Animal Food Supply Research Articles

Pasture lands and food supply in the Mangistau region of Kazakhstan under drought conditions: searching for compromises, recommendations

starvation of livestock in drought conditions resulting from pasture degradation. Methods - analysis and generalization of the legislation of Kazakhstan in the field of agriculture and land reclamation, Land Code based on data on the number of livestock in dynamics and share of regions in the overall country indicator. Results - issues of accessibility of pasture lands for grazing and food supply for animals in the Mangistau region were considered, facts of their death due to dystrophy caused by malnutrition were revealed. According to statistics, in 2022 there were 22.8 thousand heads of cattle, which is 4.2% less than in 2021, about 85.7 thousand heads of camels (increase by 6%), 120.5 thousand heads of horses (increase by 6.3%). Due to desertification and deterioration of pastures, the number of abandoned pastures is increasing. Conclusions - Innovative approaches are needed to address sustainable land management challenges, implementing strategies such as rotational plot systems that promote restoration of rangelands, allowing vegetation to rest between grazing periods in mountainous and foothill areas, which in turn maintains soil fertility and contributes to conservation of biodiversity. It is also necessary to grow drought-resistant forage desert plants adapted to climate change, this increases the availability of forage crops, balances livestock diets and reduces the load on ecosystems. The article proposes plans to expand pasture areas and their use, and develop projects in the field of feed production.

Analytical Determination of Aflatoxin in Ground Corn Check Samples Completed by Multiple Laboratories over Several Years.

Mycotoxins are toxic molecules produced by multiple fungal species, including Aspergillus and Fusarium. Fungal infection of crops can result in mycotoxins entering the animal and human food supply. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and other immunological assays have been developed to detect mycotoxins in foods. To calibrate the response of those methods, reference materials with known amounts of homogeneously dispersed mycotoxins are often utilized, where the mycotoxin concentrations have been determined using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with absorbance or fluorescence detection methods, or high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry detection methods. Therefore, it is important that the analytical methods provide accurate and precise quantitation of mycotoxins. The reference materials must also contain homogeneously dispersed known quantities of mycotoxin. To evaluate the accuracy and precision of mycotoxin reference materials and the analytical methods, quantitative results from multiple laboratories were completed each year for several years on ground corn check samples containing known levels of mycotoxins. Results for the quantitation of aflatoxin-containing corn reference samples are presented in this article.

Managing fragmented croplands for environmental and economic benefits in China.

Cropland fragmentation contributes to low productivity and high abandonment risk. Using spatial statistics on a detailed land use map, we show that 10% of Chinese croplands have no potential to be consolidated for large-scale farming (>10 ha) owing to spatial constraints. These fragmented croplands contribute only 8% of total crop production while using 15% of nitrogen fertilizers, leading to 12% of fertilizer loss in China. Optimizing the cropping structure of fragmented croplands to meet animal food demand in China can increase animal food supply by 19%, equivalent to increasing cropland proportionally. This crop-switching approach would lead to a 10% and 101% reduction in nitrogen and greenhouse gas emissions, respectively, resulting in a net benefit of US$ 7 billion yr-1. If these fragmented croplands were relocated to generate large-scale farming units, livestock, vegetable and fruit production would be increased by 8%, 3% and 14%, respectively, and reactive nitrogen and greenhouse gas emissions would be reduced by 16% and 5%, respectively, resulting in a net benefit of US$ 44 billion yr-1. Both solutions could be used to achieve synergies between food security, economic benefits and environmental protection through increased agricultural productivity, without expanding the overall cropland area.

