ANNO XII Numero 3/2004 Supplemento a Taurus 5/2004 Spedizione in A.P. 70% Filiale Di Perugia Taxe Perçue

ANNO XII Numero 3/2004 Supplemento a Taurus 5/2004 Spedizione in A.P. 70% Filiale di Perugia Taxe Perçue

Giannetto Guerrini,MaurizioKovacevich, Itaca ServiziLinguistici,BastiaUmbra Roberta Guarcini,Francesco Filippini, Roberta Editorial office,subscriptions Roberta Guarcini, Archivio ANABIC. Guarcini,ArchivioANABIC. Roberta Associazione NazionaleAllevatori Bibliography about theItalianworks Bibliography about Andrea Valigi, Andrea Gaddini, 06070 inColle -SanMartino Tipolitografia Grifo-Perugia Tipolitografia Gaetano Panza, APA Arezzo, Matteo Ridolfi,LucioMigni, TAURUS INTERNATIONAL e-mail: [email protected] With thecontributionof: Bovini ItalianidaCarne Internet: www.anabic.it Francesco Lemarangi Editorial Secretary: Editorial Manager: is availableatANABIC Ciab Digital Color Ciab Digital Paolo Canestrari Tel. 075 6079201 Falvio Forabosco. Bernadetta Sensi Paolo Canestrari Fax 075 607598 Translations by: advertisement: Matteo Ridolfi Perugia -Italy Perugia Pictures by: President: PrePress: Director: Printing: ANABIC CONTENTSANABIC 19 13 16 21 26 11 30 5 6 8 Marchigiana cows-AltopianodelVoltigno Pescara OF THEMARCHIGIANABREED “A FEATHER INTHECAP”… RETURNS TOTRESSA CHIANINA OF ITALIAN BEEFCATTLE BREEDS IN CITTÀDICASTELLO CHIANINAS PRELIMINARY PROGRAM THE EVALUATION OFTASTERS SENSORY ANALYSIS OFMEAT: THE JUDGE’SDECISION BIBBONA 2004… PONTE PRESALE2004 AT THEAUTUMNAUCTIONS THE CHIANINA A HIGHNOTEFOR 4TH WORLDCONGRESS IN THESTATES MARCHIGIANA - JAPANESE COOKSVISITANABIC - IRISHDELEGATION VISITSANABIC Spedizione inA.P.70%FilialediPerugiaTaxePerçue Supplemento aTaurus5/2004 ANNO XIINumero3/2004 April 29 th • May 1st 2005 4th World Congress NEWS of Italian Beef Cattle Breeds PRELIMINARY PROGRAM Friday April 29th, 2005 Part I (Posters set-up by 9.30 am) 4.00 - 7.00 pm 8.30 am Visit of Gubbio Organizing Secretariat Opening 10.30 - 11.00 am Registration of participants Posters Discussion 9.00 pm Gala Dinner 9.45 am-12.30 pm 11.00 - 11.30 am Authorities' Welcome and Coffee break SOCIAL PROGRAM Opening Ceremony During the Congress Sessions will 11.30 am- 1.30 pm be held special Tours for accompany- 1.00 - 2.00 pm "Genetics and Improvement" ing persons with visits to the main Work Lunch Part II Historical and artistic sights of Umbria and shopping in the most 2.00 - 4.30 pm 1.30 - 2.30 pm important manufactures shops. "The Italian Meats: from Genetics Work Lunch to valorization of the Product" Friday April 28th, 2005 Speech of National Association of 2.30 - 4.30 pm 8.30 am - 4.30 pm Italian Beef Cattle Stockbreeders; "Production and management" Visit of Perugia 5 Ministry of Agricultural Politics; Part I Saturday April 30th, 2005 Consortium for safeguarding of PGI 8.30 am - 4.30 pm "Young White Beef of the Central 4.30 - 5.00 pm Visit of Assisi and Spello Apennines"; 3A-PTA Agricultural Coffee break and Food Technological Park of POST-CONGRESS TOURS Umbria 5.00 - 7.00 pm Visit of ANABIC and Zoo-technical "The Italian Beef Cattle in the "Production and management" Tours of the areas of the Chianina, World" Part II Marchigiana and Romagnola Speech of the National Association Cattles. Visit to the most famous of Cattles 8.30 pm Farms, Artificial Insemination Part I Typical Products Dinner Centers and Slaughter-Houses. Maremmana and Podolica tours will 4.30 - 5.00 pm Sunday May 1st, 2005 be scheduled on request. Coffee break Scientific Session 8.30 - 10.30 am Monday 2nd -Thursday 5th 5.00 - 7.00 pm "Quality and Market" May, 2005 "The Italian Beef Cattle in the Part I World" Umbria and Toscana - Chianina's Speech of the National Association 10.30 - 11.00 am Cattle of Cattles Posters Discussion Marche - Marchigiana's Cattle Part II Emilia Romagna - Romagnola's 11.00 - 11.30 am Cattle 9.30 pm Coffee break Dinner offered by Centro