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Sheep farming is an important branch of the animal husbandry sector in Europe. In 2023, Romania’s sheep and goat herds ranked third in the European Union, with more than 10 million heads, contributing substantially to the production of meat, traditional cheeses, and wool. However, in the current climate context, with extreme weather events and especially long periods of drought, providing optimal fodder ratio becomes a challenge for farmers. As animal nutritionists provide valid alternatives, consistent with the nutritional requirements of the species, the present work aims to present some economically efficient fodder alternatives to use for milk production in sheep farms of different sizes. The study brings added value to research in the field of using fodder alternatives in animal nutrition through the economic aspects researched because profitability is pursued in any activity, thus completing the technical arguments of previous studies in the literature in the field. Several economic indicators were calculated, such as the total value by categories of expenses, the value of production, the level of profit, and the rate of gross and net return. The analysis demonstrated that regardless of their size, the sheep farms located in lowland areas can reach positive values of profitability indicators when using alternative fodder in animal feeding. © 2024 by the authors.

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Silver carp (H. molitrix) is one of the most popular species in fish farms around the world. In this paper, the bioactive properties of four protein hydrolysates from silver carp residues obtained with papain, flavourzyme, alcalase and combination of flavourzyme & alcalase treatment were analyzed. Physicochemical characterization showed that the alcalase extract had the highest extraction yield of 52.07%, presented 90.33% protein content and the highest degree of hydrolysis (76.23%). Gel electrophoresis pattern indicated that hydrolysate obtained with alcalase contains most peptides with a molecular weight below 15 kDa, while those present in the hydrolysate obtained with flavourzyme & alcalase had a molecular weight between 10-15 kDa. The effect of protein hydrolysates on DPPH free radicals inhibition varied between 47.37-50.14%, the highest value of antioxidant activity being recorded for hydrolysate obtained with papain. The hydrolysates presented antihypertensive potential determined as inhibition of angiotensin-converting enzyme, with the highest activity in the case of flavourzyme & alcalase extract. The fish protein hydrolysates were cytocompatible in a normal fibroblast culture, NCTC cell line showing cell viability over 80% for all variants. When cultivated in Hep-2 cancer cells at 10 mg/ml, the protein hydrolysates obtained by papain and flavourzyme & alcalase mixture decreased the cell viability, indication antitumoral potential. In conclusion, the fish protein hydrolysates demonstrated important bioactive properties, including antioxidant, antihypertensive and antiproliferative activity.

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Research background. Various protocols for enzymatic hydrolysis of fish by-products are increasingly tested to ensure value-added products with functional and biological properties important for food, cosmetic and medical applications. In addition, they attempt to minimize waste from industrial processing and environmental requirements. This study aims to establish an efficient protocol based on two-step enzymatic hydrolysis of freshwater fish skin and to evaluate the effect of resulting bioactive peptides on free radical scavenging, redox balance and regulation of fibroblast proliferation and migration. Experimental approach. Pepsin-soluble collagen extracted from silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) skin was hydrolyzed by proteinase K at specific sites under controlled conditions. The molecular mass of ultrafiltration permeate was determined by gradient electrophoresis and gel filtration chromatography. The biological activity of intermediate and small size bioactive peptides was evaluated in experimental models in vitro mimicking oxidative stress and skin wound conditions. Results and conclusions. Extracted fish collagen was hydrolysed using proteinase K, the most efficient enzyme for the cleavage of the primary structure of the molecule, as previously found in silico. Established optimal conditions increased the enzyme specificity and the process yield. Bioactive peptides exerted significantly higher scavenging activity on free stable radicals and hydroxyl radicals often found in vivo, compared to fish collagen. They stimulated fibroblast metabolism in a dose-dependent manner and up-regulated cell migration in a scratch wound model. Pretreatment of fibroblasts with induced oxidative stress using optimal concentrations of fish peptides prevented the increase of reactive oxygen species production. In conclusion, bioactive peptides from carp skin demonstrated valuable properties of maintaining redox balance and skin wound healing process improvement, which indicated further potential applications in the development of pharmaceutical and nutraceutical formulations. Novelty and scientific contribution. In this study the enzymatic hydrolysis was applied to isolated protein, in contrast to previous studies using waste tissue with variable composition. Recovered bioactive peptides acted not only as antioxidant agents, but also as regulators of oxidative stress and wound healing processes in skin cell models. Their nutritional and cosmetic application is recommended in novel formulations fighting skin ageing phenomena.

