Publications by authors named "P Zambonelli"

Background: Metabolomics opens novel avenues to study the basic biological mechanisms underlying complex traits, starting from characterization of metabolites. Metabolites and their levels in a biofluid represent simple molecular phenotypes (metabotypes) that are direct products of enzyme activities and relate to all metabolic pathways, including catabolism and anabolism of nutrients. In this study, we demonstrated the utility of merging metabolomics and genomics in pigs to uncover a large list of genetic factors that influence mammalian metabolism.

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Metabolomics can describe the molecular phenome and may contribute to dissecting the biological processes linked to economically relevant traits in livestock species. Comparative analyses of metabolomic profiles in purebred pigs can provide insights into the basic biological mechanisms that may explain differences in production performances. Following this concept, this study was designed to compare, on a large scale, the plasma metabolomic profiles of two Italian heavy pig breeds (Italian Duroc and Italian Large White) to indirectly evaluate the impact of their different genetic backgrounds on the breed metabolomes.

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The Italian pig farming industry is unique in its focus on raising heavy pigs primarily for the production of high-quality dry-cured hams. These products require pigs to be slaughtered at a live weight of around 170 kg at 9 months of age. The primary breeds used in this system are Italian Duroc, Italian Landrace, and Italian Large White which are crossed to produce lines that meet standard requirements.

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Donkeys (Equus asinus) have been used extensively in agriculture and transportations since their domestication, ca. 5000-7000 years ago, but the increased mechanization of the last century has largely spoiled their role as burden animals, particularly in developed countries. Consequently, donkey breeds and population sizes have been declining for decades, and the diversity contributed by autochthonous gene pools has been eroded.

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A total of 134 fresh hams, assayed for Ferrochelatase (FeCH) activity and ultimate pH (pH), were processed in compliance with the procedures established for PDO Parma ham and finally, analyzed for salt, moisture, Zinc Protoporphyrin IX (ZnPP), heme, iron and zinc contents, and proteolysis index (PI). The variation in ZnPP content was related to the intrinsic parameters of fresh and matured hams by a Partial Least Square Regression model. The most favorable factors on the formation of ZnPP were total iron content (representative of the initial hemoprotein content), and FeCH activity, demonstrating the main role played by these raw matter-specific predictors in the long matured dry-cured hams.

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