Milk quality is the rate which takes in a normal composition and a tipical characteristic. The standards and other documents like veterinary - sanitary instruction are making to secure and to control a quality of milk. In the period from 1938 to 2007 the standards of milk quality was changed very often and requirement of an animal welfare, of milk process and a primary milk processing, of staff hygiene and milk quality was tightened up. There was changed a primary milk quality valuation – for procurement milk temperature, acidity, milk cleanness and density. Most of all in the period from 1993 to 2007 was changed the norms and evaluation of milk bacterial pollution and somatic cell count. In 1970 in veterinary - sanitary instructions milk was sorted out, but in 2004 05 01 when Lithuania joined in to EU, sorts of milk was canceled. In period from 1938 to 2007 when was improved on technology most of all milk composition and milk quality evaluations was changed and became more scientific, more faster and cheaper.

Meat is one of the most important food products. European Union countries, including Lithuania, are the main meat producers in the world - their production comprises more than 16 % of processed meat. In the world commerce meat products conclude 12,8 % of market place, of which 39 % - pork. The purpose of the work - to analyse the preservative gas impact on freshness sustention of pork products. The main tasks are to review the freshness rates of pork products, their evaluation methods; to discuss the ways of long-lasting freshness sustention, which are usable in the processed food industry; to analyse the preservative gas method on the freshness sustention of meat products; to research and to compare the microbiological pollution of the sausages, packed in the preservative gas and not packed in it. The methods of research are: analysis of the primary documents; analysis of the secondary documents; analysis of the scientific literature; analysis of the statistics, microbiological research of pork sausages. The most effect of the preservative gas usable for the packing meat products is obtained by packing smoked sausages, which microbiological pollution after 20 days, increases 1,2 – 2 times.

The consumers of nowadays market can find various products of pork, but in accordance with a higher step of living standards and a lower one of the physical work concerning to human habitual changes, the EU and world market go to the demand for muscle pork. Due to the new price regulation of May 2002, every specialized enterprise has to run the accountance for meat accordingly to new valuation of prices, where the main criteria are as follows: carcass mass, muscularity (quantity of red meat) and thickness of bacon. The muscle-meat with thin slices of bacon is becoming even the higher rating. Therefore the meat corporations have to breed the more muscled fattened-pigs. The mass-production of pork have to run this obligation through a large complex of measures: best of fattening food, optimal micro-climat condition in piggery, consequent use of breeding methods as well as a systematic promoted selection. The aim of work is both to compare some carcass of quality measures of fattened-pigs in agricultural companies and corporate complexes (in connection with carcass weight/kg, bacon thickness/mm, muscularity/% (FOM), muscularity class) and to compare the average measures of carcass of fattened pigs in Lithuania with the average measures of carcass of fattened-pigs in Poland. Research results. The research was completed in 7 agricultural companies “A”, “B”, “C”, “D”, “E”, “F”, “G”, as well as in the corporate complexes: “H”, “I”, “J”, “K”, “L”, “M”, “N”. There were gathered... [to full text]

Research data show that the somatic cell count increases during the transition period when dairy cows are transferred from barns to pastures (month of May) and during the transition period when dairy cows are transferred from pasture to barn (month of October). During these period’s feedstuff composition changes, as does the temperature, microclimate parameters, which also have an influence on cows with Sub-clinical mastitis. Somatic cell counts are lowest in 1st lactation cows. 1st lactation cow somatic cell count in milk was 440,000 ± 66,400 cells/ml (2004) and 326,000 ± 55,500 cells/ ml (2005). Later lactation’s cow somatic cell counts in milk is higher, however the highest cow somatic cell count in milk is in 5th and upward lactations. Reproduction is usually evaluated during the span of the service period, taking into account the animal’s age at 1st parturition, its fertilisation index, timeframe between parturitions, and duration of pregnancy. These are important herd reproduction traits. Due to disorders in reproduction functions, costs of fertilisation increase and economic losses are sustained (Borman, 2006). The cow’s age at 1st parturition affects the heifer’s rate of maturity which also depends on the husbandry conditions and breed. During 2003 – 2004, the average age of 1st parturition Lithuanian Black/White breed cows was 26.7 - 32.6 months (Republic of Lithuania, Ministry of Agriculture, 2005). An early 1st parturition age (up to 23 months) is followed by a... [to full text]

