-The majority of sheep milk produced in the world is transformed into cheese. Feeding is a major factor affecting the quality of sheep milk and, therefore, of sheep cheese. Because fat is the main compound of cheese, this review gives an update on the effects of feeding and nutrition on milk fat content and deeply discusses feeding strategies aimed at increasing the levels of healthy fatty acids (FA), such as conjugated linoleic acid and omega-3 FA, in milk and cheese in the human diet. In addition, the use of alternative feed resources such as by-products, aromatic plants, and phenolic compounds in the sheep diet and their effects on milk and cheese FA composition are also discussed. Among feeding strategies, grazing and the use of supplements rich in oils seem to be the best and the cheapest strategies to improve the nutritional value of the fatty acid profile in sheep cheese.

Little is known about the gender differences in energetic requirements of goats in early life. In this study, we determined the energy requirements for maintenance and gain in intact male, castrated male and female Saanen goat kids using the comparative slaughter technique and provide new data on their body composition and energy efficiency. To determine the energy requirements for maintenance, we studied 21 intact males, 15 castrated males and 18 females (5.0±0.1 kg initial body weight (BW) and 23±5 d of age) using a split-plot design with the following main factors: three genders (intact males, castrated males, and females) and three dry matter intake levels (ad libitum, 75% and 50% of ad libitum intake). A slaughter group included three kids, one for each nutritional plane, of each gender, and all three animals within a group were slaughtered when the ad libitum kid reached 15 kg in BW. Net energy requirements for gain were obtained for 17 intact males, eight castrated males and 15 females (5.1±0.4 kg BW and 23±13 d of age). Animals were fed ad libitum and slaughtered when they reached 5, 10, and 15 kg in BW. A digestion trial was performed with nine kids of each gender to determine digestible energy, metabolizable energy and energy metabolizability of the diet. Our results show no effect of gender on the energy requirements for maintenance and gain, and overall net energy for maintenance was 205.6 kJ/kg0.75 empty body weight gain (EBW) (170.3 kJ/kg0.75 BW) from 5 to 15 kg BW. Metabolizable energy for maintenance was calculated by iteration, assuming heat production equal to metabolizable energy intake at maintenance, and the result was 294.34 kJ/kg0.75 EBW and km of 0.70. As BW increased from 5 to 15 kg for all genders, the net energy required for gain increased from 9.5 to 12.0 kJ/g EBW gain (EWG), and assuming kg = 0.47, metabolizable energy for gain ranged from 20.2 to 25.5 kJ/g EWG. Our results indicate that it is not necessary to formulate diets with different energetic content for intact male, castrated male and female Saanen goat kids weighing from 5 to 15 kg.

Climate changes have increased soil and water salinity, compromising animal production especially in dry areas where scientists have become more interested in halophyte plants, like saltbush. The effects of saltbush hay levels (30, 40, 50 and 60%) were evaluated based on physical-chemical, nutritional and sensory parameters of Santa Inês lamb meat. Thirty-two 8-month-old castrated Santa Inês lambs, with initial weights of 22±1.97 kg were used; they were slaughtered after 60 days in the feedlot. The pH, colour, moisture, protein and cholesterol contents did not differ among treatments. Panelists observed a greater intensity of lamb smell and flavour (P=0.0035) in the meat of animals that received more concentrate in the diet. An increase in the inclusion of saltbush increased ash percentage (P=0.0232), total saturated (P=0.0035) and polyunsaturated (P=0.0287) fatty acids and reduced the lipids (P=0.0055) and the n-6:n-3 ratio (P=0.0058) of the meat. Therefore, saltbush hay can be used as a feeding resource in regions with problems of water and soil salinity because it does not impair the physicalchemical, nutritional and sensory quality of sheep meat.

