As consumers have become aware of the health risks associated with the high levels of saturated fats present in conventional red meats, an interest in new domesticants has developed. Meat from these species represents the only sector of the European red meat industry which is currently experiencing growth. The production of meat from grazing animals other than cattle and sheep is not subsidised...

Feed costs are a major cost component of pig production and the optimal use of feed for production is therefore of high importance in an economic and sustainable pig industry. The amount of food eaten by the growing pig is used for maintenance and growth which includes lean meat as well as fat growth. The aim in pig production is to produce lean meat most efficiently which is achieved by optimi...

Feed costs amount to approximately 70% of the total costs in pork production, and feed efficiency is, therefore, an important trait for improving pork production efficiency. Production efficiency is generally improved by selection for high lean growth rate, reduced backfat, and low feed intake. These traits have given an effective slaughter pig but may cause problems in piglet production due to...

BACKGROUND The world-wide increase of foodborne infections with antibiotic resistant pathogens is of growing concern and is designated by the World Health Organization as an emerging public health problem. Thermophilic Campylobacter have been recognised as a major cause of foodborne bacterial gastrointestinal human infections in Switzerland and in many other countries throughout the world. Poul...

Animal growth performance and quality of pork depend on the interactive effects of pig genotype, rearing conditions, pre-slaughter handling, and carcass and meat processing. This paper focuses on the effects of feeding and rearing systems (feeding level and diet composition, housing, production system, etc.) on growth performance, carcass composition, and eating and technological qualities of p...

The consumption of meat is increasing in India and agriculture is considered as the backbone of a majority of people. Livestock plays a significant role, and poultry and dairy are the major sectors contributing to economic development. The majority of meats consumed in India are fish, bovine, mutton, goat, pig, and poultry. In Indian context, culture, traditions, customs, and taboos influence m...

Humans come from a long line of meat-eaters. For much of the past two million years our hominid forebears have been evolving from scavenging to systematic hunting. This trend was intimately coupled with the evolution of the human brain, which now is much larger and more complex than was the brain of our mostly vegetarian australopithecine ancestors. In many hunter-gatherer communities meat beca...

BACKGROUND Growth and meat production traits are significant economic traits in sheep. The aim of the study is to identify candidate genes affecting growth and meat production traits at genome level with high throughput single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) genotyping technologies. METHODOLOGY AND RESULTS Using Illumina OvineSNP50 BeadChip, we performed a GWA study in 329 purebred sheep for 1...