amiatina donkey were taken at one, six and ten months after parturition. Milk total proteins and caseins and ash were significantly higher at the 1 month of lactation while the urea was lower (1.88% 0.95%, 0.41% and 26.08 mg/mL respectively). Whereas lactose and fat did not significantly changed and showed average values of 6.84 ± 0.145% and 0.67 ± 0.546% respectively. pH and titratable acidity were respectively higher (7.20) and lower (0.10 g/l of lactic acid) at 10th month. The mean values of somatic cell count/ mL and of milk macrophages were low with maximum value at tenth month. The haematological parameters were stable during lactation except for mean corpuscular haemoglobin, mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration and platelet count with maximum at sixth month (respectively 20.22 pg, 36.1 g/dl, 281.16 x 10 9 /l). This study also provides for the first time a characterisation of the LYZ gene in the Amiata donkey and describes a first polymorphism at the promoter level. HIGHLIGHTS This study extends the knowledge on the production of donkey milk, on the haematological and milk cytological parameters during the whole span of lactation. The results may have economic, health and social impacts since donkey milk is primarily targeted at sensitive consumers. Lysozyme polymorphisms could have association with anti-bacterial activity in milk and the inflammatory response in the mammary gland.

The study evaluated the partial substitution of soybean meal by faba beans (18%) or peas (20%) as additional protein sources in diets destined for typical Italian heavy pig production. It compared animal performances, meat quality, the presence of residual anti-nutritional factors (ANF) and phytoestrogens in plasma and meat and the possible effects on pig health, by evaluating oxidative, inflammatory and pro-atherogenic markers. The results showed that the productive performances, expressed as body weight and feed conversion ratio, of pigs fed with faba bean and pea diets were similar to those of pigs fed only the soybean meal. Meat quality of pigs fed with the three diets was similar in colour, water-holding capacity, tenderness and chemical composition. Despite the higher levels of phytoestrogen in the plasma of pigs fed only the soybean meal, phytoestrogen concentration in the muscle was equivalent to that of animals fed diets with faba beans, whereas pigs fed a diet with peas showed a lower concentration. Inflammation and pro-atherogenic parameters did not show significant differences among the three diets. Overall, the partial substitution of soybean meal by faba beans appears more interesting than with peas, particularly in relation to the higher amount of polyphenols in the diet and the highest concentration of phytoestrogens found in the plasma and muscle of animals, while the pyrimidine anti-nutritional compounds present in the diet did not appear to accumulate and had no effect on the growth performance of animals.

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a secondary toxic metabolite synthesized by Aspergillus or Penicillium species, which can contaminate various crops. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified OTA as a group 2B possible human carcinogen. The aim of the present study was to assess OTA concentrations in tissues of wild boar (Sus scrofa L.) from Tuscany (Italy). Over a period of 2 years, samples of muscle, liver, and kidney from 48 wild boars were collected and concentrations of OTA were determined by enzymatic digestion (ED) coupled to high-performance liquid chromatography with a fluorescence detector (HPLC-FLD). The highest concentrations of OTA were found in the kidneys of the 48 wild boars analyzed. No difference in concentrations was found based on years of collection and sex while a significantly higher OTA concentration was found in the kidney of the young wild boars with respect to the adult one. Monitoring the quality of meat destined for transformation is a priority in order to decrease the possibility of toxin carry-over to humans. The present study showed that contamination of wild boar meat products by OTA represents a potential emerging source of OTA.

A number of herbal products with anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and antimycotic properties are available for dermatological usage. The successful treatment of 13 sheep affected by ringworm due to Trichophyton mentagrophytes with a mixture consisting of essential oils (EOs) of Thymus serpillum 2%, Origanum vulgare 5% and Rosmarinus officinalis 5% in sweet almond (Prunus dulcis) oil. The effectiveness of EOs and of the major components of the mixture (thymol, carvacrol, 1,8 cineole, α-pinene, p-cymene, γ-terpinene) against the fungal clinical isolate was evaluated by a microdilution test. Thirteen animals were topically administered with the mixture twice daily for 15 days. The other sheep were administered with a conventional treatment (seven animals) or left untreated (two animals). Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values were 0.1% for T. serpillum, 0.5% for O. vulgare, 2.5% for I. verum and 5% for both R. officinalis and C. limon. Thymol and carvacrol showed MICs of 0.125% and 0.0625%. A clinical and aetiological cure was obtained at the end of each treatment regimen in only the treated animals. Specific antimycotic drugs licenced for food-producing sheep are not available within the European Community. The mixture tested here appeared to be a versatile tool for limiting fungal growth.

(1) Background: Pigs are active animals that require a suitable environment to be able to express their exploratory behaviour. The aim of the present study was to compare the effects of different environmental enrichments on the behaviour, social interactions, salivary cortisol concentration and body weight of pigs during the growing phase. (2) Methods: The investigation involved 75 pigs divided into three groups. The environmental enrichments were arranged as follows: Hanging metal chains for the control group; hanging metal chains and hanging logs for the second group; hanging metal chains and logs laying on the floor for the third group. Each group was video recorded twice a week for six weeks. The scan sampling technique was used. Salivary cortisol and live body weight were also recorded regularly. Parametric (ANOVA) and non-parametric statistics were used to analyse the data. (3) Results: Hanging logs were found to be more effective than logs laying on the floor at reducing aggression within the group tested, resulting in a more comfortable environment. Salivary cortisol concentration and growth did not show significant differences between the three groups. (4) Conclusions: The use of hanging logs affected some interactive patterns that resulted in decreasing the aggressive episodes of pigs, thereby providing a more comfortable environment.