Assessment of the Dairy Production Needs of Cattle Owners in Southeastern Sicily
This study was the initial step to determine research, outreach, and management priorities to improve milk production and profits on Hyblean farms and helped formulate Progetto Ibleo. Specific objectives were to establish baseline performance values for production and composition of milk from herds managed under systems based on pasture (Modicana cows) and herds managed under input-intensive systems (Holstein cows), to determine probable forage quality in the region, and to investigate other potentially important factors that are subject to management (i.e., age at first calving, length of dry period, and calving interval).
Composition and Aroma Compounds of Ragusano Cheese: Native Pasture and Total Mixed Rations
The objectives of our study were to identify plant species eaten by cows during grazing, to compare the odor-active compounds
in the Ragusano cheese from cows eating TMR and native Sicilian pasture-supplemented TMR diets, and to provide the first qualitative characterization of the odor-active compounds present in Ragusano cheese.
Contribution of Native Pasture to the Sensory Properties of Ragusano Cheese
There may be a relationship between these compounds and the flavor or odor of cheese. The objective of this study was to determine whether inclusion of native pastures in the diet of dairy cows changes the color, odor, taste, consistency, or mouth structure of Ragusano cheese.
Aroma compounds of some Hyblean pasture species
The presence of dairy cattle in pastures of very great diversity in plant species presents an interesting problem for study. The objective of this study was, in combination with results of Carpino et al. (2003), to contribute to the characterization of Hyblean native species by utilizing GC–O and GC–MS analysis to identify compounds that may be used as markers to verify Ragusano cheeses as Protected Denomination of Origin (PDO) products.
Selection of forage species by dairy cattle on complex Sicilian pasture
The objective of the grazing study was to measure pasture composition and to identify the particular plant species eaten by cows in the study. The results of the grazing study were used to choose the plant species for further chemical analysis in the cheese experiment. The identification of forage plant species contributing to cheese flavour was to help develop further strategy in pasture management and the maintenance of cheese quality.
Influence of the concentration of the protease from Streptomyces griseus relative to ruminal protein degradability
The main objective of this paper is to ascertain the optimum concentration of the Streptomyces griseus enzyme relative to protein content with a number of ruminant feeds. For this purpose a range of enzyme concentrations was examined up to saturation, and in combination with feed samples evaluated in situ. Literature values for in vivo estimation are also compared.
Improvement of the Streptomyces griseus method for degradable protein in ruminant feeds
Improvement of the Streptomyces griseus method for degradable protein in ruminant feeds
The objectives of this paper were to study the effects of enzyme–protein ratio and pH at 6.7 and 8.0 upon degradability. The problem of optimal enzyme concentration will be addressed in a future paper.
Standardization of procedures for nitrogen fractionation of ruminant feeds
This procedure unlike for ADIN was not included in the Agriculture handbook 379. The procedure described here utilizes the latest recommendations for NDF (Van Soest et al., 1991) filtration on paper followed by nitrogen determination by Kjeldahl.
