Manuela Renna

Università degli Studi di Torino | UNITO · Department of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences

The overall beneficial effect of live black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) on the welfare of broiler chickens, turkeys, and laying hens has already been discussed in the literature. However, scant information is available regarding the benefits of feeding live BSFL to medium‐growing chicken hybrids reared under organic/free‐range conditions, and whose w...

Background The provision of environmental enrichments to Muscovy ducks could reduce the expression of the aggressive behaviors. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of black soldier fly (BSF) and yellow mealworm (YM) live larva provision on Muscovy duck performance, excreta corticosterone metabolites (ECM), behavior, and blood p...

Introduction This research has been aimed at evaluating the effects of live black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) (Hermetia illucens) on the growth, slaughtering performance, and blood parameters of medium-growing chickens. Methods A total of 240, 28-day-old, Label Rouge Naked Neck chickens were allotted to four experimental groups, according to the gen...

Background The most used protein sources in ruminant nutrition are considered as having negative impacts in terms of environmental sustainability and competition with human nutrition. Therefore, the investigation of alternative and sustainable feedstuffs is becoming a priority in ruminant production systems. Results This trial was designed to eval...

Recent studies pointed out that live insects and their products (meals and oils) are suitable protein and fat sources and can be used in the nutrition of farmed monogastric animals. This is as an alternative to traditional plant-derived and animal-derived feedstuffs. To date very little information is available concerning the effects of the dietary...

The apparent digestibility coefficients (ADCs) of the dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE), gross energy (GE), amino acids (AA), and the main fatty acids (FA) of four defatted insect meals in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) have been assessed. The tested meals were obtained from two yellow mealworms (Tenebrio molitor – TM1 an...

The use of agro-industrial by-products in animal nutrition is a promising strategy to reduce the food-feed competition, the diet cost at farm level and the environmental impact of animal-derived food production. In this study, the suitability of cocoa bean shell (CBS), a by-product of the cocoa industry, as a feed ingredient in the diet of dairy go...

The slaughter performance and meat quality of two native Italian chicken breeds, Bionda Piemontese (BP, n = 64) and Bianca di Saluzzo (BS, n = 64), were investigated. Two-way ANOVA, considering breed, sex, and their interaction, was used to compare the properties of birds slaughtered at 5, 6, 7, and 8 months of age. Subsequently, data were analyzed...

Background Recent investigations highlighted that Hermetia illucens (BSF) larva meal can be a valuable alternative protein source for aquafeed production. In this study, in substitution of fishmeal, we used increasing inclusion levels of a partially defatted BSF larva meal in low fishmeal-based diets for rainbow trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss Walbaum)...

The aim of this study was to test the feasibility and reliability of the Animal Welfare Indicators (AWIN) protocol for welfare assessment of dairy goats when applied to semi-extensive farming conditions. We recruited 13 farms located in the NW Italian Alps where three assessors individually and independently applied a modified version of the AWIN w...

Some waterbird species are believed to have an impact on other waterbird species as they are able to usurp a limited habitat and destroy vegetation. In this study, we have analysed the nesting dynamics of five waterbird species: Grey Heron Ardea cinerea, Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo, Little Egret Egretta garzetta, Black-crowned Night Heron N...

This study focuses on the problem of assessing inter-observer reliability (IOR) in the case of dichotomous categorical animal-based welfare indicators and the presence of two observers. Based on observations obtained from Animal Welfare Indicators (AWIN) project surveys conducted on nine dairy goat farms, and using udder asymmetry as an indicator,...

We compared in vivo and in vitro dry matter (DM) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) digestibility in donkeys using feces as microbial inoculum. Four donkeys were used in a 4 × 4 Latin square design with a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. The animals were fed two types of hay, with or without flaked barley. For the in vivo procedure, total...

Hazelnut skin (HS) was evaluated as a source of nutrients for dairy cows. In total, 26 Aosta Red Pied cows were divided into two balanced groups. All cows were fed hay ad libitum. The control group was also given 6 kg of concentrate, while the hazelnut skin group (HAZ) was given 1 kg of the same concentrate that was substituted by 1 kg of HS. The d...

Insect meals are good candidates to replace fishmeal as new protein sources in aquafeeds. This study evaluated the effects of fishmeal replacement with different dietary inclusion levels of a partially defatted Tenebrio molitor (L.) larva meal (TM) on rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss Walbaum) growth, diet digestibility, and hepatic intermediary m...

