Browsing by Author "Sneddon NW"
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- ItemDoes the age of milk affect its mid-infrared spectrum and predictions(Elsevier Ltd, 2024-05-30) Magro S; Sneddon NW; Costa A; Chiarin E; Penasa M; De Marchi MMilk of dairy species commonly undergo standardized official analyses, these that may require chemical preservation and transportation to a certified laboratory. In this context, storage duration is an important factor that can potential affect both milk chemical analyses and its mid-infrared spectrum. We analysed milk samples at different time points/ages to assess repeatability and reproducibility of mid-infrared predicted traits (e.g., fat and protein). Using spectral data, we also evaluated the ability of spectroscopy coupled with chemometrics to discriminate samples according to their age. Although the main components of milk remained consistently reproducible across age (days), changes in the spectrum due to sample aging and deterioration of the matrix were detectable. Using a discriminant analysis, we achieved a classification accuracy of 77% in validation. Predicting milk age using mid-infrared spectra is feasible, allowing for sample monitoring within circuits where maximum reliability is needed, e.g., bulk or individual milk samples for legal/official use or payment systems.
- ItemEffects of yard weaning and human contact compared to paddock weaning on the liveweight gain and stress reactivity of beef cattle(Taylor and Francis Group, 2023-09-03) Cranston LM; Ramsay BA; Schoorl J-AAJ; Stayton KM; Greaves A; Shanks RD; van Kampen CJ; Cockrem JF; Beausoleil NJ; Morris ST; Sneddon NW; Hickson REIn New Zealand beef herds, calves undergo ‘paddock weaning’ by separating calves and cows into different paddocks. Anecdotal evidence indicates ‘yard weaning’ whereby calves are yarded and receive regular human contact during weaning may improve long-term stress reactivity and growth rates. Calves were allocated to one of three treatments for seven days post-separation from dams: paddock weaned with minimal human interaction (PN), paddock weaned with daily human interaction (PV), yard weaned with daily human interaction (YV). Calf liveweight, behavioural and physiological measures of stress reactivity and faecal corticosterone concentration were measured. Until day seven, YV calves lost less liveweight than PV or PN calves (0.5 kg vs. 3.5 and 4.8 kg P < 0.05). On day seven, PN calves had a 23% greater heart rate compared to YV calves and a greater faecal corticosterone concentration than PV and YV calves (in cohort 2 only) (P < 0.05). This indicates, regular non-aversive human contact during weaning may reduce stress associated with the weaning process itself and reduced stress reactivity to subsequent handling and restraint. However, this effect was transient with no consistent longer-term benefits over traditional paddock weaning, in terms of growth or stress reactivity to human handling.
- ItemInvited review: Bovine colostrum, a promising ingredient for humans and animals-Properties, processing technologies, and uses(Elsevier, 2023-08) Costa A; Sneddon NW; Goi A; Visentin G; Mammi LME; Savarino EV; Zingone F; Formigoni A; Penasa M; De Marchi MMammalian colostrum, known as "liquid gold," is considered a valuable source of essential nutrients, growth factors, probiotics, prebiotics, antibodies, and other bioactive compounds. Precisely for this reason, bovine colostrum (BC) is an emerging ingredient for the feed, food, and pharmaceutical industries, being nowadays commercially available in a variety of forms in several countries. Moreover, quite a large number of functional foods and supplements for athletes, human medicines, pet nutrition plans, and complementary feed for some livestock categories, such as piglets and calves, contain BC. The amount of BC yielded by a cow after calving represents approximately 0.5% of the yearly output in dairy breeds. For its nutritional properties and low availability, BC is characterized by a greater market value and an increasing demand compared with other by-products of the dairy sector. However, information regarding the market size of BC for the food and pharmaceutical industries, as well as future developments and perspectives, is scarcely available in the scientific literature. This lack can be attributed to industrial secrecy as well as to the relatively small scale of the BC business when compared with other dairy products, which makes the BC market limited, specific, and intended for a restricted audience. From a legal perspective, regulations assign BC to the large family of milk-derived powders; thus, collecting specific production data, as well as import-export trend information, is not straightforward and can result in unprecise estimates. Given that the interest in BC is increasing in different fields, it is important to have an overview of the production steps and of pros and cons of this emerging ingredient. The present narrative review discloses why BC has started to be considered a product rather than a by-product of the dairy industry. Moreover, the present document aims to summarize the existing methodologies used to assess BC quality in terms of immunoglobulin concentration, the different applications of BC in the industry, and the BC processing technologies. Finally, a panoramic view of the current international market is provided for the first time for this dairy product.
