Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Nikola Stanišić Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Biomedicine, Technology and Food Safety Research and Development, Institute for Animal Husbandry, Belgrade, Serbia Author-Name: Bogdan Cekić Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Sheep and Goat Breeding Research and Development, Institute for Animal Husbandry, Belgrade, Serbia Author-Name: Nevena Maksimović Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Sheep and Goat Breeding Research and Development, Institute for Animal Husbandry, Belgrade, Serbia Author-Name: Maja Petričević Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Biomedicine, Technology and Food Safety Research and Development, Institute for Animal Husbandry, Belgrade, Serbia Author-Name: Nikola Delić Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Biomedicine, Technology and Food Safety Research and Development, Institute for Animal Husbandry, Belgrade, Serbia Author-Name: Slaviša Stajić Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Animal Source Food Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia Author-Name: Tanja Keškić Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Biomedicine, Technology and Food Safety Research and Development, Institute for Animal Husbandry, Belgrade, Serbia Title: Carcass traits and meat quality in Balkan goats: A multivariate evaluation of crossbreeding and slaughter weight effects Abstract: This study investigated the effects of slaughter weight and breed on carcass characteristics, meat quality, and technological properties in purebred Balkan and F1 crossbred (Balkan × Saanen) male goats. A total of 48 animals, divided into four slaughter weight groups (10, 15, 18, and 22 kg), were analysed for carcass composition, muscle traits, and fat distribution. ANOVA and multivariate analyses (PCA and HCA) revealed significant effects of weight and breed on key carcass and meat quality parameters. Heavier animals exhibited higher intramuscular fat and primal cut yields with superior water-holding capacity (WHC), while lighter goats had leaner carcasses with less muscle pigment. Crossbred F1 goats demonstrated a more balanced muscle-to-fat ratio, whereas pure Balkan goats tended to accumulate fat more rapidly at higher weights. These findings indicate that optimal slaughter weight selection should align with market demands, such as producing leaner meat in lighter Balkan goats, or achieving increased marbling and better economic returns in heavier crossbred animals. Future research should explore genetic effects on muscle and fat deposition and assess consumer preferences to refine breeding and production strategies. Keywords: autochthonous goat, carcass metrics, hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), muscle composition, principal component analysis (PCA) Journal: Czech Journal of Animal Science Pages: 438-449 Volume: 70 Issue: 10 Year: 2025 DOI: 10.17221/53/2025-CJAS File-URL: http://cjas.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/53/2025-CJAS.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/cjs-202510-0001.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlcjs:v:70:y:2025:i:10:id:53-2025-CJAS Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Adi Magna Patriadi Nuhriawangsa Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Animal Science, Sebelas Maret University, Surakarta, Indonesia Author-Name: Adi Ratriyanto Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Animal Science, Sebelas Maret University, Surakarta, Indonesia Title: Phytase supplementation maintains productive performance, egg quality, and blood biochemical profile in Japanese quails fed phosphorus-reduced diet Abstract: This study aimed to investigate the effects of phytase supplementation in phosphorus (P)-reduced diet on the productive performance, egg quality, calcium (Ca) utilisation, and blood profile of Japanese quails. Phytase breaks down phytic acid; thereby, increasing the availability of its bound nutrients, enabling poultry to hydrolyse and utilise these nutrients effectively. A total of 480 female Japanese quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica; 28-day-old and average body weight = 94.3 ± 5.7 g) were assigned to four dietary regimens, each consisting of six replicates of 20 birds. The control diet (T0) contained 0.5% nonphytate P. The other experimental diets included: T1 = comprising 0.4% nonphytate P supplemented with 0.1% phytase equivalent to 500 Phytase Unit (FTU)/kg; T2 = comprising 0.3% nonphytate P supplemented with 0.15% phytase equivalent to 750 FTU/kg; and T3 = comprising 0.2% nonphytate P supplemented with 0.2% phytase equivalent to 1 000 FTU/kg. The addition of phytase to P-reduced diets did not affect the overall productive performance in quails. Moreover, yolk weight increased by 3.04% to 10.5% (P = 0.01) and the haugh unit increased by 0.56% to 1.11% (P = 0.04) compared to the control, whereas other quality traits, such as albumen weight, albumen and yolk indices, and eggshell weight, thickness, and breaking strength, remained unaffected following the supplementation of phytase in the P-reduced diet. Additionally, an increase in Ca output in eggshells (5.26% to 15.79%; P = 0.14) and the ratio of Ca in eggshells to Ca intake (5.59% to 16.47%; P = 0.49) correlated with the increase in blood Ca levels in the quails on the P-reduced diet (P = 0.16). In conclusion, the addition of phytase to P-reduced diets has proven effective in maintaining the laying performance, egg quality, and blood biochemical profiles of Japanese quails. Keywords: coturnix, egg quality, layer, nonphytate, production Journal: Czech Journal of Animal Science Pages: 450-458 Volume: 70 Issue: 10 Year: 2025 DOI: 10.17221/83/2025-CJAS File-URL: http://cjas.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/83/2025-CJAS.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/cjs-202510-0002.