Dairy cattle breeds of European origin stand out for their high productive and reproductive efficiency in temperate climates, but they usually do not present this efficiency in tropical climate, in conditions such as high temperature and humidity, high incidence of endo and ectoparasites and low level of management. On the contrary, Zebu breeds in selection programs to increase milk production are naturally adapted to such conditions, that is, they produce well in less sophisticated managerial p

Status: Completed     Start date: Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2007

Recent evidence from observational studies and controlled clinical trials indicates that milk fat, although predominantly saturated, has neutral or positive effects on cardiometabolic health. Such benefits have been attributed to the complex and unique chemical nature of milk fat, which contains several compounds potentially beneficial to health, such as butyric acid (C4:0), vaccenic acid ( trans-11 C18:1), rumenic acid ( cis--9, trans-11 CLA), oleic acid ( cis-9 C18 ...

Status: Completed     Start date: Fri Jul 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2016

raditional breeding has generated significant genetic gain over time. However, this strategy falls short of yielding information on the biological processes involved. Additionally, there are great difficulties for the genetic improvement of characteristics which are measured solely in one gender and/or late in the life span of the animal. With the development of DNA chips it became possible maximizing genetic gain by reducing the generation interval and increasing the intensity of selection. The

Status: Completed     Start date: Wed Sep 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2010

Currently there is much discussion about the environmental impact of livestock and agricultural activities. The Brazilian livestock sector in particular has been criticized for causing emission of significant amounts of greenhouse gases. Among the various greenhouse gases, livestock production practices contribute significantly to the emission of enteric methane, which can become a non-tariff barrier to exports of animal products. In this regard, research has pointed to the need to develop metho

Status: Completed     Start date: Sun May 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2011

The aim of this project is to assess the environmental performance of sugarcane and byproducts produced in Brazil's Mid-South, in traditional regions and in crop expansion areas, through the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach.

The main project differentials will be the use of primary data, preferrably, or of secondary data from official sources, as well as the generation and the use of parameters, factors and models to support the elaboration of life cycle inventories (LCIs) that suit Braz

Status: Completed     Start date: Fri Mar 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2013

The intensification and adoption of integrated systems has allowed advances for sustainable livestock production. It is important to obtain production with minimal environmental impact. Brazilian livestock, in particular, have been following this trend. The cattle herd contributes significantly to the emission of greenhouse gases, mainly with the emission of enteric methane, which can become a non-tariff barrier for the export of animal products. In this sense, the RumenGases project was develop

Status: Completed     Start date: Fri Apr 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2011