Effect of single-sex or mixed rearing and live weight on performance,technological meat quality and sexual maturity in entire male and female pigs fed raw potato starch

Abstract

The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of rearing system (mixed or single-sex) on performance and carcass quality of entire male and female pigs slaughtered at around 90 or 115 kg live weight. We also studied the combined effect of live weight and dietary supplement of raw potato starch (RPS) on technological meat quality for both sexes, and boar taint compounds in entire male pigs. Furthermore, we investigated pre-slaughter routines (pen-wise or mixing with unfamiliar pigs) and sexual maturity. A total of 408 growing/finishing pigs were included in this two-year study. Performance did not differ significantly between entire male and female pigs irrespective of rearing system, except for daily weight gain in the interval from 90 kg to slaughter. Mixed pigs had significantly higher daily weight gain in this interval than single-sex pigs. Entire male pigs had higher carcass lean meat content than female pigs (1.6 percentage units). Technological meat quality differed only slightly between the sexes. Females reared in mixed pens were sexually more mature than female pigs reared in single-sex pens, and mature females had higher growth rate but lower meat content in carcasses than immature females. In contrast, female contact did not influence sexual maturity of entire male pigs. Mixing entire male pigs with unfamiliar pigs at the abattoir resulted in more damaged skin compared with pen-wise keeping whereas female pigs had almost no visible skin damage. We therefore recommend that entire male pigs are not mixed with unfamiliar pigs during transport and at the abattoir, because of fighting and subsequent skin damage. The levels of skatole in fat were significantly lower in high-weight entire male pigs fed RPS compared to high-weight pigs without RPS. Androstenone levels in fat were high in all groups.     

Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in wild red deer, roe deer, moose, and reindeer from Norway

Serum samples from 4339 wild cervids collected in Norway were tested for antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii using the direct agglutination test. The association between seroprevalence and species, sex, age, and geographic region was investigated. Positive titers (> or =1:40) were found in 33.9% of 760 roe deer (Capreolus capreolus); 12.6% of 2142 moose (Alces alces); 7.7% of 571 red deer (Cervus elaphus); and 1.0% of 866 reindeer (Rangifer tarandus). The seroprevalences were significantly different between the species. There was a significant increase in prevalence with age in roe deer, moose, and red deer, except from yearling to adult in red deer. A significant age-sex interaction was found in moose, and the effect of age was most distinct for females. No association between seropositive animals and sex was found for roe deer and red deer. There were significant differences in prevalence between geographic regions in roe deer and male moose. A widespread exposure to T. gondii in Norwegian cervids is documented, and meat from Norwegian cervids, particularly roe deer, should be regarded a potential source of infection for humans.     

Fluoride retention of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) fed krill meal

The present experiment was performed to study how fluoride from krill meal enriched muscle, whole fish and bone of adult Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) reared in sea water. Atlantic salmon (mean weight 0.5 kg) were divided into four triplicate groups and fed a commercial fish meal based diets with 0, 100, 200 and 300 g krill kg^?1 feed, respectively, for 12 weeks. The fluoride concentrations in the experimental feeds were analysed to be 18, 132, 235 and 358 mg kg^?1, respectively. Growth, mortality and feed efficiency were recorded through the experiment. Fluoride concentration was measured in muscle, whole‐body, and bone initially and after 12 weeks of feeding. The fluoride concentrations in the samples were determined by alkali fusion and fluoride ion‐selective electrode. Growth, mortality and feed efficiency ratio were not affected by the dietary treatments. The results showed that fluoride concentration in muscle, whole body and bone were not affected by the dietary fluoride level. The fluoride concentration in the tissues showed great variation among replicates of the group given the same diet. Fillets of the fish varied between 0.3 and 1.4 mg fluoride kg^?1 wet weight, whereas the whole‐body concentration of fluoride varied between 3.3 and 6.1 mg kg^?1 wet weight and the fluoride bone concentration varied between 5.8 and 7.2 mg kg^?1 fresh weight. These results suggest that Atlantic salmon are highly tolerant of dietary fluoride given as krill meal with concentration of fluoride up to 350 mg kg^?1 diet, and that accumulation of fluoride from feeding diets containing krill meal does not lead to tissue accumulation in the fish, at least over a short period of time.     

Sensory quality and chemical composition in carrots: A multivariate study

Carrots from designed trials and organic and conventional farms were analysed for sensory quality and chemical composition. The data were combined in principal component analyses and partial least squares regression for exploration of the main factors responsible for the variation in quality. One of the most important factors was fertilization. Carrots grown with no fertilizer and carrots fertilized with 40–80 kg nitrogen ha^?1 as mineral fertilizer or 20–72 tons ha^?1of organic fertilizer contained more total sugars and total flavour strength, less crispness, crude protein, true protein and carotene, and had a lower pH, compared with carrots fertilized with 100–192 kg nitrogen ha^?1 as mineral fertilizer. Location site was also very important in the explanation of the total variation and was a composite factor of precipitation, temperature in June, growth system and length of growth period. Soil type, amount of organic fertilizer, use of pesticides and temperatures in July and August seemed to be of less importance.     