For any infomation please contact: Agroalimentare dell'Umbria 11.30 - 13.30 am - Roberta Guarcini (Authority for promotion of the typ- "Quality and Market" Tel. 075.6070025 ical Umbrian products) Part II Fax. 075.607598 e-mail: [email protected] Saturday April 30th, 2005 13.30 am - 2.00 pm - Francesco Filippini Scientific Session Conclusions Tel. 075.6070013 Fax. 075.607598 8.30 - 10.30 am 2.00 - 3.00 pm e-mail: [email protected] "Genetics and Improvement" Work Lunch ANABIC - www.anabic.it Taurus International • 3/2004 Taurus Taurus International • 3/2004 6 A T THE AUTUMN AUCTIONS AT AUTUMN THE ond day, thelotswere subdividedinto9suitable With regardtotheChianina,auctioned thesec- ural insemination,werearound 2,700euro. of theremaininganimals,bothqualifiedfornat- Development Indexof131.8.Theaverageprices insemination withaBSIof111.3andMuscle opment anddimensions,qualifiedfornatural This bullcalf,standingoutforhismuscledevel- chased byRosilioZamponiofApiro(Macerata). mother Mirino,bredbyAldinaColaandpur- price forPlutonioofAncona,asonLotarwith Centre inthepast.Nextcomesknockdown already purchasedsirestestedattheGenetic euro byVincenzo RussanoofCrotone,whohas a BSIof120.6.Pindarowaspurchasedfor3,750 of 1,900gramsandappearedattheauctionwith animal, powerfulandcorrect,touchedanADG side, the“degliAzzoni”lineofMacerata.This bull, whoboastsinhispedigree,onmother’s by Pindaro,apaternalbrotheroftheprevious Urbino). Thesecondhighestpricewasobtained euro byGiuseppeLarghetti ofFrontino(Pesaro- muscle development,waspurchasedfor4,350 animal, ofaconsiderablelengthandstriking his BSIof141.5andADG1,408grams.This price wasobtainedbyPicasso,astand-outfor ination andcommandthebestprices.Thetop Impero, provetobesuitableforartificialinsem- which sawtwoofitsanimals,bothsons brothers ofMontegrimano(Pesaro-Urbino), Compliments gotothefarmofMattei natural insemination. insemination andtheremaining3suitablefor ing 5sires,2ofwhomqualifiedforartificial Marchigiana alsopresenteditselfwell,propos- Even ifwithalowernumberofanimals,the we feelitispropertoagreeonthisfineresult. charge oftheincomingselections,withwhom end oftesting,theindicationsexpertsin appeared ingreaternumber, confirming,atthe As canbeseen,itwastheChianinathat Marchigiana, 13Chianina,and8Romagnola. large selectionofbreedinganimals:5 three specializedbreeds,withtheofferingofa auctions wereheldattheGeneticCentrefor On 21,22and23Septembertheusualautumn Antonio Vagniluca* A NOTE HIGH FOR THE CHIANINA CHIANINA THE Pallone’s on hismother’s side,andappearedat Mandrillo, alsoboasts origins similarto Pascià delleFonti,son of thewell-known Pastorelli ofPerugia. Fontarronco, andwaspurchasedbyMauro behind himadamoftheBelloline solid, withextremelycorrectlimbs,Pallonehas Growth Index,equalto142.Muscularand tion withaBSIof138.6andanevenhigher tion andprovedqualifiedforartificialinsemina- Eugenio eF.lli farm.Thefirstopenedtheauc- Pucci, andPasciàdelleFonti,fromtheVanni These arePallonediPergo, bredbyGiovanni the noteworthyknockdownpriceof4,550euro. Two otheranimals,bothfromArezzo,obtained 2,034 grams,withaGrowthIndexof121.7. diameters. Worthy ofnoteishistestADG muscular andcorrect,withwidetransverse This fineanimal,evaluatedwith88points,was for 5,500eurobytheDantefarmofFerrara. line, bredinSienabyGinoPecciandpurchased This isPottino,whosemotheroftheBenso Another Giovesonobtainedthesecondprice. artificial inseminationcentre. hope thisanimalcansoonbesignedwithan with a119.5BSI,typeandpedigreedepth.We anced synthesisofproductionperformances, points atthemorphologicalevaluation,isabal- most heartfeltcompliments.Poldo,withhis88 Gubbio, towhomtheAssociationexpressesits Lio, purchasedbytheTognoloni farmof son ofGioveandFranca,maternalbrother and wasobtainedbyPoldodiMariaBianca,a equal to9,250euro,mettherosiestforecasts, price, notonlyoftheautumnbutalltimes, Dazzo, Mandrillo,GioveandLeonardo.Thetop