Supporting function of vegetation in urban riparian ecological corridors for ground-dwelling faunal diversity in Beijing, China

Rapid global urbanization has resulted in increased biodiversity problems, particularly the loss of ground-dwelling fauna in urban areas. Urban riparian corridors are an important green infrastructure for biodiversity conservation, in which urban vegetation plays an essential role. The influence of urban vegetation on ground-dwelling faunal diversity is poorly understood. In this study, we used camera traps to collect the species, functional and phylogenetic diversity of ground-dwelling fauna in the Wenyu River-North Canal riparian corridor in Beijing, and analyzed the effects of the vegetation structure and plant community composition on the diversity and community composition of ground-dwelling animals. A plant-ground dwelling animal interaction network was also built to investigate the food supply of plants for ground-nesting animals. We found that at the vegetation structure level, the high connectivity within a radius of 2000 m and the homogeneous distribution within a radius of 1000 m of vegetation patches had generally positive effects on ground-dwelling animals, and shrublands exhibited a supportive role for mammals in riparian corridors. At the plant community level, tall herbs were instrumental in increasing the willingness of ground-dwelling animals to stay in and pass through the area. Native plants were the main plant food resource for ground-dwelling animals. Given the significant effects of vegetation on ground-dwelling fauna, we advocate that habitat conservation and food supply for ground-dwelling animals be supported through appropriate plant landscape planning and design strategies in ecological corridors in urban areas in the future.

A community-based cross-sectional study of dietary composition and associated factors among tuberculosis patients in China

To determine the dietary structure and its associated factors of tuberculosis (TB) patients in the community. This cross-sectional study analysed the dietary intake of 300 TB patients in two impoverished counties in China. Food intake was collected by using food frequency and two consecutive 24-h dietary review (24hdr) methods. The dietary composition and dietary structure of TB patients were compared with China’s 2022 Dietary Reference Intake (DRIs) and the average reference value of dietary composition (ARC) in China in 2013. Binary logistic regression models were used to explore the factors associated with inadequate intake of animal food, insufficient protein and fat energy supply in patients with TB. The daily intake of various foods in TB patients was measured and the results were as follows: staple foods—median 372.12 g (interquartile range [IQR] 315.87 g); vegetables—median 200.00 g (IQR 205.55 g); fruits—median 20.22 g (IQR 36.82 g); animal foods—median 100.82 g (IQR 180.74 g); dairy products—median 0.00 g (IQR 0.00 g); nuts—median 17.10 g (IQR 29.75 g). The average daily intakes of vegetables, fruits, animal food, dairy products, soy and nuts were lower than those recommended by the DRIs (P < 0.01). Compared to women, men consumed more whole grains and mixed legumes, but less fruit. The dietary structures, including food and nutrient supply for energy, protein and fat, were significantly different in 300 patients compared with DRIs or ARC values. Inadequate rates of animal food intake were observed in 54.85% of men and 59.57% of women. Protein undersupply rates were 66.02% in men and 56.38% in women, while fat undersupply rates were 52.91% in men and 52.13% in women. The study revealed that being 18–49 years old, being the Han nationality, having less than 2 h of physical activity per day on average, and eating twice a day were risk factors for inadequate animal protein intake, protein energy deficiency and fat energy deficiency. TB patients from impoverished counties in China have inadequate intake of several food categories and insufficient protein and fat energy supply, correlating with multiple factors in socio-demographics, behavioral practices, and TB disease. To improve the nutritional status of TB patients, urgent public health actions, especially carrying out nutritional screening and evaluation once diagnosed, developing individualized nutritional support treatment plans, strengthening dietary nutritional health education and intervention, and advocating for enhanced nutritional support, should be taken.

Animal Welfare and Livestock Supply Chain Sustainability Under the COVID-19 Outbreak: An Overview.

The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the emergence of a new strain of coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) around the end of December 2019, has caused a worldwide public health emergency and a socioeconomic crisis during 2020. The lockdown imposed to cope with the health issues caused by the outbreak of the disease has dramatically challenged and negatively affected all the economic sectors of the modern global economy. Specifically, the livestock sector and its related industries are among the most impacted sectors. This is mainly ascribed to the limitations of animal movement and the decrease of production inputs' availability. Other factors negatively affecting the sustainability of the livestock sector have been the shortage of workers due to the lockdown/curfew, the strong decrease in the purchasing power of the consumer, and the intensification of health care tasks. Such an impact is not only highly relevant because of their economic consequences, but also because of the effects of the lockdown and sanitary rules on animal care and welfare. The current review aims to offer: (a) a comprehensive overview of the impact of COVID-19 on the welfare of farm animals and on the performance of livestock farming systems, on food chain sustainability, and finally, on the global economy and food security; and (b) a prospective outline of alleviation actions.