Levels of Cs137 in Norwegian Lamb and Sheep 1964-1965

The concentrations of Gs¹³⁷ in meat from lamb in the falls of 1964 and 1965 and in meat from sheep in the fall of 1965 have been determined. The results are given and discussed with regard to the geographical variations, the decreasing concentrations from 1964 to 1965 and to the different concentrations in lamb and sheep.     

Implementing urban greening aid projects – The case of St. Petersburg, Russia

Recent years have seen the introduction of the concept of urban greening, defined as embracing the planning and management of all urban vegetation to create or add values to the local community. Green-space development has become recognised by international agencies and donors as important tool in improving the quality of urban livelihoods and urban environment. This paper evaluates an example of an urban greening aid project, carried out by Danish and Russian partners in the city of St. Petersburg, Russia. The project aimed to contribute to conservation and development of the cultural–historical, social and ecological values of St. Petersburg's urban green areas by implementing a structured, socially inclusive, well-informed planning and management approach. The project had three main components: (1) the development of a GIS-based information system to assist green-space planning and management; (2) on-site improvements in selected green areas and (3) awareness raising and public involvement activities. Ex post evaluation of the project showed that in spite of the limits of time and resources, important results were achieved. A more strategic approach to urban green-space planning and management, as promoted by urban greening, was adapted by some of the Russian project partners. Achievements also included notable physical improvements to one park. But the main project impacts were improved communication and collaboration between the local park department and local academia, as well as expertise developed in running a complex urban greening project. The project failed, however, in its public involvement ambitions.Moreover, the project should have facilitated discussion on some of the current premises of urban green-space planning and management in St. Petersburg, which insufficiently consider changing values and public preferences related to green spaces.     

Pathological lesions in swine at slaughter. II. Culled sows

The same computerized recording system as described in Part I of this publication (Flesjå & Ulvesœter 1979) was applied to sows slaughtered at Sentralslakteriet, Forus, Stavanger.In the three-year period 1975–1977 a total of 10,051 apparently healthy sows were brought to the abattoir. About 17 % of the carcasses had one or more pathological lesions. Of the total number of lesions 89 % were confined to 18 of the available 57 disease codes. Pyaemia and abscess/-es occurred at a rate of 1.5 and 3.2 %, respectively. This comprised 21 % of all registered lesions. Scabies and numerous white liver spots came to another 21 %, occurring in 3.3 and 1.5 % of the animals, respectively. About 15 % were chest lesions, of which pleurisy was diagnosed in 1.4 % and pericarditis in 1.3 % of the slaughtered sows. Other lesions recorded in 1 % or more included perihepatitis and other non-parasitic liver lesions, arthritis and decubitus.Only code 31 — numerous white spots in the liver showed a convincing seasonal variation.Significantly higher frequencies of pyaemia and abscess/-es occurred in culled sows than in baconers, but no such difference could be found for peritonitis, polyarthritis and arthritis. For all other commonly observed lesions significantly lower frequencies were seen in sows compared to baconers.Various theories are suggested to explain the observed difference in the distribution of lesions between baconers and sows.     

Fine Structure of Developing Spermatids used as a Basis for Staging of the Spermateleosis in the Blue Fox (Alopex Lagopus)

Ultrastructural changes of the different spermatid organelles have been studied in order to establish a basis for subdivision of blue fox spermateleosis. Testicular tissue from 9 sexually mature animals was obtained within the breeding season (March—April), As a result of electron microscopical observations, ten distinct stages of spermatid differentiation could be defined.     

Late Mousterian persistence near the Arctic Circle

Palaeolithic sites in Russian high latitudes have been considered as Upper Palaeolithic and thus representing an Arctic expansion of modern humans. Here we show that at Byzovaya, in the western foothills of the Polar Urals, the technological structure of the lithic assemblage makes it directly comparable with Mousterian Middle Palaeolithic industries that so far have been exclusively attributed to the Neandertal populations in Europe. Radiocarbon and optical-stimulated luminescence dates on bones and sand grains indicate that the site was occupied during a short period around 28,500 carbon-14 years before the present (about 31,000 to 34,000 calendar years ago), at the time when only Upper Palaeolithic cultures occupied lower latitudes of Eurasia. Byzovaya may thus represent a late northern refuge for Neandertals, about 1000 km north of earlier known Mousterian sites.