Many feed additives are designed to secure animal’s health status and to optimize growth performance. Among others, antibiotics have been used as growth promoters for a number of years in intensive animal production systems. However, the increasing public concern over the production of food from animals has led to worries about the routine use of antibiotics in animal production. It is now feared that antibiotic residues could get into food for human consumption. The use of antibiotics as promoters of animal performance in the EU was banned by January 2006 (Øverland et al., 2003). Inborr (2000) has reported that with the aid of number of alternatives including probiotics, prebiotics (mainly oligosaccharides) and feed enzymes not only has the general health status of the poultry been maintained, but also the growth performance and feed efficiency improved. The aim of our research project was to determine the effect of different prebiotics - mannanooligosccharides, fructooligosaccharides and enzymes on broiler chickens growth performance and meat sensory attributes. To realize this aim, we conducted two experiments: 1. Effects of enzymes RovabioTMExcel AP and prebiotics mannanoligosaccharides Agrimoss on broiler chickens body weight, feed conversion (kg feed/kg weight gain), mortality, breast and leg meat pH, breast fatty acids concentration and breast and leg meat sensory attributes. 400 broiler chickens were allocated to two groups and for 35 days were fed basal diet... [to full text]

Object and tasks of work: 1. Analyse and summarize literature about horse coat color and it genetic background. 2. Perform phenotypical analysis of Lithuanian Heavy Darught horse coat color polymorphism. 3. Introduce horse MC1R gene research methodology at K. Janušauskas Laboratory of Animal Genetics, LVA. 4. Investigate MC1R gene polymorphism and distribution of different alleles at Lithuanian heavy draught by PCR-RFLP method. 5. Determine correlation between restriction fragment lenght polymorphism (RFLP) in MC1R gene and horse bay coat color polymorhism. Research methodology: 1. DNA extraction from hair roots. 2. PCR to amplify MC1R gene. 3. RFLP method-MC1R – enzyme Tag I. 3. Electrophoresis in agarose gel. 4. Staining with Etidium bromide. 5. Genotyping. 6. Stasitical analysis of data. Results and conclutions: The following DNA restriction fragments were obtained for the MC1R – Tag I polymorphism: PCR product - 460 bp; genotypes E/E; ea/ea – 460 bp; genotypes e/e – 275 bp; 185 bp; genotypes E/e; e/ea – 460 bp; 275 bp; 185 bp. After phenotypical investigation of coat color from 32 Lithuanian Heavy draught horses following variation have been found: light bay, bay, dark bay, roan and chesnut. Light bay horses with different intensivity of coat color comprised 84,4 %. From total investigated animals 34.4 % had e/e genotype, E/e – 12.5 %, e/ea - 50 % and E/E genotype – 3.1 %. Two different genotypes e/e (40.7 %) and e/ea (59.3) were found among bay color horses... [to full text]

Mastitis causes largest economic losses in dairy production. Sub-clinical mastitis is detected in 50% of lactating cows in Lithuania. Curing effect is transient if major causes and factors of mastitis are not eliminated. Prophylactic measures are directed to strengthen the immune system of the cow and to define and to eliminate all factors causing mastitis. Bacteria are present on skin of the teat in the surroundings. Use of antiseptics of cow teats before and after milking is the most effective preventive procedure that can prevent from new mastitis cases. Antiseptic solutions help to fight most opportunistic and contagious bacterial infections causing mastitis. Teat antiseptics can reduce mastitis incidence by 50 to 75 %. It is recommended to use antiseptic solutions for udder and teats, as they improve physical condition of the udder and milk quality. Agents for udder and teat antiseptics contain bactericidal, skin protecting components in aqueous solution. Bactericidal activity is defined to kill germs during chemical and biological reactions. Active ingredients are iodoforms, chlorhexidins, sodium hypochloride, sodium chloride, lactic acid, hypochloric acid, antimicrobial proteins and fatty acids. Teat dipping reduces bacterial milk contamination, and spreading of pathogens on the teats during the milking. For the present moment this procedure is also used in Europe. Spraying teats with two different concentrations of iodine solution before and after the milking... [to full text]