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlcjs:v:70:y:2025:i:10:id:83-2025-CJAS Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Magdaléna Štolcová Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Cattle Breeding, Institute of Animal Science, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Luděk Bartoň Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Cattle Breeding, Institute of Animal Science, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Eva Kašná Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Genetics and Breeding of Farm Animals, Institute of Animal Science, Prague, Czech Republic Title: Using milk components to estimate the risk of energy imbalance in Holstein cows by means of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis Abstract: Negative energy balance (NEB) in dairy cows during early lactation significantly contributes to metabolic and infectious diseases, traditionally diagnosed via costly and time-consuming serum non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) analysis. This study aimed to develop a practical and cost-effective diagnostic test for NEB based on milk components analysed routinely. Data from 692 Holstein cows (5-35 days in milk) located at five Czech dairy farms were analysed using multiple logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Results showed that 99 cows (14.3%) were classified as NEB+ (NEFA > 0.6 mmol/l). Cows in the NEB+ group exhibited a significantly higher milk fat content (P < 0.001) and milk fat-to-protein ratio (P < 0.001), and lower lactose concentrations (P < 0.001) compared to NEB- cows. Key indicators of lipomobilisation, such as C18:1, C18:0, and monounsaturated fatty acids (FA), were significantly higher (P < 0.001) in NEB+ cows, while saturated, short-chain, and medium-chain FA were lower (P < 0.001). The developed prediction models, incorporating milk fat and specific FA (e.g. C18:1, C18:0, C14:0), demonstrated high diagnostic efficacy. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) values ranged from 0.84 to 0.92 for individual farms and reached 0.83 for the combined dataset. Using the Index of Union method, optimal cut-off points yielded sensitivities between 0.72 and 0.86, and specificities between 0.72 and 0.85. For the overall model, both sensitivity and specificity were 0.76. In conclusion, the proposed diagnostic test, leveraging milk components, offers a reliable and practical tool for early NEB detection in dairy cows. This facilitates timely intervention, thereby mitigating adverse health and economic impacts. Further validation with larger and more diverse datasets is recommended. Keywords: dairy cattle, diagnostic test, early disease detection, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, metabolic health, milk fatty acids Journal: Czech Journal of Animal Science Pages: 428-437 Volume: 70 Issue: 10 Year: 2025 DOI: 10.17221/124/2025-CJAS File-URL: http://cjas.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/124/2025-CJAS.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/cjs-202510-0003.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlcjs:v:70:y:2025:i:10:id:124-2025-CJAS Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Lukáš Praus Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Agroenvironmental Chemistry and Plant Nutrition, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Jaromír Ducháček Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Animal Husbandry, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food, and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Tomáš Mrština Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Agroenvironmental Chemistry and Plant Nutrition, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Lukáš Kaplan Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Agroenvironmental Chemistry and Plant Nutrition, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Jana Sekaninová Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Palacký University Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic Author-Name: Martina Janků Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Palacký University Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic Author-Name: Jiřina Száková Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Agroenvironmental Chemistry and Plant Nutrition, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Pavel Tlustoš Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Agroenvironmental Chemistry and Plant Nutrition, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Luděk Stádník Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Animal Husbandry, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food, and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Kateřina Cihlářová Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Animal Husbandry, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food, and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Title: Preliminary study: From biofortified maize to cow milk enriched with selenium: An on-farm strategy using selenium-enriched silage Abstract: Selenium (Se) supplementation is a common practice in dairy nutrition. However, the use of biofortified feedstuffs remains a not fully realized strategy to enhance the Se content of animal derived products. This study explored an on-farm biofortification approach by incorporating Se-enriched maize silage into the total mixed ration (TMR) of dairy cows. Sixty Holstein cows were divided into a control group (CON), receiving a conventional diet with selenite supplementation (0.6 mg/kg Se in TMR), and an experimental group (EXP), in which conventional silage was replaced with high-Se silage (0.9 mg/kg Se in TMR). The trial lasted 22 weeks, including one week of adaptation and four weeks after supplementation, when Se concentrations in milk, Se transfer efficiency, and key milk components critical for the production of Se-enriched dairy products were assessed. The higher Se concentration in the TMR had no adverse effects on milk composition or antioxidant status. Milk Se concentration in the EXP group increased rapidly, reaching 68 µg/l within two weeks, significantly higher (P < 0.005) than in the CON group (27 µg/l). Se transfer efficiency to milk was also higher in the EXP group (13.9%) compared to the CON group (8.8%). The diverse Se species in biofortified silage, confirmed through the speciation analysis, may have contributed to these outcomes. However, the gradual decline in milk Se after the initial peak warrants further investigation into physiological factors or changes in silage Se speciation during storage. Keywords: antioxidant status, dairy cows, selenium-enriched milk, selenium speciation, selenium supplementation Journal: Czech Journal of Animal Science Pages: 415-427 Volume: 70 Issue: 10 Year: 2025 DOI: 10.17221/131/2025-CJAS File-URL: http://cjas.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/131/2025-CJAS.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/cjs-202510-0004.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlcjs:v:70:y:2025:i:10:id:131-2025-CJAS