Context Many tree and shrub species are underestimated fodder resources due to insufficient knowledge about their potential feeding value, especially for goats. Aims The present work aimed at assessing productive and nutritional attributes of the foliage of the following four temperate tree species widespread in Europe: Acer pseudoplatanus, Fraxinu...

The Hermetia illucens (L.) larvae meal (HIM) has been tested on different fish species but its use on Siberian sturgeon has not been investigated yet. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of fish meal (FM) substitution with a highly defatted HIM on growth performance, biometric and morphometric indices, apparent digestibility of diets,...

This study evaluated the effects of a diet containing yellow mealworm ( Tenebrio molitor L.; TM) larva meal on quality parameters (pH 24 , color and drip losses), proximate composition and fatty acid (FA) profile of meat from free-range chickens. A total of 140 medium-growing hybrid female chickens were free-range reared and randomly allotted to tw...

This study was designed to assess the effects of dietary flaxseed on the proximate composition, fatty acid profile, lipid oxidation, colour and flavour of the longissimus thoracis muscle of double-muscled Piemontese young bulls. Compared to a control diet, the flaxseed diet had no significant effect on the moisture, protein or ether extract content...

Abstract Background The aim of this trial was to investigate the effects of different inclusion levels of a partially defatted black soldier fly (BSF, Hermetia illucens L.) larva meal on the growth performance, nutrient digestibility, blood profile, gut morphology and histological features of piglets. A total of 48 newly weaned piglets were individ...

A metal-oxide sensors array electronic nose (e-nose) was used to discriminate beef loins (Longissimus thoracis) obtained from Piemontese bulls fed without or with flaxseed and subjected to 3 different aging periods (2, 7, 10 days) at 4°C. At 7 days of aging, samples were also assessed for flayor intensity by panelists. A comparison between e-nose a...

This study evaluated the effects of Tenebrio molitor (TM) larvae meal inclusion in diets for broilers. A total of 160 male broiler chicks (Ross 708) at one-day of age were randomly allotted to four dietary treatments: a control (C) group and three TM groups, in which TM meal was included at 50 (TM5), 100 (TM10), and 150 (TM15) g/kg, respectively. T...

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the animal performance, haematochemical parameters, intestinal morphology and histological features of broiler chickens fed diets including Tenebrio molitor (TM) larvae meal. A total of 160 female broiler chicks (Ross 708) at one-day of age were randomly allotted to four dietary treatments: a control (C)...

Background Two trials were performed to evaluate a partially defatted Hermetia illucens (HI) larvae meal as potential feed ingredient in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss Walbaum) diets. In the first trial, 360 trout (178.9 ± 9.8 g of mean initial body weight) were randomly divided into three experimental groups (4 tanks/treatment, 30 fish/tank)....

Background The study aimed to determine the apparent total tract digestibility coefficients (ATTDC) of nutrients, the apparent metabolizable energy (AME and AMEn) and the amino acid (AA) apparent ileal digestibility coefficients (AIDC) of a partially defatted (BSFp) and a highly defatted (BSFh) black soldier fly larvae meal. The experimental diets...

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of dietary bilberry pomace (BP) on colour, cooking losses, proximate composition and fatty acid (FA) profile of hind leg meat in growing rabbits. One hundred and forty-four Grimaud weaned rabbits (35 days old) were randomly divided into four groups of 36 animals each and fed ad libitum with a...

A trial was performed to evaluate bilberry pomace (BP) as alternative source of nutrients for rabbits. One hundred and forty-four Grimaud weaned rabbits were divided into 4 groups of 36 animals each and fed ad libitum with a basal diet (BP0) tested against three assay diets developed by substituting 50, 100 and 150 g/kg of the BP0 diet with BP (BP5...

Two trials were carried out on European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax L.) juveniles to evaluate the effects of dietary inclusion of a full-fat Tenebrio molitor (TM) larvae meal. A first growth trail was performed on 450 European sea bass using three isonitrogenous and isolipidic experimental diets (3 tanks/diet, 50 fish/tank) formulated to contain...

Background: Plant composition of species-rich mountain grasslands can affect the sensorial and chemical attributes of dairy and meat products, with implications for human health. A multivariate approach was used to analyse the complex relationships between vegetation characteristics (botanical composition and plant community variables) and chemica...