Casual Nexus Between Dynamics of Population and Food Security: Economic Benchmarks for Agriculture

Food security and dynamics of population have a dual connection. Firstly, a rapid rise in the population size increases a demand for food. Secondly, a lack of food affordability and availability implies negative dynamics of population. The latter issue observed in Ukraine highlighted the goal of this research. The methodological study background was econometrics and cluster comparative analysis. The considered time series covered the period 1999 to 2018. The accessible cross-sectional data included 90 countries. The research outcome in the form of multiple regressions allowed forecasting the objective values of expenditures on food, income per capita, and daily protein intakes which could retain a stable population size. The offered EU and World Top benchmarks involved the GDP indicator, balance between crop and animal food supplies, medium age, and share of rural population by country. These findings made possible to set prospects of amplifying Ukrainian food security and improving population dynamics.

Analisis Implementasi Transformasi Bisnis Peternakan terhadap Kinerja PT Berdikari (PERSERO)

PT Berdikari (Persero) was transformed into an Animal Husbandry State Owned Company (SOE) in 2012 through the letter of State-Owned Enterprises Minister Number S-211/D1.MBU/2012 to support Government’s policies on providing animal food supply. This business transformationchanges core competencies from trading agribusiness commodities (rice, sugar, meat, platantion commodities, fertilizer, insurance, etc.) to animal husbandry. It becomes corporate transformation phase that cause financial performance anomalies. This study aims to identify the effect of business transformation towards financial performance of PT Berdikari (Persero) using statistical hypothesis testing by T-test to explore the existence of financial performance impact before and after business transformation practice. Based on State-Owned Enterprises Minister Regulation Number 1000/MBU/2012 about SOE performance assessment, there are eight indicators for assessing SOEs’ financial performance: Return on Equity (ROE), Return on Investment (ROI), Inventory Turn Over, Colection Period, Cash Ratio, Current Ratio, Total Turn Over and Capital to Total Assets Ratio. The result of hypothesis testing with 95percent degree of significance found that there are differences of ROE and Inventory Turn Over PT Berdikari (Persero) before and after transformation. Company profit was decreased and operating expenses was increased. Low level of sales revenue drives ROE, especially after business transformation. This low level of sales caused Inventory Turn Over to increased since inventories in the warehouse was cumulated.

Rapid Increase in Carbapenemase-Producing Enterobacteriaceae in Retail Meat Driven by the Spread of the blaNDM-5-Carrying IncX3 Plasmid in China from 2016 to 2018.

The presence and molecular characteristics of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) among meat products in China were investigated. A total of 110 carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) isolates, including 94 Escherichia coli and 10 Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates, were identified from 105 of 794 (13.2%) samples. The positive rates markedly increased from 2016 (9.4%) to 2018 (22.2%). Only blaNDM genes were detected; 79.1% of blaNDM genes were carried by IncX3 plasmids. Routine monitoring of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae in the animal food supply is highly recommended.

Development of an Automated Pain Facial Expression Detection System for Sheep (Ovis Aries).