and thelistoftheirfathersincludedlikes suitable forartificialinseminationwas126.3, of thebreed.TheaverageBSI9bullcalves auctioned, confirmingthegrowingdistribution its debutamongtheownersofanimalsbeing presence oftheRizzatofarm,Rovigo,making tioned. Anotherpleasantnotecomesfromthe phological correctnessofthebullsbeingauc- pedigrees fullofimportantfamilies,isthemor- level. Alsoworthyofmention,alongsidethe insemination, confirmingaconsiderablequality for artificialinseminationandonly4natural the auction among the animals suitable for artifi- for the 3 groups up for auction, none was rejected at cial insemination with BSI and Growth Index the end of the test. This confirms the choices made equal, respectively, to 134.6 and 132.3, and an by the experts on the incoming candidates and with ADG of 1,902 grams. The animal was purchased them must be shared the merit of the brilliant result by the Mengozzi farm of Pisa. Just 50 euro lower of the auction. was the price obtained by Poseidone, son of Dazzo The protagonist of the concluding auction was the with mother Ferotto, bred in Rovigo by Enzo Romagnola, with 8 animals, 3 of which qualified for Rizzato, a recent but passionate breeder of this artificial insemination and the remaining 5 for nat- breed, with his first outgoing calf. Poseidone ural insemination. After the fine series of preceding appeared qualified for artificial insemination with auctions, the average morphological level of this one a BSI of 134.6, a test ADG of 1,920 grams, and 85 appeared slightly lower, although it must be points for morphology, with an excellent muscle acknowledged that there was a good level of pedi- development. He was purchased by the Conti grees and fine growths. For once the top price was Mario farm of Grosseto. drawn by an animal qualified for natural insemina- The next price among the animals qualified for tion. This was Persico della Radice of Forlì, a son of artificial insemination, 3,850 euro, was obtained Ville Unite Glorioso ET and the famous Montagna, by Panezio del Chiostro, bred in Siena by the the symbol cow of the farm of Renato Stoppa. A Fabbrini brothers and purchased by the Forestale long, fine, correct animal, Persico showed a Growth Brunelli farm of Nocera Umbra, Perugia. Panezio Index of 123.2 and 85 morphology points. He was also boasted a high BSI (129.5), a considerable purchased for 5,350 euro by Giancarlo Ortolani, of ADG equal to 2,049 grams, and a pedigree in Forlì-Cesena. The second highest price was knocked which a stand-out is his mother Cumba, 91 points, down for Ponente, a son of V.U. Inverno with moth- a well-known protagonist of the most prestigious er Cemento, bred by Renzo Scozzoli and purchased arenas. During the auction of this animal, his for 4,650 euro by the Polgrossi Emilio e Paola farm owner, Giuseppe Fabbrini, was wished all the best of Forlì. A long, fine, correct animal, Ponente stood for a quick recovery after a recent accident. out for his BSI of 124.3, and for a respectable ADG Just 50 euro lower was the price obtained by Pelè of 1,817 grams. A slightly lower price was obtained 7 della Favorita, a son of Giove and Luna, an by Pirlo Babini, presented by the Agricola Rivalona Ammiraglio evaluated as Excellent, from the family farm of Ravenna. This animal, with a noteworthy of the famous Benny. For this animal, qualified for muscle development, trunk length, and rump diam- artificial insemination, the most striking test result eters width, is a son of V.U. Imbattibile from the is the ADG of 1,843 grams. His 85 points for mor- family of Vanessa, and has been qualified for artifi- phology, with evident typicity and gigantism, point cial insemination with a BSI of 117.5. Winning toward a brilliant future in the arena, where we will him, for 4,500 euro, was the Bacci Edi e Silvano soon see him again in the hands of his buyer, Luciano