- ItemPreferences in traits and management characteristics for dairy-beef animals from a survey of New Zealand farmers(Taylor and Francis Group on behalf of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 2025-05-19) Sneddon NW; Corner-Thomas RA; Kenyon PR; Brier DThere are three parties involved in the expansion of dairy-beef or beef-on-dairy within New Zealand, they are namely, beef breeders, dairy farmers and beef finishers. Within these three groups, there are different requirements for an animal within each those industries. In 2022, Beef + Lamb New Zealand conducted a survey to collect responses from 121 respondents across these 3 parties, to gauge farmer preferences. The survey contained questions relating to the management of young cattle from birth through to weaning or sale (depending on management practice), and then from weaning or purchase through to finishing. All farmers were asked what traits they selected for in bulls, and what they based purchasing decisions on. The results showed a series of trends, related to breed choice, price and perceived benefit to their farming system. Calves from dairy cattle that had some Jersey genetics were seen as a finishing risk and were less attractive to finishing operations. There appeared to be a disconnect between the preferences of dairy and beef finishing operations, with sire selection having opposite selection criteria. The results of this survey indicate that work needs to be taken to align the goals of both beef finishers and dairy farmers.
- ItemThe genetic parameters of racing success and longevity in the New Zealand Thoroughbred racing industry(Taylor and Francis Group on behalf of the Royal Society Te Apārangi, New Zealand, 2025-04-23) Chin YY; Sneddon NW; Gibson MJ; Legg KA; Gee EK; Rogers CW; Handcock RWithin the Thoroughbred industry, individual success can be measured with races and prize money won. At an industry level, there is a requirement for horses to be able to race from a young age and have a sustained injury-free career. Therefore, the variance components of such traits were investigated within ASReml for 26,920 New Zealand Thoroughbred racehorses. Age at first competitive high-speed event (trial or race start) had high heritability (h2= 0.52 ± 0.02), and an inverse genetic correlation with career earnings (−0.40 ± 0.05) and number of wins (−0.35 ± 0.06). Career earnings (h2 = 0.24 ± 0.02) had positive genetic and phenotypic correlations (0.59 ± 0.004) with career length, implying that racing success could be a useful selection proxy for career length. Horses that started earlier had longer career length (−0.21 ± 0.07,–0.18 ± 0.01). The low heritability of career length (0.11 ± 0.01) reflects considerable environmental influence on this trait, reinforcing the importance of early training and exercise in increasing career length. Therefore, the optimal strategy is a selection programme focusing on racing success, which improves commercial appeal and is genetically correlated with longevity. A training and racing programme that encourage an early competitive high-speed event would optimise the phenotypic development of the musculoskeletal system and reduce injury risk.
- ItemThe Relationship Between Stature and Live Weight of Dairy Cows Between Birth and Maturity(MDPI (Base, Switzerland), 2025-03) Gibson MJ; Sneddon NW; Rogers CW; Back PJ; Dittmer KE; Martín NP; Bezerra LR; Lancaster PLactational and reproductive performance are strongly associated with cow live weight and capacity. However, there are limited data published describing capacity (thoracic) growth and the prediction of final stature and capacity from measurements at birth. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the relationship between stature and live weight of female dairy cattle between birth and maturity. Forty dairy cows, with records of stature and capacity from birth up until two years of age, underwent follow-up measurements for live weight, height at withers, wither-rump length, girth circumference and leg length on four occasions between 42 and 52 months of age. Measures of wither height, leg length and wither rump length at fourth mating had the strongest association with measures at birth (R2 > 0.90) compared to girth and live weight (R2 = 0.88 and 0.82, respectively). The weaker association between birth and maturity measures for girth is likely a reflection of the stronger relationship with live weight resulting in a later maturity (approximately 810 days) compared to linear measures such as height (approximately 730 days). Therefore, to maximise capacity, adequate nutrition is required until approximately 810 days of age when capacity growth is most sensitive to environmental input.
- ItemWool shedding and lamb fleece weights: first-cross and backcross Wiltshire–Romney sheep scored at lamb, hogget and two-tooth ages(Taylor and Francis Group, 2024-05-03) Sneddon NW; Handcock RC; Corner-Thomas RA; Kenyon PR; Burnham DL; Garrick DJ; Littlejohn MD; Blair HT; Morris STWith decreasing wool values, interest is increasing regarding shedding sheep. To investigate this, two long-term studies introducing Wiltshire genes into Romney flocks were initiated. Data from these two studies provide phenotypic relationships between a range of shedding scores at different ages. The data included shedding scores (on a 0–5 scale) repeated on lambs (∼5 months), hoggets (∼14–18 months) and two-tooths (∼27 months), and lamb fleece weights. Positive relationships between shedding scores on the same animals were observed. Lamb fleece weight was negatively correlated with all shedding scores. Lamb shedding score in February had a correlation of 0.54 (P < 0.001) with the February score as a hogget at Riverside farm. Scoring wool shedding is a laborious activity requiring individual animals to be scored in the shearing position. Therefore, lamb fleece weight was investigated for its relationship with shedding scores, as a potentially easier alternative. Lamb fleece weight had a greater correlation with February hogget shedding score than with the lamb shedding score (−0.76 vs −0.52, P < 0.001). This study indicated that February scores are an accurate predictor of future shedding phenotypes, and when used in conjunction with fleece weight, are a good predictor of phenotypes expressed at later ages.