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In the present study, we evaluated for the first time the photoprotective effect of fish bone bioactive peptides (FBBP) preparation isolated from silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) discarded tissue using in vitro experimental models of skin cells exposed to ultraviolet B (UVB) irradiation and stressing agents. FBBP preparation was obtained by papain treatment of minced bones and centrifugal ultrafiltration, and the molecular weight (MW) distribution was characterized by size exclusion and reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). In vitro assessment of the effect of FBBP pretreatment in UVB-irradiated L929 fibroblasts and HaCaT keratinocytes revealed their cytoprotective activity. Their capacity to efficiently reduce reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and lipid peroxidation varied in a dose-dependent manner, and it was greater in fibroblasts. A decrease of proinflammatory cytokines secretion, in particular of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), was found after FBBP pretreatment of THP-1-derived inflamed macrophages. Melanin production and tyrosinase activity investigated in UVB-irradiated Mel-Juso cells were lowered in direct relation to FBBP concentrations. FBBP fractions with high radical scavenging activity were separated by ion exchange chromatography, and two collagenic sequences were identified. All these results offer new scientific data on aquaculture fish bone-derived peptides confirming their ability to control the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and pigmentation processes developed during UV irradiation of skin cells and recommend their use as valuable natural ingredients of photoprotective cosmeceutical products.

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Severe skin injuries, including burns, represent a real concern for the global health-care system and therefore, there is an increased interest in developing wound dressings, in order to stimulate and enhance skin tissue repair. The aim of this study was to design novel hybrid materials, biomimetic to skin extracellular matrix and enriched with silver nanoparticles (nAg), in order to provide both dermal tissue regeneration and antimicrobial activity. Two material variants (variant A and variant B) consisting of type I collagen (COL), chondroitin sulfate (CS) and k-elastin peptides (EL) enriched with positively-charged nAg, were conditioned as membranes. UV exposure ensured both sterilisation and cross-linking of the materials. Physico-chemical characterization of the hybrid biomaterials showed values of density and swelling degree higher than those of COL membrane, while the process of in vitro degradation followed a similar pattern. Infrared spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction indicated alterations of the characteristic structural features and crystallinity of COL after blending with CS and EL and nAg embedding. Scanning electron microscopy observations revealed different surface morphologies of the hybrid membranes, according to their composition. In vitro studies on L929 fibroblasts and HaCaT keratinocytes showed that both hybrid membranes exhibited good cytocompatibility and promoted higher cell proliferation compared to COL sample, as evaluated by MTT and Live/Dead assays. The presence of actin filaments highlighted by fluorescent labelling confirmed the fibroblast and keratinocyte adhesion onto the surface of hybrid membranes. Most importantly, both materials showed an increased wound healing ability in an in vitro scratch assay model, stimulating cell migration at 24 h post-seeding. In addition, good antimicrobial activity was recorded, especially against Gram-positive bacterial strain. Altogether, our findings recommend COL-CS-EL-nAg hybrid membranes as good candidates for wound healing acceleration and bioengineering of skin tissue.

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Two chitosan extracts were prepared by chemical and enzymatic treatment of Ganoderma lucidum mushroom, as an alternative source to crustacean shells. The molecular weight of the enzymatic extract was lower than that of the chemical one and of shrimp chitosan, as determined by viscosity measurements. Characteristic signals were identified in the H-1-NMR spectra and high deacetylation degree indicated good physico-chemical properties for both mushroom chitosan extracts. The scavenging capacity of mushroom chitosan extracts was moderate against the synthetic radicals of 2,2 '-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), but higher values were observed for the enzymatic extract, compared to the chemical extract and shrimp chitosan. In vitro cytotoxicity was evaluated in L929 mouse fibroblast cell lines and the results of MTT assay showed good cytocompatibility in the tested range of concentrations. The growth of Gram-positive bacteria was inhibited more than Gram-negative bacteria in the presence of mushroom chitosan extracts, in particular by the chemical one, indicating their efficiency as antimicrobial agents. All these results strengthen the evidence of mushroom polysaccharide preparations availability for biomedical applications.