Simple SummaryDetecting signs of pain in sheep is a challenging problem, as they are a prey species and would usually try to hide any signs that they are unwell or injured. This means that treating ill or injured sheep and preventing any further spread of contagious diseases such as footrot can be slow. The recent development and publication of a Sheep Pain Facial Expression Scale (SPFES) has provided a tool to reliably detect pain in this species. However, due to the increase in intensification in farming and larger flock sizes being cared for by individual farmers, there is less time to spend monitoring sheep for changes in behaviour that may indicate illness or injury. Having an automated system that could detect changes in the facial expression of individual sheep would mean that farmers could receive information directly about particular individuals that need assessment. This would allow treatment to be provided in a timely and direct manner, reducing suffering. We have been developing the SPFES further in order for it to become an automated system. In this paper, we present our novel framework that integrates SPFES concepts with automatic facial expression analysis technologies.The use of technology to optimize the production and management of each individual animal is becoming key to good farming. There is a need for the real-time systematic detection and control of disease in animals in order to limit the impact on animal welfare and food supply. Diseases such as footrot and mastitis cause significant pain in sheep, and so early detection is vital to ensuring effective treatment and preventing the spread across the flock. Facial expression scoring to assess pain in humans and non-humans is now well utilized, and the Sheep Pain Facial Expression Scale (SPFES) is a tool that can reliably detect pain in this species. The SPFES currently requires manual scoring, leaving it open to observer bias, and it is also time-consuming. The ability of a computer to automatically detect and direct a producer as to where assessment and treatment are needed would increase the chances of controlling the spread of disease. It would also aid in the prevention of resistance across the individual, farm, and landscape at both national and international levels. In this paper, we present our framework for an integrated novel system based on techniques originally applied for human facial expression recognition that could be implemented at the farm level. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first time that this technology has been applied to sheep to assess pain.

Nitrogen deprivation in Fusarium oxysporum promotes mycotoxin production via intermediates in the Krebs cycle and unreported methylmalonyl-CoA mutase activity.

Fusarium oxysporum has a high affinity for lignin and cellulose-based substrates and is known to grow in a wide range of environments. It is these properties and its ability to produce mycotoxins that have contributed to its pathogenicity in cereal crops that can affect human and animal health when ingested. Identify the mechanisms of mycotoxin production and map the functional output of F. oxysporum under varying growth conditions. Liquid and gas-based chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry was used to identify and map the untargeted metabolic pathway of F. oxysporum grown using nitrogen limited and organic/inorganic nitrogen supplemented media. Over 1300 metabolites were identified, relating to 42 metabolic pathways. Of these, 520 metabolites merged at pyruvate (glycolysis), succinate (Krebs cycle) and aspartate-glutamate metabolic pathways. CoA depletion at the growth stage triggered the initiation of fatty acid and branched amino acid degradation. This in turn activated propionyl CoA carnitine acetyltransferase enzymes, resulting in nitrogen preservation (urea, putrescine and organic acids end-products). CoA then transferred into the TCA cycle via previously unreported β-alanine and propionyl CoA metabolic pathways, the latter likely being a novel methylmalonyl-CoA mutase activity for F. oxysporum. The lower supplementation of inorganic nitrogen compounds (≤ 50mM) and the elimination of nitrates/organic nitrogen sources resulted in TCA autophagy events that boosted mycotoxin-based metabolism and decreased overall F. oxysporum growth. Such knowledge of functional mycotoxin production can be used to supplement agricultural crops and reduce the risk of mycotoxin contamination in human and animal food supplies.

Characterization of a Multidrug-Resistant Salmonella enterica Serovar Heidelberg Outbreak Strain in Commercial Turkeys: Colonization, Transmission, and Host Transcriptional Response.

