The bacteriocin nisin at various concentrations (50, 100, 200, 300 IU/ml) was studied as a bio-preservative to extend the shelf life of standardized, pasteurized milk. A minimum of one-week extension in shelf life was obtained for standardized milk at 4°C. Higher concentrations of nisin showed no additional effect. The effect of nisin on physico-chemical, microbial and sensory qualities were also studied. Addition of nisin had significantly reduced the development of acidity and standard plate count during storage. Addition of higher levels of nisin had significantly affected the sensory scores.

Sub-adult Macrobrachium rosenbergii were reared in plastic tank and fed on Highly Unsaturated Fatty Acids (HUFA) enriched Artemia, unenriched Artemia and commercial feed in order to investigate the relationship of moulting to growth. Moulting frequency was found to vary according to diet. HUFA enriched artemia fed sub-adults had greater frequency of moulting than other feed.

The brain samples were collected from 10 calves and 10 adult Indian buffaloes. Routine histological and histochemical processing and sectioning were done. The hippocampus was a curved elevation, lying immediately ventral to the splenium of the thalamus. Longitudinal section showed the ependyma, the alveus, the stratum oriens, the stratum pyramidale, the stratum radiatum, the stratum lacunosum and the stratum moleculare from above downwards. The prominent layer was the stratum pyramidale, composed of pyramidal cells in 2-3 rows. The four fields of the cornu ammonis, (CA1, CA2, CA3 and CA4) were identified based on the sizes of the pyramidal cells and their dendritic arborizations, both in the calf and in the adult. The presence of mucopolysaccharides was recorded. 

Methane (CH4) is second major gas after carbon dioxide (CO2) responsible for the warming of environment and ozone layer depletion. Although CH4 production is necessary for efficient digestion, it represents an energetic loss of up to 12% of the gross energy intake in ruminants. Methane is produced by strict anaerobes belonging to the sub-group of the Archaea domain. The past decade has shown a lot of interest in the use of plant extracts to mitigate methane production in ruminants. Addition of plant essential oils, can limit the growth of the micro-organisms participating in methane formation in the rumen, thus resulting in the reduction of its production. Reduction of methane production in the rumen ecosystem is possible to achieve with the use of plantsaponins. Tannins have been found to be toxic for many of the rumen microbes, especially ciliate protozoa, fibre degrading microbes and methanogenic bacteria as a result of this methanogenesis in the rumen is reduced. 

Meat tenderization is the disruption of meat structure, breaking the collagen subsequently resulting in good palatability and acceptance by consumer. Tenderization could be achieved by the traditional method of ripening for a long period in controlled temperature with due precautions to prevent meat spoilage. In this process endogenous muscle enzymes viz. calpains, cathepsins and caspases are responsible for proteolysis of muscle. Other processes adopted for tenderization include use of electricity, heat, physical force (hydrostatic pressure), ultrasonic waves, shock waves in water (hydrodyne), enzyme action, use of vitamins, ionic compounds, mineral salts, and chemical compounds. The electrical stimulus of low voltage is more popular than high voltage due to the cost involved. Like endogenous enzymes, plant based exogenous enzymes also cause tenderization, but their activity should be monitored to avoid over-tenderization. Chemicals, vitamins and ionic compounds activate the calcium-dependent proteases and lysosomal enzymes, which are responsible for tenderization. 

The selection of breeding bucks stands as a pivotal decision in both organised and field populations aiming for genetic enhancement. Incorporating bucks with high genetic merit into breeding programme holds the potential to significantly elevate the overall productivity of the stock. This, in turn, serves to augment the economic viability of rural goat keepers who adhere to zero-input management systems. Hence, gaining a comprehensive understanding of the influence exerted by non-genetic factors on semen characteristics among bucks within a particular breed is imperative for effective breeding management. In this study, a total of 108 ejaculates from four adult Kanni Adu bucks were analysed to determine the effect of season and order of the ejaculate on conventional semen attributes using linear mixed models with lme4 package in R software. The estimated marginal means for semen volume (ml), sperm concentration (million per ml), mass activity (0 to 5 scale), initial, pre-freeze and post-thaw sperm motility (per cent) were 0.623 ± 0.056, 3841.00 ± 238.00, 4.73 ± 0.08, 86.87 ± 0.02, 85.49 ± 0.01 and 56.15 ± 0.01 respectively.

