Valentino Bontempo | Università degli Studi di Milano - State University of Milan (Italy) (original) (raw)

Papers by Valentino Bontempo

A preliminary nutritional assessment of six genotypes of tef (Eragrostis tef) as potential forage... more A preliminary nutritional assessment of six genotypes of tef (Eragrostis tef) as potential forage sources Pier Paolo Danieli, Roberto Ruggeri, Riccardo Primi, Francesco Rossini, Emiliano Chiaretti, Catia Stamigna, Domenico Chiaretti, Vincenzo Natoli, Bruno Ronchi Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie e Forestali, University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy Divisione Biotecnologie e Agroindustrie, ENEA Centro Ricerche Casaccia, Roma, Italy Freelance breeder, Roma, Italy Genetic Service s.r.l., Deliceto, Italy Contact: danieli@unitus.it

Journal of Ethnic Foods, 2019

Rice is a major cereal food crop and staple food in most of the developing countries. India stand... more Rice is a major cereal food crop and staple food in most of the developing countries. India stands second in the production of rice next to China. Though almost 40,000 varieties of rice are said to exist, at present, only a few varieties are cultivated extensively, milled and polished. Even if white rice is consumed by most people around the world, some specialty rice cultivars are also grown. These include the coloured and aromatic rice varieties. The nutritional profile of the specialty rice is high when compared to the white rice varieties. The coloured rice, which usually gets its colour due to the deposition of anthocyanin pigments in the bran layer of the grain, is rich in phytochemicals and antioxidants. Rice bran, a by-product of the rice milling industry is under-utilised, is rich in dietary fibre which finds application in the development of functional foods and various other value-added products. Thus, more focus on specialty rice and its by-products will not only save it...

Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology, 2016

This study evaluated the potential of a weanling diet supplemented with trace minerals, vitamins,... more This study evaluated the potential of a weanling diet supplemented with trace minerals, vitamins, prebiotics, essential oils, antioxidants and bovine colostrum (BC) to modulate the inflammatory response of low-weight (LW) and high-weight (HW) piglets challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). At weaning (20±1 d), litters from 32 sows were assigned to four groups: control diet (CTL), CTL plus dietary supplements (DS) or the antibiotic chlortetracycline (ATB), or DS plus BC in place of plasma proteins in the weanling diet (DS+BC). At 37 d (T0), two LW and two HW piglets were bled to evaluate ex vivo cytokine production by LPS activated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). In parallel, LW and HW piglets received intraperitoneal LPS and were bled at slaughter at 4h (T4) or 18h (T18) post-injection. Ileal tissues from these piglets and two unchallenged medium weight (MW) piglets per treatment were excised and analyzed by microarray. At T0, cytokine production of LPS-activated PBMCs was not affected by dietary treatments. At T4 after LPS challenge, serum concentrations of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10 were increased in all piglets (P<0.01). Interestingly, the LW piglets had a higher TNF-α level than the HW piglets did (P=0.05). Dietary treatments had no effect on the piglet serum concentration of these cytokines neither at T4 nor at T18. Microarray data and QPCR analysis reveal that several genes were differentially expressed in the LPS-challenged piglets in comparison with the two control MW piglets (P<0.001). However, the dietary treatments had a slight effect on the ileal gene expression of the T4 and T18 LPS-challenged piglets when all piglets were included in the analysis. But when body weight (LW and HW) was considered as a fixed effect, the microarray analysis showed that the expression of 54 genes was differentially modulated by the dietary treatments in the T4 and T18 LPS-challenged LW piglets (P<0.05) while in HW piglets no difference was observed. QPCR analyses confirm that the level expression of several genes was reduced in LW piglets fed DS or DS+BC diet compared with ATB piglets. In conclusion, LPS challenge induced a transitional inflammation in weanling piglets that was characterized by increased blood-circulating cytokines and gut transcriptome activity. Results also suggest that the weanling diet supplemented with feed additives attenuated the ileal gene response to the LPS challenge, an effect that was more pronounced in the LW piglets.