In recent years, multidrug-resistant (MDR) Salmonella enterica serovar Heidelberg (S. Heidelberg) has been associated with numerous human foodborne illness outbreaks due to consumption of poultry. For example, in 2011, an MDR S. Heidelberg outbreak associated with ground turkey sickened 136 individuals and resulted in 1 death. In response to this outbreak, 36 million pounds of ground turkey were recalled, one of the largest meat recalls in U.S. history. To investigate colonization of turkeys with an MDR S. Heidelberg strain isolated from the ground turkey outbreak, two turkey trials were performed. In experiment 1, 3-week-old turkeys were inoculated with 108 or 1010 CFU of the MDR S. Heidelberg isolate, and fecal shedding and tissue colonization were detected following colonization for up to 14 days. Turkey gene expression in response to S. Heidelberg exposure revealed 18 genes that were differentially expressed at 2 days following inoculation compared to pre-inoculation. In a second trial, 1-day-old poults were inoculated with 104 CFU of MDR S. Heidelberg to monitor transmission of Salmonella from inoculated poults (index group) to naive penmates (sentinel group). The transmission of MDR S. Heidelberg from index to sentinel poults was efficient with cecum colonization increasing 2 Log10 CFU above the inoculum dose at 9 days post-inoculation. This differed from the 3-week-old poults inoculated with 1010 CFU of MDR S. Heidelberg in experiment 1 as Salmonella fecal shedding and tissue colonization decreased over the 14-day period compared to the inoculum dose. These data suggest that young poults are susceptible to colonization by MDR S. Heidelberg, and interventions must target turkeys when they are most vulnerable to prevent Salmonella colonization and transmission in the flock. Together, the data support the growing body of literature indicating that Salmonella establishes a commensal-like condition in livestock and poultry, contributing to the asymptomatic carrier status of the human foodborne pathogen in our animal food supply.

Genetic Relatedness Among Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli Isolated Along the Animal Food Supply Chain and in Gastroenteritis Cases in Qatar Using Multilocus Sequence Typing.

Pathogenic Escherichia coli has been listed among the most important bacteria associated with foodborne illnesses around the world. We investigated the genetic relatedness among Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) isolated along the animal food supply chain and from humans diagnosed with gastroenteritis in Qatar. Samples were collected from different sources along the food supply chain and from patients admitted to the hospital with complaints of gastroenteritis. All samples were screened for the presence of E. coli O157:H7 and non-O157 STEC using a combination of bacterial enrichment and molecular detection techniques. A proportional sampling approach was used to select positive samples from each source for further multilocus sequence typing (MLST) analysis. Seven housekeeping genes described for STEC were amplified by polymerase chain reaction, sequenced, and analyzed by MLST. Isolates were characterized by allele composition, sequence type (ST) and assessed for epidemiologic relationship within and among different sources. Nei's genetic distance was calculated at the allele level between sample pools in each site downstream. E. coli O157:H7 occurred at a higher rate in slaughterhouse and retail samples than at the farm or in humans in our sampling. The ST171, an ST common to enterotoxigenic E. coli and atypical enteropathogenic E. coli, was the most common ST (15%) in the food supply chain. None of the genetic distances among the different sources was statistically significant. Enterohemorrhagic E. coli pathogenic strains are present along the supply chain at different levels and with varying relatedness. Clinical isolates were the most diverse, as expected, considering the polyclonal diversity in the human microbiota. The high occurrence of these food adulterants among the farm products suggests that implementation of sanitary measures at that level might reduce the risk of human exposure.

Developments in Animal Husbandry and Food Supply in Roman Germania Inferior

The Roman province of Germania Inferior is characterized geographically by the river Rhine—the border of the Empire—and the forts along it. From the north-west to the south-east, there are significant differences in landscape and type of rural habitation. Whether these differences are also noticeable in animal husbandry forms the subject of this article. Are there any differences in species proportions and slaughter ages between the western and eastern parts of the province, and between urban, military, and rural sites? What does this say about farming and food supply? After presenting an overview of the zooarchaeological data from Germania Inferior, I shall discuss in detail onecivitas—thecivitasBatavorum, with the best known zooarchaeological dataset within the province. What changes in species proportions and cattle size can be detected over time from thiscivitas? Is there evidence for inter- and intra-site variability and changes in butchery methods? This article's further aim is to demonstrate what kind of questions a synthetic overview of zooarchaeological datasets can address.

Controlling viral outbreaks: Quantitative strategies.