This study investigated the effects on goat milk yield and composition of a diet supplemented with Echium plantagineum oil (EPO). Twenty-four mid-lactation multiparous Camosciata goats were divided into two balanced groups and fed for 44 d a diet based on hay and concentrate, supplemented (EPO group, Echium ) or not (CON group, control) with 40 ml...

This study evaluated the effects of diets containing Tenebrio molitor (TM) larvae meal on growth performances, somatic indexes, nutrient digestibility, dorsal muscle proximate and fatty acid (FA) compositions of rainbow trout. Three hundred sixty fish were randomly divided into three groups with four replicates each. The groups were fed diets diffe...

A key aspect of the aquaculture industry sustainability is the supply of proteins for aqua feeds as fish meal (FM) is a finite resource. Several alternatives have been tested and nowadays FM represent only about 10 to 20% of the feed for carnivorous aquaculture species, the rest of protein supply being covered mainly by vegetable proteins even if a...

A key aspect of the aquaculture industry sustainability is the supply of proteins for aqua feeds as fish meal (FM) is a finite resource. Several alternatives have been tested and nowadays FM represent only about 10 to 20% of the feed for carnivorous aquaculture species, the rest of protein supply being covered mainly by vegetable proteins even if a...

Fecal corticosterone concentration (FCC) was measured in 14 buck rabbits individually housed in standard-dimension cages (SC) or in bigger cages (BC; with a volume more than double that of SC and equipped with a plastic foot mat) during 4 consecutive reproductive cycles. Cage type and reproductive phase (estrous synchronization of doe rabbits, arti...

Aims of this study were to investigate diet selection of dairy goats foraging on two alpine vegetation types and to assess the related effects on milk fatty acid (FA) composition. Two enclosures laid out on an open grassland (OG) and a grazable forestland (GF) were exploited by 14 Camosciata goats. A commercial concentrate was supplemented during m...

The aim of this study was to compare the modified WBsf and TPA methods on beef during ageing and to assess correlations. At 2 and 10 days post mortem two steaks were taken from LTL muscle of 20 Piemontese bulls. Raw meat strips were sheared perpendicular to the fiber direction with a WBsf device or compressed perpendicular to the fiber axis with a...

The chemical composition and energy value of straws of Vicia sativa L. (varieties Languedoc and Mghila, and subspecies amphicarpa) and Vicia villosa Roth. (variety Sejenane and accession 2565) were investigated. The plants were grown in a Mediterranean environment, under identical environmental conditions. Total digestible nutrients (TDN) and energ...

The growth of the rumen microflora, the production of volatile fatty acids and the development of rumen papillae greatly depend on the type and composition of solid ration administered to calves during weaning. Aim of this trial was to compare the effects of two solid feeds, a starter and a dry total mixed ration (TMR), on intake, growth characteri...

In intensive pig farming of Western and Southern Europe, welfare concerns are still often related to barren environments and crowded conditions. Pig producers need to balance the requirements to improve welfare conditions at farm with practical considerations. The aim of this study was to determine the extent to which the reduction of stocking dens...

The chain of "Noble Milk" in Piedmont: livestock farms characteristics and nutraceutical and sensory quality of the product  The project "Làit Real - High quality drinking milk (Latte Nobile) to improve the competitiveness of mountain dairy farms" is funded by Regione Piemonte under the Rural Development Programme 2007-2013. Its primary objective...

Four dairy farms were involved in the project. On average 20–45 heads per farm were reared, among which 15–35 lactating cows, belonging to different breeds (Aosta Red Pied, Grey Alpine, Brown, Abondance, Montbéliarde). Yields ranged between 4,000 and 6,000 kg per lactation, corresponding to a daily production of 15–20 kg head–1 per day (20–27 kg at...

Whole mature seeds of eight selected varieties, subspecies and accessions of three Vicia L. species grown in Tunisia were investigated for their fatty acid (FA) profile. The FA composition ranged from lauric (C12:0) to lignoceric (C24:0) acids. The total FA content was 1235.14 to 1580.34 mg 100 g–1 dry matter (DM). Linoleic acid (C18:2 c9c12; 647.8...

The aim of this study was to provide an overview on breed's characteristics of a small dairy goat population recently identified in the Piedmont region (NW Italy): the Grey Goat of Lanzo Valleys. This goat, locally named Fiurinà, is composed of about 150 heads. Increasing knowledge on threatened breeds is an effective tool to develop conservation p...