Journal of Animal Science, 2016

The effects of live yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae (strain CNCM I4407; Actisaf Sc 47; Phileo Lesa... more The effects of live yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae (strain CNCM I4407; Actisaf Sc 47; Phileo Lesaffre Animal Care, MarcqenBaroeul, France) administration on nutrient digestibility and fecal micro flora in dogs were investigated. The study included 24 young beagle dogs. They were allocated in control and live yeast (LY) groups (6 males and 6 females in each). During the Adaptation (d 1 to 28) and Trial (d 29 to 70) periods, the dogs received a standard dry pelleted diet. In the Trial period, the LY dogs were given capsuled Actisaf Sc 47 at 1 g/kg live weight with Saccharomyces cerevisiae at 2.9 × 10 8 cfu/g. The control dogs received empty capsules. Live weight and feed consumption were recorded. Blood samples for complete blood count (CBC) and serum biochemistry (urea, creatinine, alkaline phosphatase, and alanine aminotransferase) and fecal samples for pH, microbiology, DM, lactic acid, and ammonia and digestibility evaluation were collected during the Trial period from each dog. The LY dogs had a higher (P < 0.05) weight gain during the Trial period than the control ones. Feed consumption was not adversely affected by LY. The CBC values and urea, creatinine, alkaline phosphatase, and alanine ami notransferase were not adversely affected by LY. Live yeast did not significantly influence pH of fresh feces. Fecal lactic acid and ammonia concentrations were not affected. The LY dogs showed lower (P < 0.05) Escherichia coli and fecal enterococci counts in feces than the control ones. Lactic acid bacteria, Clostridium perfringens, and total coliforms did not show any sig nificant differences between the treatments. The LY dogs showed a higher (P < 0.05) apparent digestibility of NDF. Digestibilities of DM, ash, crude fiber, CP, and fat were not influenced.

Journal of dairy science, 1997

This experiment was designed to quantify changes in utilization of Gln and Leu by the gut wall as... more This experiment was designed to quantify changes in utilization of Gln and Leu by the gut wall as a result of changes in the starch supply to the duodenum. Four dairy cows fitted with cannulas in the rumen and the distal duodenum were adapted for 3 wk to starch infusion, either into the rumen (600 g/d of flaked maize) or into the duodenum (300 g/d of flaked maize plus 300 g/d of maize meal), in a 2 x 2 crossover design. Absorption and elimination kinetics and the relative bioavailability of Gln and Leu were measured during wk 4 and 5. After infusion of 50 g of Gln or 10 g of Leu into the duodenum or jugular vein, blood samples were taken from the jugular vein at 0.5-h intervals up to 4 h after infusion. Concentrations of Gln and Leu in plasma fitted best to an open, one-compartment model (duodenal infusion) or to an open, two-compartment model (i.v. infusion). Both amino acids were rapidly absorbed; half-life times were less than 20 min. The amount of Gln trapped in the splanchnic b...

Aquaculture, 2007

The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and t... more The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and tetradecylthioacetic acid (TTA) on growth performance, and lipid and fatty acid metabolism in Atlantic cod. The overall objective being to test the hypotheses that CLA and TTA have beneficial effects in cod culture including decreased liver size and proportion through decreased lipid content, and increased nutritional quality through effects on fatty acid compositions including accumulation of bioactive fatty acids, CLA and TTA, in flesh. Juvenile cod were fed for three months on fish meal and fish oil diets of basically commercial formulation, but containing either 0.5% or 1% CLA, or 0.5% TTA. The effects of the functional fatty acids on growth, feed efficiency, body proximate composition, liver weight and lipid composition, fatty acid compositions of flesh and liver, and key enzymes of fatty acid oxidation were determined. Dietary CLA and TTA had no effect on growth parameters in cod juveniles, but viscero-and hepato-somatic indices were increased in fish fed 0.5% CLA and TTA, respectively. Proximate composition of whole fish was not affected by CLA or TTA, and there were no major effects of either functional fatty acid on lipid contents and compositions of liver and flesh. Dietary CLA and TTA were both incorporated into tissue lipids, with CLA deposited to a greater extent in liver, whereas TTA was deposited to a greater extent in flesh. In liver, acyl CoA oxidase (ACO) activity, but not carnitine palmitoyltransferase-I (CPT-I), was increased by CLA, whereas dietary TTA increased both ACO and CPT-I activities. In contrast, ACO activity was reduced by both CLA and TTA in red and white muscle, whereas CPT-I activity was generally not affected by CLA and TTA in either muscle tissue. Therefore, the results only partially supported the hypotheses tested, as CLA and TTA had few beneficial effects in Atlantic cod and did not enhance growth parameters, or improve feed conversion or potential yield through decreased adiposity or liver lipid deposition. However, nutritional quality could be enhanced, and cod fed CLA and/or TTA could be beneficial in the human diet, through provision of bioactive fatty acids with no detrimental effects on n-3 PUFA levels.

Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 2008

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is an unusual fatty acid produced by fermentative bacteria in the ... more Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is an unusual fatty acid produced by fermentative bacteria in the rumen of ruminant mammals. Positive biological effects, including anticarcinogenic, antiatherogenic, and immune enhancing effects, have been observed in mammals fed CLA-enriched diets. Little is known of the biological effects of dietary CLA on insects, and nothing is known of the dietary CLA effects on the fatty acid proÞle of an insect. In this study, we examined the effects of a CLA or safßower oil-enriched meridic diet at several concentrations on European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis (Hü bner), survival, development, fatty acid proÞles, and fecundity. The fatty acid proÞles of pupal and adult tissues as well as eggs from adults fed CLA-enriched diets as larvae were studied. Control insects were fed the meridic diet with the solvent carrier added. We hypothesized a CLA-enriched diet, but not a safßower oil-enriched diet, would decrease survival, alter fatty acid proÞles, and decrease fecundity. Larvae fed the CLA-enriched diet developed more slowly than did larvae fed the safßower oil-enriched diet or the control diet. Pupal mass was not affected by any of the treatments. Survival was decreased greatly in larvae fed the CLA-enriched diet. Saturated fatty acids increased proportionately, whereas polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids decreased proportionately in both pupal and adult tissues. Fecundity was not affected by any of the treatments.

AFRICAN JOURNAL OF BIOTECHNOLOGY, 2011

An experiment was conducted on broiler chickens to study the effects of conjugated linoleic acid ... more An experiment was conducted on broiler chickens to study the effects of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), fish oil, soybean oil or their mixtures (at 7% for single and 3.5% + 3.5% for mixtures) as well as up 12% dosage of palm oil, on the performance and carcass traits of broiler chickens. The chicks fed 7% fish oil or 7% CLA diets were found to have the most inferior weight gain in grower and finisher phases, respectively. A significant reduction in feed intake was observed with diets containing 7% fish oil. However, adding CLA to the diets regardless of the associated dietary fat, did not affect birds feed intake. The dietary fish oil and CLA adversely affected the feed conversion ratio as well as carcass yield. Dietary palm oil (at 12% level) and CLA (at 7% level) increased the abdominal fat pad and liver weights, respectively. The results of this study show that the high dosage of fish oil or CLA can reduce broiler chickens performance but their combination with soybean oil as n-6 fatty acid source can moderate these adverse effects.

