Effect of preslaughter anesthesia on muscle metabolism and meat quality of pigs of different halothane genotypes.

Pigs of different halothane genotypes were anesthetized 45 min before slaughter. During the period of anesthesia blood samples and muscle biopsy samples were taken to investigate muscle energy metabolism by measuring different metabolites. After exsanguination, the same metabolites and some meat quality characteristics were determined.

Effects of treatment of dairy cows with recombinant bovine somatotropin over three or four lactations.

Jersey, Dutch Red and White, and Friesian cows were subcutaneously injected with 640 mg of recombinant bST at 28-d intervals from 87 to 115 d after calving through four successive lactations. A TMR (6.72 MJ of NEL) and 168 g of CP/kg of DM) was fed for ad libitum consumption.

The effect of scalding on subcutaneous and ham temperatures and ultimate pork quality.

Scalding of pig carcasses (n = 34) at 60°C for a period of at least 5·5 to 7·5 min gave satisfactory dehairing results, with the exception of autumn hair for which a longer period (9 mins) was required. Temperature curves were recorded for a subcutaneous position in the ham (n = 26) between the rind and the underlying fat layer. These showed a curve starting at about 30·8°C and increasing to an asymptotic value of 53°C during scalding.

'Scharrel' (free range) pigs: Carcass composition, meat quality and taste-panel studies.

Carcass conformation, meat quality, fatty acid patterns of backfat and sensory quality characteristics (tenderness, juiciness, smell and taste) of scharrel (free range) pigs and animals from intensive fattening systems were compared. Both groups of pigs consisted of 80 animals, which were slaughtered in batches of 20 pigs per group. The measurements included hot carcass weight, HGP, pH and FOP measurements and a score for intrathoracal fat deposition, all performed early post mortem, and marbling, colour, drip and cooking loss and Warner-Bratzler shear force measurements in loin chops after 1 and 3 days of storage at 4°C.

Subcutaneous tissue reaction to polyethylene terephtalate-covered electronic identification transponders in pigs.

Polyethylene terephtalate-covered identification transponders were injected in 4 week old piglets to examine clinically and histologically the reaction in the surrounding tissue after 4, 7 and 21 days and 6 months. Inflammatory signs at the injection site were clinically noticed from 2 days onwards and gradually decreased after day 3. A second series of inflammatory events occured in some animals around day 7.

A comparative study on the use of bovine and murine monoclonal antibodies for passive immunization in cattle.

In the present experiments the efficacy of murine and bovine monoclonal antibodies for passive immunization in cattle was compared. The in vivo immunoneutralization of pregnant mare serum gonadotrophin (PMSG) by murine and bovine antibodies after repeated administration was chosen as a model for this study. Results indicate that repeated injections of murine monoclonal antibodies against PMSG (mMCA) alone did not, or only to a small extent, elicit an anti-mouse immune response.

Potential improvements in rate of genetic gain from marker-assisted selection in dairy cattle breeding schemes.

The value of marker-assisted selection in dairy cattle breeding schemes is predicted by a deterministic model. In these schemes, associations between markers and milk production were assessed from production records of daughters of a grandsire by a multiple regression model with random marker effects. By tracing markers from the grandsire to grandoffspring, deviations of grandoffspring from their full-sib family mean were predicted.

Marbling, intramuscular fat and meat colour of Dutch pork.

The amounts of intramuscular (i.m.) fat in the lean meat of the lumbar region of 21 slaughterpigs have been determined according to the Soxhlet method as a reference, and compared with those determined with the faster Foss-let procedure.

Evaluation of invasive instruments for assessment of veal colour at time of classification.

In a random selection of 480 veal carcasses, invasive measurements were made on the longissimus lumborum (LL) and biceps femoris (BF) with the Colormet, Hennessy Grading Probe (HGP4; LL only) and Invasive Meat Colour Meter. Surface colour of the rectus abdominis (RA) was determined instrumentally with the Minolta Chromameter and Surface Meat Colour Meter and visually by two persons, using a colour standard. All measurements were made at 30-40 min post mortem.

Development of a high capacity radioimmunoassay procedure: ovine follicle stimulating hormone determination in blood plasma as a model.

A sensitive, specific and accurate homologous radioimmunoassay (RIA) for ovine follicle stimulating hormone (oFSH) has been developed, using a [125I]oFSH tracer and a polyclonal rabbit anti-OFSH-serum at a final dilution of 1:224,000. The separation of free and antibody-bound tracer is based on the double antibody solid phase system. The assay was found to be specific for oFSH; cross-reactivity with oLH, oPrl and oGH was lower than 0.

Reduction of selection differentials in finite populations with a nested full-half sib family structure.

The effect of family structure is of increasing importance in modern breeding schemes, because increased intraclass correlations between relatives due to improved breeding value estimation methods use all family information, and increased family sizes are possible with improved reproduction rates. In addition, reduction of the generation intervals in modern breeding schemes leads to increased intraclass (family) correlations, because young animals have little information on individual or on progeny performance. This paper derives an approximation for the selection differential in a population divided into families.

Effects of feed withdrawal before delivery on pork quality and carcass yield.

A total of 270 pigs from a Yorkshire/Duroc/Landrace 3-way cross, reared under an ad libitum feed regimen, were delivered for slaughter after fasting (with access to water) for 24 and 0 h (Exp. 1), 16 and 0 h (Exp. 2) and 24, 16 and 0 h (Exp.