farm of Bologna. Roghi from Siena. The next price was obtained by Potente, son of Lusso The prices of the remaining animals qualified for with outbred mother presented by Pietro Tassinari artificial insemination stood at around 3,000 euro, of Premilcuore (Forlì-Cesena), a breeder who is a while those of the bull calves suitable for natural show aficionado, at his first outgoing bull. Potenza insemination reached 2,800 euro. The Chianina left showed striking muscle development and fineness, the auction ring having established its new top and was qualified for artificial insemination with a price, but this is not the only aspect worthy of note. BSI of 123.4 and an ADG of 1.725 grams. He was For the first time two animals left the Genetic purchased for 3,500 euro by Ferdinando Stoppa of Centre for Ferrara, a new province that is added to San Piero in Bagno (Forlì-Cesena). The remaining the “Italian map” of the Chianina. The enthusiasm animals, all suitable for natural insemination, went of the buyers, which concluded the almost total sale for an average price of 2,700 euro. of the lots up for auction, is another fact to point At the end of this trilogy of autumn auctions, the out. But alongside these notes of a commercial results can be considered quite positive. Even if the nature, there are other, much more important ones Marchigiana and the Romagnola registered lower to stress: the spontaneous and affectionate applause prices than the Chianina, all of the animals in the with which the breeders greeted the return to the auction found buyers, and various bull calves left the auctions of Lucio Migni was certainly beautiful. And Genetic Centre for unusual destinations, which open of great emotional intensity was also the tribute increasingly vaster horizons for our breeds nation- made by those present to the Guerrieri family, well wide. The liveliness of the buyers thus indicated a known to those in the sector, who are going through certain optimism, which we hope will mark the a very difficult moment, and to whom we feel par- upcoming winter auctions as well. ticularly close. Lastly, from the technical standpoint, it is necessary to stress the fact that, out of 13 incoming animals * Genetic Center Office Taurus International • 3/2004 Taurus PONTE PRESALE 2004

Maurizio Kovacevich* Contest, which saw a great participation of students, with 7 teams that tried out scoring animals, under the The devil wanted to have a hand in it, but once again the supervision of the ANABIC’s Matteo Ridolfi. passion of the breeders and the watchful and impas- But what really represents an important reality is the sioned assistance of the veterinary class managed to Calf Auction, extremely important from the commercial avoid the worst. standpoint and fundamental for the determination of A dreaded suspected and doubtful “case” of Blue prices, at the national level also, which registered, in Tongue, which melted like snow in the sun, since it spite of all the complications, an extremely positive turned out to be a “false alarm”, conditioned the partic- trend. ipation of animals from the neighbouring regions and The average knockdown prices for the calves were 1,540 from Sardinia, while even the participation of Tuscany euro for males, and 1,025 euro for females, with a and even the province of Arezzo itself had to be cur- male/female average of around 1,350 euro; overall, dur- tailed. ing the auction sales totalled 103,672.80 euro, equal to Nevertheless, at the 11th National Show of Open- over 200 million of the old Italian lire. Pasture Chianina there were, in the Stock-raising This demonstrates the importance of this event: not only Complex of Ponte Presale (Sestino di Arezzo), 215 excel- because it has made a name for itself and is looked for- lent Chianina animals that took part in the competition, ward to by all those interested