Preparing for and responding to outbreaks of serious livestock infectious diseases are critical measures to safeguard animal health, public health, and food supply. Almost all of the current control strategies are empirical, and mass culling or “stamping out” is frequently the principal strategy for controlling epidemics. However, there are ethical, ecological, and economic reasons to consider less drastic control strategies. Here we use modeling to quantitatively study the efficacy of different control measures for viral outbreaks, where the infectiousness, transmissibility and death rate of animals commonly depends on their viral load. We develop a broad theoretical framework for exploring and understanding this heterogeneity. The model includes both direct transmission from infectious animals and indirect transmission from an environmental reservoir. We then incorporate a large variety of control measures, including vaccination, antivirals, isolation, environmental disinfection, and several forms of culling, which may result in fewer culled animals. We provide explicit formulae for the basic reproduction number, R0, for each intervention and for combinations. We evaluate the control methods for a realistic simulated outbreak of low pathogenic avian influenza on a mid-sized turkey farm. In this simulated outbreak, culling results in more total dead birds and dramatically more when culling all of the infected birds.

Production and genetic improvement of minor cereals in China

China is a leading country in the production of several minor cereals such as foxtail millet, Job's tears, naked oat, and naked barley. Sorghum and proso millet have also contributed greatly to Chinese agriculture. Foxtail millet, sorghum, barley, and proso millet were widely grown as major crops 60years ago, and the reduction in their cultivation area reflects historical changes in Chinese agriculture over the past decades. Systematic germplasm collections from the 1950s to the 1990s gathered more than 66,690 accessions of these minor cereals, and for some of them, the Chinese germplasm collections are the largest in the world; for example, the 27,700 accessions of foxtail millet. Germplasm evaluations of each cereal species have focused mainly on drought tolerance, nutritional quality, and resistance to their main diseases. Comparisons among lines and selection of those with desirable traits were the main breeding methods for minor cereals in the 1950s and 1960s, but these methods were replaced by crossbreeding in the 1970s. Newly developed cultivars have greatly changed the production situation, and many super cultivars have become milestones in crop breeding history. In this review, we describe the distribution and ecoregions, origin and domestication, and landmark varieties of several minor cereals in China. Nearly all of the minor cereals are drought-tolerant and fertilizer-efficient. The requirements for environmentally friendly crops and a more diverse food supply for humans and animals provide new opportunities to cultivate minor cereals in the drier and warmer environmental conditions that are predicted in the future.

Vaccine Protection of Turkeys Against H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus with a Recombinant Turkey Herpesvirus Expressing the Hemagglutinin Gene of Avian Influenza.

Outbreaks of H5 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in commercial poultry are a constant threat to animal health and food supplies. While vaccination can enhance protection and reduce the spread of disease, there is considerable evidence that the level of immunity required for protection varies by subtype and virulence of field virus. In this study, the efficacy of a recombinant turkey herpesvirus (rHVT) vector vaccine expressing the hemagglutinin gene from a clade 2.2 AI virus (A/Swan/Hungary/4999/2006) was evaluated in turkeys for protection against challenge with A/Whooper Swan/Mongolia/L244/2005 H5N1 HPAI clade 2.2. One-day-old turkeys received a single vaccination and were challenged at 4 wk postvaccination with 2 × 10(6) 50% embryo infectious dose per bird. The results demonstrate that following H5N1 HPAI challenge 96% protection was observed in rHVT-AI vaccinated turkeys. The oral and cloacal swabs taken from challenged birds demonstrated that vaccinated birds had lower incidence and titers of viral shedding compared with sham-vaccinated birds. From respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts, there was a greater than 6 log10 reduction in shedding in vaccinated birds as compared with the controls. This study provides support for the use of a commercially available rHVT-AI vaccine to protect turkeys against H5N1 HPAI.