RESUMO -O interesse pelos pequenos ruminantes aumentou nos últimos anos sob os aspectos produtivo e científico.No Brasil, caprinos e ovinos são os que despertam maior interesse econômico. Assim, este trabalho foi conduzido com o objetivo de discutir o progresso científico com caprinos e ovinos nos últimos dez anos. Foram pesquisadas várias bases de dados, entre elas as do Institute for Scientific Information (ISI), da Scientific Electronic Library Online -SciELO, da Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior -CAPES, do Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística -IBGE e da Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations -FAO. Na última década, os pequenos ruminantes têm merecido especial atenção dos pesquisadores, o que pode ser comprovado pelo aumento de 41% nas publicações mundiais envolvendo estas espécies, o que foi acompanhado por aumento ainda mais expressivo, 219%, em âmbito nacional. A evolução também foi observada sob os aspectos metodológicos dos projetos, ressaltando a abordagem multidisciplinar nas pesquisas mais atuais. Nos últimos dez anos, houve crescimento do aporte de recursos para editais temáticos demandados pela sociedade e pela cadeia da carne e do leite, além da preocupação com qualidade, competitividade e sustentabilidade.Palavras-chave: caprinos, desenvolvimento, ovinos, produção científica Scientific progress in small ruminants in the first decade of 21st century ABSTRACT -Worldwide interest in small ruminants has increased in recent years in both, the productive and scientific aspects. In Brazil, the same trend has been observed, however, among all small ruminants, goats and sheep can be highlighted.Thus, this review aimed to discuss scientific progress in goat and sheep in the last decade. Data were collected in different databases, such as Institute for Scientific Information (ISI), Scientific Electronic Library Online -SciELO, Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior -CAPES, Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística -IBGE and Food andAgriculture Organization of the United Nations -FAO. In the last decade, goat and sheep have received particular attention from researchers, which can be proved by the number of publications involving these species, which increased 41% worldwide, and nationwide increase was even more expressive, 219%. Methodological aspects applied in researches have also improved, emphasizing multidisciplinary approach. Much of the scientific progress was due to increasing financial support through thematic calls demanded by society and by the productive chain of meat and milk. In these calls is noticeable the concern with product quality, competitiveness and sustainability.Key Words: development, goat, scientific production, sheep IntroduçãoDiscutir o progresso científico em pequenos ruminantes na primeira década do século XXI é um trabalho árduo devido à dificuldade em se obter dados que represente com fidelidade o avanço na produção científica, o avanço metodológico e tecnológico, e principalmente, a aplicação des...

Non-invasive methods for estimating body composition to monitor nutritional status in goats have been less studied. Therefore, this study estimated the body composition and fat depots of pregnant goats by using indirect measurements, such as bodyweight (BW) and ultrasound measurements of the Longissimus muscle area (LMA) and kidney fat thickness (KFT). Forty-three pregnant goats were slaughtered at 50, 80, 110 and 140 days of gestation to determine the gross energy and fat content in the body, as well as to obtain the mass of renal fat, omental fat and non-carcass fat. After the slaughter, the mass of fat depots was recorded and the whole body of the each animal was ground to take samples for determining gross energy (using a bomb calorimeter) and fat (Soxhlet extraction with ether). Animals were weighed, and ultrasonographic measurements were taken at the time of slaughter. The LMA and KFT measurements were taken between the 12th and 13th rib and after the 13th rib space, respectively, and these measurements were used to estimate total gross energy, body fat content and the renal fat, omental fat and non-carcass fat mass. Multiple regressions were performed using Proc mixed of SAS. No significant correlation was observed between gross energy and body fat composition, the number of fetuses or the days of gestation. LMA and BW were positively related to body fat and gross energy contents. KFT and BW showed a positive correlation with renal fat depots, omental fat content and non-carcass fat mass. The estimated models revealed that the total body fat increased from 15.6% to 20.8% of bodyweight from 50 to 140 days of gestation. This report is the first study using kidney fat thickness as a tool to predict fat depots in goats. LMA, BW and KFT measurements will enable the development of models to aid in the monitoring of the nutritional status of goats during pregnancy.