in the breeding sector, as well as in the calf auction. but especially for the technical and economic impor- Then there were the other side events, such as two meet- tance it has in the livestock-raising sector. ings and the Judging Contest for students of Italian This is well known by the Ministry of Agriculture and technical-agricultural schools. Forestry Policies, the Region of Tuscany, and the 8 I will leave it up to others to analyze the technical results ANABIC, who for years have been focusing their inter- of the groups in the competition which, moreover, were est and economic and organizational support on it. On of an excellent level; I would only like to confirm that, the other hand, the event of Sestino has by now become at Ponte Presale, the foundations were consolidated for the flagship of open-pasture Chianina breeding which, the new “National Associations of Chianina Cities”, in turn, is undoubtedly the supporting axis of beef live- which will soon see many Italian towns officially join stock economics. together in the interest of the breed. In fact, it must not be forgotten that over 80% of the I would also like to briefly mention the Judging Chianina cows are raised in hilly country, mountains, in

A moment during the awards ceremony Taurus International • 3/2004 Taurus The calf auction the open and grazing (a truly ecocompatible breeding ed by the former ASFD, particularly competitive for farm) and that, in turn, they provide the highest num- the uniformity of all the animals making it up and ber of calves, which are the “founding” heritage of the especially for the typicity, size, muscle development, Chianina and its prized meat. structural correctness, and volume of the udders in the Symptomatic of this is also the fact that, for 2005 also, 4 dams making up the group, which proposed a gen- 9 the Region of Tuscany has scheduled (Decree 1603 of eral correctness and muscle development in the young 24/3/04), with the qualification of “National”, the animals also. Second place went to the group presented Show that will be held from 27 through 29 September by the Ferri Marini Libero farm, which presented four of the next year. cows of a slightly smaller size than those of the In short, beyond the opinions, it is the facts that have Champion group, but still noteworthy for their trans- spoken: facts which, in any case, have been verified by verse diameters, their rumps, and limb correctness. the numerous visitors to the event and by all the Italian Third place was awarded to the group presented by television viewers who saw a long report on RAI Becci Oddone, with animals of a slightly smaller size UNO’s “Linea Verde” programme, as well as on than those of the two preceding groups, but also com- numerous regional and local channels. petitive in all its members, both the dams and the In conclusion, those who, after eleven editions, are not young cattle. yet able to appreciate an event such as this, show noth- Testifying to the good average level observed, the ing more than nearsightedness and a lack of farsight- Judge then awarded 7 yellow ribbons, recognizing as edness; it would also be a confirmation that they have particularly significant the groups which placed down little consideration for the interests of the breeders, to the 10th place, all from the province of Arezzo, who are extremely numerous and who still have confi- which we list here: dence in the Chianina and the mountains. 