Construction of a bovine-murine heteromyeloma cell line; production of bovine monoclonal antibodies against rotavirus and pregnant mare serum gonadotrophin.

Bovine-murine heteromyeloma cell lines were prepared by fusing lymphoid cells from a bovine leukemia virus (BLV)-infected cow with mouse myeloma cells. Selection of hybrid cell colonies was based on the ratio of bovine and murine chromosomes, the presence of cell-surface immunoglobulins and growth characteristics. First-generation fusion partners were compared for fusion efficiency and the number of antigen-specific antibody-producing clones generated.

Color Stability of Hot and Cold Boned Longissimus and Psoas Major Muscle.

From eight cows, following electrical stimulation, the righthand-side longissimus and psoas major muscles were hot boned within 1 1/2 h post mortem, vacuum packaged and chilled at 1±1°C. The lefthand longissimus and psoas major muscles were cold boned and vacuum packaged after the carcasses had been chilled for 24 h (i.e.

Production and characterization of monoclonal antibodies against the H-Y antigen.

Monoclonal antibodies against the H-Y antigen were produced using spleen cells from female C57BL/6 mice hyperimmunized with cells from syngeneic males. Anti-H-Y positive clones were detected by enzyme immunoassays. Supernatant fluids from Daudi cell cultures and testicular cell preparations taken from mice, rabbits or calves served as presumptive sources of H-Y antigen.

Application of monoclonal antibodies in animal production: A review.

The hybridoma technology for production of monoclonal antibodies circumvents many of the constraints associated with the use of conventional antisera, and consequently broadens the areas of application of antibodies in animal sciences. In the present review, the potential usefulness of monoclonal antibodies in animal production - with emphasis on reproduction - is discussed, including the inherent limitations of the current technology and the improvements that can be foreseen within the next few years. Because of their unique specificity and the fact that they can be produced in virtually unlimited quantities, monoclonal antibodies are an important tool in diagnostics.

Effects of management system, legume feeding and anthelmintic treatment on the performance of lambs in north Sumatra.

Sixty-four lambs in North Sumatra were used in a factorial experiment comprising two systems of management (grazing and stall-feeding), four levels of legume supplementation (0, 250, 500 and 1,000 g/d Pueraria javanica) and two anthelmintic treatments (none and albendazole every four weeks). The experiment lasted five months. The mortality rate for lambs not given anthelmintic was 28%, significantly higher (P less than 0.

Effects of supplementary feeding around lambing time on the productivity of Javanese thin-tail ewes.

The extent to which ewe reproduction could be improved by supplementary feeding around lambing time was investigated with four groups each of 16 ewes which were run continuously with fertile rams until they had lambed three times. One group was fed at a maintenance level throughout and the other three groups were given supplementary feed during the last four week of each pregnancy only, or during the last four weeks of pregnancy plus the first six weeks after each lambing, or during the last four weeks of pregnancy plus the first 12 weeks after each lambing. The average body weight of lambs weaned at 13 weeks of age increased (P less than 0.

Differences in quality characteristics of normal, PSE and DFD pork.

Differences in water-holding capacity, colour and tenderness/toughness were studied in 21 pork loins belonging to three quality categories, i.e. dark firm dry (DFD), normal and pale soft exudative (PSE).

Fibre optic probe measurements in landrace pigs of different halothane phenotypes.

Fibre Optic Probe (FOP) measurements were made in the longissimus dorsi muscle of 70 halothane-positive (HP) and 70 halothane negative (HN) pigs of a synthetic Landrace strain at 45 min (FOP(1)), 3 h (FOP(3)) and 17h (FOP(17)) post mortem. Measurements of pH, rigor and temperature were also made in the slaughterline. Carcasses were sampled (longissimus dorsi, 2-4 lumbar vertebrae) at 18h post mortem and meat quality objectively assessed.

Study of changes of properties in thermically and hydrothermically treated feeds. 2. N fractions in fermentation medium at the incubation of treated feeds under in vitro conditions.

In the extensive experiments in vitro degradation ability of hydrothermically and thermically treated feeds have been studied. The feeds used were soybean meal, horse bean, alfalfa meal, field pea. The feeds have been treated at 90, 110 and 130 degrees C for 30, 60 and 90 min.

Effect of electrical stimulation on veal quality.

In three experiments involving a total of eighty-eight veal calves raised in groups and with access to straw, plasma hemoglobin (Hb) levels were determined at one week ante mortem. In each experiment, animals with similar Hb levels were paired. One animal of each pair was stimulated electrically (ES) post mortem whereas the other remained non-stimulated (NS).

Vasopressin and oxytocin in plasma of veal calves, sheep and pigs after high voltage electrical stunning.

The levels of vasopressin and oxytocin in the plasma of veal calves, sheep and pigs were determined during and after a general epileptiform insult induced by high voltage stunning. Immediately after stunning, a sharp increase in the vasopressin and oxytocin levels was observed in the plasma, followed by a gradual decrease during the next hour. The duration of the general epileptiform insult was correlated (r = 0·79) with the highest measured levels of vasopressin after electrical stunning in the pigs (p ≤ 0·05).

The effect of high and low voltage electrical stimulation on beef quality.

Meat bulls were assigned to three treatment groups-high voltage intermittent electrical stimulation, low voltage electrical stimulation and no stimulation. Both stimulation methods resulted in a significantly more rapid pH fall in the longissimus and adductor muscles during the first 8 h post mortem. Carcass cooling rates were relatively slow, since temperatures of the longissimus and adductor muscles were 15°C, respectively, at 8 h post mortem.