Added Value of Products from Endangered Local Sheep Breeds in Mountain Areas

Local sheep breeds in the Italian eastern Alps passed from ex situ to in situ conservation. These breeds are mainly reared by smallholders in low-input farming systems. To allow the sustainable use of genetic resources, the economic sustainability of farmers must be supported through production guid...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Animals (Basel) 2024-10, Vol.14 (19), p.2855
Main Authors: Benedetti Del Rio, Elena, Berton, Marco, Amalfitano, Nicolò, Ramanzin, Maurizio, Sturaro, Enrico
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agriculture
Animals
Chromatography
Farmers
Farms
Fatty acids
Lactose
local sheep breeds
Logistics
Marketing
meat quality
Milk
milk quality
mountain farms
Proteins
Sheep
Solvents
Supply chains
Sustainability
Citations: Items that this one cites
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Local sheep breeds in the Italian eastern Alps passed from ex situ to in situ conservation. These breeds are mainly reared by smallholders in low-input farming systems. To allow the sustainable use of genetic resources, the economic sustainability of farmers must be supported through production guidelines. Analyzing meat and milk composition and fatty acid profile, we aimed to characterize their products based on breed and diet to identify tailormade sales strategies. Results showed that both meat and milk have good nutritional values and can benefit from a pasture-based diet, irrespective of the breed. These results support the redaction of production guidelines based on the peculiar characteristics of these breeds: being multi-purpose breeds adapted to mountain areas and to grazing, thus contributing to the conservation of cultural and landscape heritage.
ISSN:2076-2615
2076-2615
DOI:10.3390/ani14192855