4th - Benito Rosati 5th - Nello Ciccioni TECHNICAL COMMENT 6th - Landolfi & Liquori Matteo Ridolfi 7th - Gino Renzi 8th - Giuliano Berni Even if, as already mentioned by Mr. Kovacevich, the 9th - Elvio & Luana Vergni 11th edition of the National Show of Open-Pasture 10th - Gianni Sensi Chianina was conditioned right to the very last minute Recalling the judge’s words, the criterion on which the by the Blue Tongue spectre, the breed confirmed the judgement was based, in addition to taking into improvement trend already observed in past editions. account the level of uniformity of the different groups, The 15 groups present were judged by the National considered the morphological-functional traits of the Expert, Antonio Chiavini, assisted by Elisa Lenzi. dams with regard to their muscle development and For the section reserved for summer grazing herds, structural solidity, closely connected to the longevity of there were 14 representatives on the list, all from the the animals, especially in an open pasture situation. province of Arezzo. The winner was the group present- No less interesting, although with fewer participants, Taurus International • 3/2004 Taurus was the section reserved for farms with loose housing, judging was the four groups competing in the summer in which the tone of the livestock presented was, for grazing farms section. The contest showed 3 out of the obvious reasons, clearly higher than in the preceding 7 competing teams giving a verdict that overlapped section. Winner of 1st place was the group presented by that of reference, and what made the difference were the Adriano Innocenti, for the striking uniformity, typici- reasons given, at the end of which the following rank- ty, muscle development, and rump width of all the ani- ing was drawn up: mals making it up. As is well known, alongside the awards envisaged for 1° - ITAS of Pescia (Pistoia) the top-ranking groups in both sections, another award 2° - ITAS of Arezzo was made, offered each year by the Provincial Breeders’ 3° - ITAS of Siena Association of Arezzo, which by now has become a consolidated tradition. This is the trophy named in mem- As a comment to this ranking, in addition to congrat- ory of Mario Casini, which is awarded to the two best ulating the winning teams and their teachers, we heifers in the show. The winner of this edition was would like to stress the importance of the initiative, Adriano Innocenti’s group, with two animals that were which proposes to bring youngsters to know the noted by the judge for their muscle development, size, Chianina breed. The fun-filled award ceremony for this and type similitude. The trophy, presented to Adriano contest involved ANABIC Director Paolo Canestrari, Innocenti by Alessandra Casini, daughter of Mario, the Director of the Provincial Breeders’ Association of sanctioned the good selective work done in the most Arezzo, Maurizio Kovacevich, and Giancarlo Renzi, the recent years by this interesting farm. Mayor of Sestino. With regard to the Judging Contest Another moment of particular intensity was the com- for Agricultural Schools, following is the Hall of Fame, memoration of Silvio Datti, the former president of the which winds up, with an “arrivederci” until next year, Provincial Breeders’ Association and a well-known fig- the technical comment on “Chianina 2004”. ure at the national level, who died a tragic early death. *APA Arezzo Mr. Kovacevich described him with a few simple and touching words, which PONTE PRESALE: 10 brought all those present together in a long, heart- JUDGING CONTEST HALL OF FAME felt round of applause. To honour his memory, the 1998 3rd (ex- equo) - Istituto Tecnico Provincial Breeders’ 1st - Istituto Tecnico Agrario of Agrario A. Vegni - Cortona Association of Arezzo has Florence (Arezzo) founded in his name a tro- 2nd - Istituto Tecnico Agrario A. 3rd (ex-equo) - Istituto Tecnico phy that was awarded for Ciuffelli - Todi (Perugia) Agrario A. Ciuffelli - Todi the first time during this 3rd - Istituto Tecnico Agrario D. (Perugia) edition, and which will be Anzillotti - Pescia (Pistoia) 2002 reserved for the breeder 1st - Istituto Tecnico Agrario A. Vegni that presents the two best 1999 - Cortona (Arezzo) calves. 