European Symposium of Porcine Health Management (ESPHM), May 1, 2019

Background and Objectives The increasing need for antibiotic reduction in swine production implie... more Background and Objectives The increasing need for antibiotic reduction in swine production implied the development of alternatives. Therefore, short- and medium-chain fatty acids (FA) have been extensively studied due to their supporting effect on piglet\u2019s growth and gut health. FA can be protected via glycerol esterification in order to obtain an even release of their free forms along the entire small intestine. This study investigated the dietary effects of Porcestin (mixture of esterified FA) on growth performance, mortality rate and gut health. Material & Methods The study used 192 weaned Topigs piglets (24 days old, average weight 8.41 \ub1 1.90 kg), which were randomly allocated to one of three treatments with 16 replicates per treatment (4 piglets/replicate): T1 (neither antimicrobials nor FA), T2 (400 mg/kg amoxicillin) and T3 (5 kg/ton Porcestin). The feeding scheme was divided in a prestarter (0-14 days) and starter phase (15-42 days). T2 diet was only administered during prestarter phase. Piglets were individually weighed at weaning, 14, 28 and 41 days after weaning. Average daily feed intake (ADFI), growth (ADG), feed conversion ratio (FCR) was calculated and mortality numbers were recorded. Morphometrical analysis, inflammatory parameters (IL-6, IL-10) and total anti-oxidant capacity (TAOC) assessment was performed on small intestinal mucosa. Results ADFI and ADG were significantly higher in T3 between days 15 and 41 (P<0,05). FCR and mortality ratio was similar in all groups. Morphometric analysis indicated a significant longer average ileal villi length in T3 (P<0,01). TAOC was significantly higher in T3 (P<0,01). No significant effect on the inflammatory parameters was observed. Discussion & Conclusion Porcestin had a positive effect on the porcine gut health, protecting the intestinal epithelium from oxidative stress caused by weaning. Moreover, Porcestin enhanced piglet\u2019s growth performance, supported by the increase of the ileal villi length which enlarged the nutrient absorption surface

Point veterinaire Italie, 2012

Annual Meeting of the European Federation of Animal Science, 2020

This study aimed at assessing the effect of low versus high ratios of \u3c96:\u3c93 fatty acids i... more This study aimed at assessing the effect of low versus high ratios of \u3c96:\u3c93 fatty acids in the gestation and lactation sow diets on their piglets. Sixteen multiparous sows were randomly allocated to two diets with \u3c9-6:\u3c9-3 ratios of 13:1 (C) and 4:1 (T) from d 28 of gestation onwards. Their post-weaning piglets were divided into four groups (10 piglets/group): C-without seaweed supplementation (C0); C-with seaweed (SW) at 4 g/kg feed (CSW); T-without seaweed (T0); and T-with seaweed (TSW). Body weight (BW), plasma and serum were collected at d 0, 7, 15 and 21 post-weaning. Pigs from CSW and T0 had higher (P<0.05) BW on d 15 and 21; average daily gain from d 0-21; feed intake from d 0-21; and gain:feed ratio from d 0-15. Protein and lipid oxidation products (AOPP and TBARS) in plasma were not different between groups. However, AOPP and total antioxidants (FRAP) decreased (P<0.0001) and TBARS increased (P<0.0001) from d 0 to 15. Moreover, FRAP was lower (P<0.05) in the SW group compared to the 0 group within the same sow diet on d 7 and FRAP tended to be lower (P=0.06) in piglets from T-mothers than those from C-mothers from d 0 to 21. A pilot proteomic experiment on serum showed some variations of the exponentially modified protein abundance index (emPAI) between C0 and CSW groups: albumin ranged from 280 to 604; haptoglobin from 0.47 to 8.16 whereas less difference was found on complement C3 (0.53-0.91) and alpha- 2-HS-glycoprotein (0.95-1.62). Further exploiting these results will aid to explain the mechanisms underlying the improved growth performance in piglets from sows receiving a low dietary \u3c96:\u3c93 ratio and fed SW post-weaning

The electronic nose is an instrument that comprises an array of electronic chemical sensors and a... more The electronic nose is an instrument that comprises an array of electronic chemical sensors and an appropriate pattern recognition system and capable of recognizing simple or complex volatile organic compounds’ (VOCs) profiles associated to a product odour. The e-nose analysis of VOCs is of increasing interest as an analytical tool in many research areas, such as agricultural, food, pharmaceutical, biomedical, cosmetics, environmental, food, manufacturing, military. In the food industry, the electronic nose could represent a rapid and reliable tool for quality and safety assessment, freshness and shelf-life evaluation, authenticity assessment, foodstuff recognition, and process monitoring. This paper provides an overview of the applications of electronic nose in feed analysis and animal nutrition. Focus is placed on the applications as an analytical tool for quality control and management in the cereal and pet food industry. Further, this paper provides a critical outlook on the dev...