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Sustainability, safety and quality of dairy systems and products

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Attività

Forage and crop production systems and conservation techniques for improving the protein self-sufficiency, sustainability and competitiveness of intensive and extensive dairy farms. Strengthen the link among territory, local breeds and typical products, especially in mountain areas. Improve the nutritive value of forages and feeds for dairy cows, ewes and goats according to an integrated approach between agronomical efficiency for forage production and feeding strategies. Optimization of the production processes, conservation, and use of forages and feeds to improve the safety, technological and nutritional quality of dairy products (including PDO cheeses and milk derivatives), with particular attention to health-promoting fatty acids. Applied research for the assessment of the agronomic efficiency and the environmental sustainability of cereal and livestock farms. Development of frameworks based on composite indicators with the aim of analyzing the performance of the farm and to identify strengths and weakness of the agricultural production in relation to the environmental impact of production processes. Development of rapid analytical methods based on infrared spectroscopy to achieve routinely milk fatty acid composition and dairy products authentication. Several studies involved the whole dairy chain from the production of forages and feeds to cheese making, through a close collaboration with other universities and research center (with different skills of the supply chain from microbiology, veterinary and zootechnical aspects, chemical and sensory analysis of dairy products), with particular emphasis to the microbiological and hygienic quality of silage-based diets for dairy cattle.

Coordinators: Prof. BORREANI Giorgio, Prof. FORTINA Riccardo

Members: Dott. COMINO Luciano, Dott. COPPA Mauro, Dott. LUSSIANA Carola, Dott. NUCERA Daniele Michele, Dott. PIANO Serenella, Dott. RENNA Manuela, Dott. TABACCO Ernesto

Topics and aims:

Forage and crop production systems and conservation techniques for improving the protein self-sufficiency, sustainability and competitiveness of intensive and extensive dairy farms.
Strengthen the link among territory, local breeds and typical products, especially in mountain areas.
Improve the nutritive value of forages and feeds for dairy cows, ewes and goats according to an integrated approach between agronomical efficiency for forage production and feeding strategies.
Optimization of the production processes, conservation, and use of forages and feeds to improve the safety, technological and nutritional quality of dairy products (including PDO cheeses and milk derivatives), with particular attention to health-promoting fatty acids.
Applied research for the assessment of the agronomic efficiency and the environmental sustainability of cereal and livestock farms.
Development of frameworks based on composite indicators with the aim of analyzing the performance of the farm and to identify strengths and weakness of the agricultural production in relation to the environmental impact of production processes.
Development of rapid analytical methods based on infrared spectroscopy to achieve routinely milk fatty acid composition and dairy products authentication.
Several studies involved the whole dairy chain from the production of forages and feeds to cheese making, through a close collaboration with other universities and research center (with different skills of the supply chain from microbiology, veterinary and zootechnical aspects, chemical and sensory analysis of dairy products), with particular emphasis to the microbiological and hygienic quality of silage-based diets for dairy cattle.

Laboratories and facilities:

Long-term experience on forage systems for dairy farms
Long-term experience on nutritional quality and authentication of dairy products
Microbial and chemical laboratories equipped with thermocycler, PCR electrophoresis chambers, UV revelation system, NIRS, HPLC and GC analyses for forages and milk samples. Traditional microbial analyses are routinely performed in the laboratory, among these: total aerobic and anaerobic counts, and enumeration of yeasts, moulds, lactic acid bacteria, aerobe and anaerobe sporeformers. These latter analyses are then followed by colony isolation, growth and DNA extraction for PCR amplification, in order to identify the selected colonies. Finally, the characterization of clostridia involved in silage deterioration and cheese damages is also performed on genetically identified samples.
Laboratories and equipment for studies on forage quality (DM content, proximate composition, chemical bromatological composition, digestibility, fatty acid profile, carotenoids, phenolic compound, mycotoxins). Fermentation analyses of silages: pH, ammonia nitrogen, nitrates, buffering capacity, fermentative profile by HPLC.
Laboratories and equipment for studies on milk and cheese fatty acids (gas-chromatography and infrared spectroscopy); NIRS analyses and MIRS analyses (in collaboration with the regional Breeders association - ARAP), data treatment and expertise in calibration prediction model for milk authentication and for milk constituents not yet predicted by IR, with specific attention to detailed FA compassion.
Laboratories, equipment (Daisy incubator) and facilities (“Struttura Didattica Speciale Veterinaria”) for studies on rumen fermentation.
The group has the availability of an Experimental Farm (44°53’N, 7°41’E, altitude 232 m a.s.l. in western Po Plain Italy) with 11 ha of cultivated area, experimental silos, stables, field machineries, laboratories for sample processing.

Partnerships:

a) Research and development Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), Clermont Ferrand – Theix, France;

Institut National Agronomique de Tunisie (INAT), Tunis, Tunisia;
Universidad de León, Departamento de Producción Animal, León, Spain;
CIISA, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Lisboa, Portugal;
Teagasc, Oak Park, Carlow, Ireland;
Université Abdou Moumouni, Niamey, Niger;
Università degli Studi di Parma – Dip. Scienze degli Alimenti;
Università di Milano - Dipartimento di Economia, Management e Metodi Quantitativi, Italia;
Joint Research Centre - European Commission, Ispra (VA), Italy;
Parco della Valle del Ticino, Pontevecchio di Magenta (MI), Italy;
Università la Cattolica del Sacro Cuore di Piacenza – Facoltà di Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari e Ambientali, Piacenza, Italy;
ERSAF – Mantova, Italy.

b) Business and industry

Foss Electric, Hillerød, Denmark
Ferrero S.p.A., Alba (CN), Italia
Associazione Regionale Allevatori Piemonte (ARAP), Torino, Italia
Consorzio Grana Padano PDO, Desenzano del Garda (BS), Italia
Compral latte, Cuneo, Italia
Nippon Gohsei, Dussendorf, Germany
Lallemand sas, Microbial inoculant for silage, FranceNovamont SpA, Novara, Italia
INALPI SpA, Moretta (CN), Italia
Caseificio Vincenzo Quaglia of Scarnafigi (CN);
Latteria di Cameri (NO), Italia;
Caseificio Fiandino, Villafalletto (CN).

Prodotti della ricerca

Borreani G., Tabacco E.
Improving corn silage quality in the top layer of farm bunker silos through the use of a next-generation barrier film with high impermeability to oxygen.
http://hdl.handle.net/2318/144144

..... (under updating)

Tag: dairy systems, dairy products