Prevalence of post mortem lesions recorded in the largest Italian rabbit slaughterhouse over a fifteen-years period (2003-2017)

<p>The present research was aimed at evaluating the prevalence of gross lesions in condemned rabbit carcasses by analysing data recorded in a large Italian slaughterhouse. From 2003 until 2017, a total of 103 080 019 rabbits were processed: 101 722 673 were finishing rabbits and 1 357 346 were breeding females. A total of 742 397 carcasses were condemned due to lesions. Condemned carcasses from young rabbits (n=545 070) evidenced: 33.6% enteritis, 31.5% subcutaneous abscesses, 29.7% cachexia and 3.84% lung disease. Among breeding rabbits (n=197 327) there were 38.9% cachexia, followed by 35.8% uterine pathologies (breeding females), 14.9% subcutaneous abscesses, 5.42% ulcerative pododermatitis, 2.61% chronic nephritis and 2.47% lung disease. Regarding season-related lesions, for growing rabbits the total prevalence of lesions and diseases was the highest in winter (enteritis increased in winter, but subcutaneous abscesses were higher in summer). Rabbit does showed the highest prevalence of subcutaneous abscesses in summer and ulcerative pododermatitis in winter. From 2003 to 2017, the overall number of condemned carcasses doubled in both categories, with a sharp increase from 2012 till 2017. The prevalence of lesions among slaughtered rabbits differed between growing and breeding categories, which was attributable to different farming conditions, physiological status and slaughter age. Based on the above-mentioned findings, better management strategies at different stages of the rabbit production chain seem to be a necessary way to manage resulting waste and address possible economic concerns.</p>

Heavy Metal Presence in Two Different Types of Ice Cream: Artisanal Ice Cream (Italian Gelato) and Industrial Ice Cream

Ice cream, a popular product worldwide, is usually a milk-based product with other types of ingredients (fruit, eggs, cocoa, dried fruit, additives, and others). Different materials are used to obtain the desired taste, texture, consistency, and appearance of the final product. This study surveyed ice cream products available in Italy for heavy metals (lead, cadmium, chromium, tin, and arsenic). The differences between artisanal and industrial ice cream were also investigated because of the importance in the Italian diet and the diffusion of this ready-to-eat food. Ice cream sampling was performed between October 2010 and February 2011 in the northeast of Italy. A total of 100 samples were randomly collected from different sources: 50 industrial samples produced by 19 different brands were collected in coffee bars and supermarkets; 50 artisanal ice cream samples were gathered at nine different artisanal ice cream shops. Ten wooden sticks of industrial ice cream were analyzed in parallel to the ice cream. All samples were negative for arsenic and mercury. None of the artisanal ice cream samples were positive for lead and tin; 18% of the industrial ice cream samples were positive. All positive lead samples were higher than the legal limit stated for milk (0.02 mg/kg). All industrial ice cream samples were negative for cadmium, but cadmium was present in 10% of the artisanal ice cream samples. Chromium was found in 26% of the artisanal and in 58% of the industrial ice cream samples. The heavy metals found in the wooden sticks were different from the corresponding ice cream, pointing out the lack of cross-contamination between the products. Considering the results and the amount of ice cream consumed during the year, contamination through ice cream is a low risk for the Italian population, even though there is need for further analysis.

Meat physical quality and muscle fibre properties of rabbit meat as affected by the sire breed, season, parity order and gender in an organic production system

<p>The aim of the study was to evaluate some meat physical quality and muscle fibre properties of rabbit meat when considering 2 sire breeds (SB: Vienna Blue [VB]; Burgundy Fawn [BF]; both coloured and slow-growing breeds), several parity orders (P: 1, 2, ≥3), gender (G), and 2 slaughter seasons (SS: spring, summer) in an organic production system. The effect of storage time (ST) at frozen state (2 mo at –20°C) of <em>Longissimus lumborum</em> (LL) meat was also evaluated. Animals were slaughtered when they reached 2.8 kg of live weight. Then, pH and L*a*b* colour values of <em>Biceps femoris</em> (BF) and LL muscles, water loss and Warner-Bratzler shear force of LL and hind leg (HL) meat, and the fibre typing and enzymatic activity of LL muscle were analysed. LL meat from females showed higher b* values than males (0.04 vs. –1.25; P&lt;0.05). Significant (P&lt;0.05) SB×P, SB×G and P×G interactions were observed for the b* value of LL: VB and BF crossbreds presented a higher b* value when born as P≥3 and P2 respectively, VB females showed higher b* value than VB males, and P2 and P≥3 produced males with a significantly lower b* value. HL thawing losses were significantly (P&lt;0.05) higher in rabbits slaughtered in summer than in those slaughtered in spring, whereas the opposite result was obtained for LL meat (P&lt;0.01). Cooking loss of LL meat was significantly lower in P2 group than P≥3 group (P&lt;0.05). The lactate dehydrogenase activity in LL muscle was higher in VB than in BF crossbreds (930 vs. 830 IU; P&lt;0.05), albeit not supported by differences in fibre type distribution. The ST significantly (P&lt;0.01) reduced pH, a* and b* colour values, and increased lightness of LL meat. It was concluded that the crossbreeds derived from VB and BF genotypes and farmed organically did not show remarkable sexual dimorphism, considering their elder slaughter age than rabbits reared under intensive conditions. Physical quality of meat was mainly affected by slaughter season, indicating that in the organic rearing system, specific attention needs to be paid to the farming environmental conditions.</p>

Survey on the microbiological quality of Chinese food preparations

The microbiological quality of 118 samples of traditional Chinese food from restaurants and take-away establishments in the provinces of Padua, Treviso, and Venice was examined (April-July, 2008). These food items included various ready-to-eat products. The microbiological quality of the majority of these food items was acceptable; only 12% of samples had values greater than or equal to 6 log CFU/g (eight items were salads) and 19% of samples had values greater than 500 CFU fecal coliforms/g (p < 0.01 to 0.001). The Aw lower values were in sauces (0.839), but were greater than 0.95 in other food sources. No pathogens, such as Salmonella spp. or Listeria monocytogenes, were detected, but Bacillus cereus and coagulase-positive Staphylococcus were both identified. Thus, although final heating reduces the levels of microorganisms present in foods, it does not inactivate any toxins produced by such organisms.