The research has been accomplished in the Department of Anatomy and Physiology of the Lithuanian Veterinary Academy, in the Research Center of Digestive Physiology and Pathology and in the Center of Practical Training and Experiments of the Lithuanian Veterinary Academy in 2005 - 2007. The study consists of 50 pages. There are 3 tables, 13 pictures and 5 appendixes presented in it. In order to achieve high cattle productivity it is very important to establish optimal conditions for neonate calves breeding, to stimulate development of digestive tract and activate development of useful microflora, especially on the first month of calves breeding. The purpose of this work was to determine the influence of probiotic “Yeasture” to growth, wellness and microflora of the digestive tract of neonate calves, feeding probiotic to the calves on the first month of age. The experiment has been accomplished on Lithuanian-White neonate calves throughout the indoor period from November to January. Two groups of neonate calves were organized: control group (n=8) and experimental group (n=8). Calves of the experimental group were made to drink a preventive dose of the probiotic “Yeasture” every day, id est 5 g per day according to recommendations of the manufacturer. When the neonate calves were fed with the probiotic “Yeasture” supplement for the first month of age, their daily overweight had increased averagely by 16.1 percent. Probiotic “Yeasture” had no influence to daily overweight on the... [to full text]

We have realized this work in cooperation with the Laboratory of Ophtalmology, Institute for Biomedical Research, Kaunas Medical University and Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Lithuanian Veterinary Academy. Using A-mode ultrasonography, we investigated structural parameters of the rabbit eye. The intraocular dimensions measured were as follows: distance between the anterior cornea to the anterior lens (CA), Thickness of the lens, distance between the surface of the retina (V), distance from the anterior cornea to the retina, which represents the total axial thickness. We have designed the original investigation methods and ultrasonic equipment with ultrasonic tranducer (f=12 Mhz). Using the acoustodiagnostic system, we were carrying out precise biometry of eye tissues. Ultrasonic investigations were done on 10 eyes of rabbit’s age 12 month. Comparative investigation between rabbits and pigs eye structural elements was done. The percentage relation between total axial length and other ocular dimensions rabbits and pigs eyes was estimated.

Pieno kokybę apibūdina visa eilė rodyklių. Svarbiausias iš jų - somatinių ląstelių skaičius. Didėjantis SLS nurodo, kad karvė serga dažniausiai pasitaikančia ginekologine liga mastitu. Klinikiniu mastitu serga apie 1 – 2 proc. karvių. Dažniausiai serga karvės slaptuoju mastitu. Literatūros duomenys teigia, kad laktuojančių karvių bandose šiuo mastitu serga 43 – 47 proc. karvių. Svarbiausias slaptojo mastito požymis-padidėjęs somatinių ląstelių skaičius piene. Dažniausiai tešmens infekcija karvės suserga pirmaisiais laktacijos mėnesiais ir 80 proc. atvejų jos serga visą laktacijos laikotarpį. Sergant mastitu netenkama iki 25 proc. pieno per laktaciją. Vien tik dėl vieno tešmens ketvirčio uždegimo pieno per laktaciją sumažėja net iki 12 proc. Mastitu persirgusių karvių produktyvumas ne visuomet atsikuria toks, koks buvo iki ligos, nes negrįžtamai pasikeičia alveolinis audinys, tad kai kurias karves tenka išbrokuoti. Mastitą galima diagnozuoti pagal laktozės koncentracija elektrolitų sudėti ir SLS. Patogiausia ir pigiausia diagnozuoti pagal SLS. / The aim of this study was to find the non genetical influence facts in cows milk, for healthy cows and cows with secret mastitis. Scientific research work was carried out at the Department of Non-infectious diseases, Lithuanian Veterinary Academy and Practical Instruction and Research Centre LVA from 2005 to 2007. This work analyses data from dairy cow milk production. Experiments were carried out on two to seven year old black and white breed lactating cows, during the housing period. Data from 166 cows was used in this analysis. Inclusion criteria - somatic cell count higher than 400x 103/ml. We analyzed the influence of lactation on milk somatic cell count, cow age impact on productivity during lactation period on the number of somatic cells in the milk, parturition – to conception period length, season of the year. Increasing lactation number, was associated with elevated somatic cell count from 247, 3 until 392, 4 103/ml; and average milk yield per day also increased from 12,1 until 13,8 kg, milk fat increased from 4,34 until 4,38 percent, protein content increased from 3,15 to 3,30 percent. Milk lactose content decreased accordingly from 4,75 to 4,67 percent. Age positively influences milk productivity. This can be explained by lowered resistance to mastitis which is more frequent with age, cow automatic milking and supervision mistakes (Powell, et Al. 1997). According to literature data age and lactation period highly influences cow health and productivity. Age has... [to full text]