Eighteen queen cats with a history of mis-mating were confirmed pregnant by ultrasound examination and were divided into three groups of six cats each; Group I: Normal pregnancy cats, group II: Cats treated with cloprostenol alone and Group III: Cats that underwent treatment with cloprostenol and cabergoline for medical termination of pregnancy (MTP). Haematobiochemical and ultrasonographic aspects associated with MTP as well as the efficacy of cloprostenol administration alone and its combination with cabergoline in inducing MTP were studied. Ultrasonographic evaluation showed a significant increase in mean heart rate and a decrease in mean gestational sac diameter (p ≤ 0.01) values after 72 hours of initiation of the MTP treatment. Haematological parameters showed a significant reduction in RBC and PCV values; however, there was a significant increase in WBC and neutrophil values on post-hours treatment. Hence, the use of combined therapy (cloprostenol and cabergoline) can be considered a more effective protocol for MTP than single-drug therapy (cloprostenol) from 30- 35 days of pregnancy in cats. 

In recent years, investigations have been carried out to improve the functional value of meat products through the introduction of dietary fibre (DF). The addition of dietary fibre in meat products contributes to the fabrication of products that enhance physiological functions. The present study was conducted to fortify chicken meatballs with Oats (Avena sativa) and Cabbage (Brassica oleracea) as a source of dietary fibre. Oat flour and cabbage were incorporated at the levels of 1.5 %, 2.5 % and 3.5 % (w/w) for the preparation of meatballs. Moisture content, product pH, emulsion stability and technological properties like cooking yield, water absorption capacity and oil absorption capacity of the final product were studied. The results revealed that cooking yield increased on the addition of oat flour and cabbage (p≤0.05). There was no significant change in product pH, and in sensory attributes at the level of 2.5% incorporation. Overall technological properties and sensorial analysis of these products were found to be higher than control. Thus, the inclusion of oat flour and cabbage at the level of 2.5 % to chicken meatballs had significantly increased the crude fibre from control 14.053+0.021 to 4.727±0.015% in T2, representing a l6.62% increase in fibre content, that also showed higher desirability in sensorial analysis.

The current study was designed to evaluate the carcass and meat quality characteristics of Siruvidai chicken of Tiruvannamalai, Dharmapuri, Ariyalur and Perambalur districts of Tamil Nadu.  The carcass characteristics namely New-York dressed weight, eviscerated carcass weight, ready-to-cook weight, giblets weight, abdominal fat weight and meat: bone ratio were recorded. No significant differences observed in carcass characteristics among the districts except for pre-slaughter weight and breast yield. A significantly (p ≤ 0.05) higher breast yield was recorded from Ariyalur and Perambalur districts. The pH, water holding capacity, shear force value, tyrosine value and thio-barbituric acid (TBA) number did not show significant differences among the districts. The Siruvidai chicken of Tamil Nadu is meant for egg production and mothering ability. From this study, it is concluded that Siruvidai chicken may be utilized economically for meat production and processing.

An in vitro study evaluated the anti-methanogenic potentiality of aqueous and alcoholic plant extract mixture of ajwainseed and soapnut berries under different roughage and concentrate ratio-based diets in a 3x3 factorial design. Dried and milled plant mixture was extracted (10 g/100 ml) in three solvents, viz, water (Control), ethanol (95 %), and methanol (98 %). Substrate (200 mg) prepared by mixing wheat straw and concentrate mixture at the ratio of 30:70, 50:50 and 70:30 was taken in glass syringes (six per treatment) and incubation medium (30 ml) dispensed anaerobically. Aqueous, ethanol and methanol plant extract (0.5 ml) were taken in three dietary treatments of groups I, II, and III respectively. All the syringes were incubated at 39°C for a running duration of 24 hours and total gas production was calculated. Hundred ml of emitted gas was injected into gas chromatograph equipped with flame ionization detector for methane estimation. In vitro true digestibility of diet and ammonia nitrogen content of fermented medium were determined. Experimental data generated were analysed by adopting factorial ANOVA procedures. Results revealed that ethanol plant extract mixture had significantly (P<0.01) reduced the in vitro total gas and methane production by suppressing the true dietary digestibility of high roughage to low concentrate (70:30) based diet.