Geographic distribution of livestock products in China- an application of spatial autocorrelation analysis

The rapid increase in the livestock industry in China in recent two decades has played an important role in the livelihoods of people and has become a very significant issue in terms of sustainable animal food supply chains. Knowledge gaps in the geographic distribution may hinder the sustainable development of livestock industry. This paper investigates the spatial distribution in the outputs of livestock products (meat, milk and egg, respectively) in China using exploratory spatial data analysis. This method is a set of GIS spatial statistical techniques that are useful in describing and visualizing the spatial distribution, detecting patterns of hot-spots, and suggesting spatial regimes. The global Moran’s I statistics for the three products reveal strong positive and significant spatial autocorrelation. Furthermore, the Moran significance maps indicate four hot-spots (North-eastern cluster, Northern Coast cluster, Central Inland cluster and Southern cluster) and one cold-spot (Western cluster) in the meat product distribution, one large hot-spot (Northern cluster) and one large cold-spot (South-central cluster) for the milk product, four relatively small hot-spots (North-eastern cluster, Northern Coast cluster, Eastern Coast cluster and Central Inland cluster) and one large cold-spot (Western cluster) for the egg product. Based on the results, we show that livestock products are polarized into clusters and the outputs of the products tend to be reducing from east to west and from north to south China. Implications are drawn, such as priority of resource allocations for hot-spot area in terms of animal-source food security and the utilization of spillover effects from hot-spots.

Critical factors for sustainable food procurement in zoological collections.

Food procurement can play an important role in sustainable food supply chain management by zoos, linking organizational operations to the biodiversity conservation and sustainability mission of zoological collections. This study therefore examines the critical factors that shape sustainable food procurement in zoo and aquariums. Using a web-based survey data was collected from 41 members of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA). This included information on the sustainable food procurement practices of these institutions for both their human and animal food supply chains, as well as profile information and data on the factors contributing to and inhibiting sustainable procurement practices. Zoological collections operated by charities, and those with a certified sustainability standard, were found to have significantly higher levels of sustainable food procurement. Zoos and aquariums whose human food operations were not contracted to an external party were also found to have significantly higher levels of sustainable food procurement in their human food supply chain. The most important drivers of sustainable food procurement were cost savings, adequate financial support and improved product quality. The highest ranking barriers were higher costs, other issues taking priority and a lack of alternative suppliers. The results suggest that a number of critical factors shape sustainable food procurement in zoological collections in the British Isles. Financial factors, such as cost savings, were important considerations. The significance of mission-related factors, such as charity status, indicated that core values held by zoos and aquariums can also influence their food procurement practices.

NEW CLONES OF CASSAVA (MANIHOT ESCULENTA CRANTZ) WITH LOW CYANOGENIC POTENTIAL FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION IN NATURA

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is an important food supply for both humans and domestic animals. It is cultivated in the Americas, Africa and Asia, in an extensive range of land ranging from 30°S to 30°N latitude, under wide varia-tions in climate and soil. In many less developed countries with food security prob-lems, cassava is a major food supply of energy. In Africa, for example, cassava was introduced in the 16th century, providing roots and leaves for feeding millions of people. Cassava leaves provide protein, helping to reduce or even prevent malnutrition in large human contingents. Desirable characteristics of cassava clones are grown depending on the commercial purposes of culture, whether for industry or for human consumption in natura. The cassava for human consumption in natura should not present cyanogenic potential and can therefore be classified as a non-toxic cassava. It features a sweet taste. The cyanogenic potential is characterized by the ability to release cianidric acid (HCN), a substance highly toxic if ingested by people. In the Lavras Federal University (UFLA), Department of Agriculture, New Clones were obtained from cassava botanical seeds obtained by cross breeding. Some of these clones are currently being evaluated in an experiment installed in May 2012 in UFLA, with commercial clones. The clones are currently being evaluated for agronomic and commercial quality for human consumption in natura. Among the characters to be evaluated the cyanogenic potential of each clone is highlighted. In practice the separation between toxic and non-toxic cassava is made by tasting the raw pulp roots. However, it is imprecise and can still bring some risk to the safety of people who are doing the tasting. Some of these clones have shown early low levels of total cyanide, within acceptable limits for human consumption in natura.