This study was designed to evaluate the effects of two feeding methods on milk yield, composition and fatty acid (FA) profile obtained from dual-purpose cattle. Twenty-four Aosta Red Pied cows beyond peak of lactation were assigned to two groups and fed hay and concentrates in the proportions 0.69 and 0.31 on a dry matter basis for 10 weeks. Concen...

A study on the breeding evolution of the Sambucana sheep in the last 20 years has been carried out. This dual-purpose sheep (meat and wool) is bred since the 18th century in the Stura di Demonte valley (Piedmont, N-W Italian Alps). In this area the Sambucana has played a major economical, social, environmental and cultural role thanks to its adapta...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of daily supplementation of a devitalized strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae on milk yield and composition of Friesian-Holstein lactating cows. Average Days In Milk (DIM) and Body Weight (BW) of cows were 98±24 days and 619±13.2 kg. Prior to the experiment, the effects of the yeast culture added to t...

Fecal corticosterone concentration (FCC) is increasingly being used as a noninvasive indicator of stress in assessment of nonhuman animal welfare. The aim of this study was to evaluate effects of breed, cage type, reproductive phase, and their interactions on FCC levels in doe rabbits. A total of 252 doe rabbits were randomly assigned to 2 groups....

Aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of diet supplementation with Extruded Linseed (EL) on goat milk yield and gross composition and Fatty Acid (FA) composition of milk, fresh and ripened cheese. During a 10 weeks period, 26 mid-lactating Saanen goats were divided into two balanced groups and fed a total mixed ration supplemented (EL group)...

The goal of this study was to verify the suitability of using fatty acids (FAs), terpenoids, and electronic nose response as potential tracers of the seasonal variations in Asiago d’Allevo PDO cheese. Cheese samples produced during the early and late summer grazing and the autumn/winter indoor seasons were compared. Based on their FA composition, t...

Aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of different proportions of hay and fresh grass in goats’ diet on milk fatty acid profile. Nine Camosciata goats were fed a fixed amount of concentrate (30% of total diet) and different percentages (40% vs 30%, 50% vs 20% and 60% vs 10%) of hay and fresh grass, respectively. Diminishing amounts of fresh g...

The aim of the present study was to investigate the efficacy of monensin sodium grain size on controlling coccidiosis in broiler chickens. Three hundred and fifty Cobb 700 chicks were infected experimentally with 8 × 10(4) sporulated oocysts of Eimeria spp. The birds were fed with diets supplemented with powdered (n = 150) or granulated (n = 150) m...

Aim of the study was to evaluate the effect on milk yield and composition of pea seeds (Pisum sativum L.) fed as protein source to lactating sheep. Two isonitrogenous (crude protein = 15.9-16.6% of dry matter) and isoenergetic (net energy for lactation = 10.6 MJ/kd of dry matter) diets were fed to 12 lactating Delle Langhe ewes (days in milk: 112 ±...

The changes occurring in pasture and milk compositions during summer grazing were studied following a transhumance of a dairy cattle herd in the western Italian Alps. During three consecutive grazing periods (P1, P2, and P3) the cows exploited, in sequence, mountain pastures located at 1200-1260 m a.s.l. (A1), alpine pastures at 2000-2200 m a.s.l....

A wide range of isomer-specific health benefits have been attributed to conjugated linoleic acids (CLAs). Little information is currently available on the influence of different feed components on the concentration of CLA isomers in ruminant-derived products. The aims of this study were to compare the effect of cereal mix or dried sugar beet pulp s...

A study was undertaken to investigate the effects of farming systems (organic vs. conventional), diet (hay/concentrate vs. pasture) and their interaction on milk yield, gross composition and fatty acid (FA) profile of dairy cows bred in mountainous areas. For this purpose four dairy farms (two organic and two conventional) were chosen in the alpine...

A study on the breeding evolution of the Sambucana sheep in the last 20 years has been carried out. This dual-purpose sheep (meat and wool) is bred since the 18th century in the Stura di Demonte valley (Piemonte, N-W Italian Alps). In this area the Sambucana has played a major economical, social, environmental and cultural role thanks to its adapta...

Chemical, microbiological and nutritional characteristics of organic Fontina, an Italian Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) raw cow's milk cheese, and of bulk milk used for its production, were studied. Organic winter-indoor and summer-pasture productions were compared; organic summer samples were compared to conventional summer ones. The organi...