1st - Istituto Tecnico Agrario Duca (3rd Team) The winner for 2004, degli Abruzzi - Padua 2nd -Istituto Tecnico Agrario Duca receiving it from the 2nd - Istituto Tecnico Agrario A. Vegni degli Abruzzi – Padua hands of Maria Gloria - Arezzo 3rd - Istituto Tecnico Agrario A. Vegni Datti, Silvio’s sister, was 3rd - Istituto Tecnico Agrario of - Cortona (Arezzo) the Ciccioni Nello farm, Florence (1st Team) with two animals of striking muscle development 2000 2003 and correctness. Another 1st - Istituto Tecnico Agrario A. Vegni 1st - Istituto Tecnico Agrario A. Vegni important moment in - Cortona (Arezzo) Cortona (Arezzo) the Ponte Presale events 2nd - Istituto Tecnico Agrario Duca 2nd -Istituto Tecnico Agrario Ciuffelli is the judging contest for degli Abruzzi - Padua Todi (Perugia) students of technical-agri- 3rd - Istituto Tecnico Agrario of 3rd - Istituto Tecnico Agrario Duca cultural schools (ITAS). Florence degli Abruzzi – Padua Marked by the kids’ liveliness and enthusiasm, this 2001 2004 competition is of particu- 1st - Istituto Tecnico Agrario Duca 1st - Istituto Tecnico Agrario di lar interest for both the degli Abruzzi - Padua Pescia (Pistoia) students and their teach- 2nd -Istituto Tecnico Agrario 2nd -Istituto Tecnico Agrario of Arezzo ers. The subject of the Anzillotti - Pescia (Pistoia) 3rd - Istituto Tecnico Agrario of Siena Taurus International • 3/2004 Taurus IN CITTÀ DI CASTELLO DI CITTÀ IN in alivelydiscussiononthepossibleclassifications The technicalmeetinginvolvedthebreederspresent Provincial Breeders’AssociationMarcoPrepi. ANABIC andcoordinatedbythedirectorof in shows,moderatedbyMatteoRidolfiofthe teria forevaluatingandjudgingtheChianinabreed was supplementedbyameetingfocusingonthecri- The show’s programme,whichwastrulyquitefull, breeds. Bulls oftheCentralApennines”,forbeefItalian Geographic Indicationmarkfor“WhiteYoung mote thewell-known“IGP”–Protected CCBI (ItalianBeefConsortium),workingtopro- Also presentattheshow, withitsownspace,wasthe ed inthecatalogueby11exhibitors. laboration oftheANABIC,featured63animalslist- Upper Tiber MountainCommunity, withthecol- Perugia, thetownofCittàdiCastello,and sored bytheProvincialBreeders’Associationof tle registeredintheHerdbook.Theevent,spon- holding ofthe3rdProvincialShowChianinacat- through 29August,wastheidealsettingfor Fair, heldinCittàdiCastello(Perugia) from27 This year, also,thetraditionalSt.Bartholomew’s Matteo Ridolfi* Olimpia, JuniorFemaleGrandChampionofShow, AziendaLuchetti-Perugia CHIANINAS CHIANINAS value ofseveralinterestinganimalspresentedbythe tors intheJuniorfinals,mustnotdiminish of theLuchettifarm,whichplacedallsixcompeti- ous thaninthefemalesection.Thebrilliantsuccess breed, althoughincategoriesthatwerelessnumer- Senior finals,wereworthyrepresentativesoftheir Podero, amongtheJuniormales,andLuccio,in Dazzo, presentedbyGiancarloMarcucci. - SeniorFemales:NoccadiMoglie,daughterof presented byAz.LuchettiBasilioeClaudio; - JuniorFemales:Olimpia,daughterofMoriero, presented byFrancescoandAndreaFedeli; - SeniorMales:LucciodelChiostro,sonofDazzo, by GiancarloMarcucci; - JuniorMales:Podero,sonofIcarusETpresented the followingGrandChampions: his workveryinteresting,andledtothenamingof The considerablequalityoftheanimalsshownmade tion, madebyNationalExpertAntonioChiavini. with thejudgmentofcategoriesincompeti- In theafternoonproceedingsgotintofullswing reference completedthetechnicalexamination. cial classificationandthecommentofexpert farm ofCollazzone,wereusedasexamples.Theoffi- heifers, kindlylentbytheLuchettiBasilioeClaudio and therelatedjustifications.Forpurpose5

Taurus International • 3/2004 11 Taurus International • 3/2004 12 young handlers,featuredeightcontestants, The lastcompetitionontheschedule,reservedfor presented byitspresident,Vincenzo Bucci. offered bytheUpperTiber Mountain Community, won bytheLuchettifarm,whichtrophy The competitionreservedforbreedinggroupswas Planning ofthetownCittàdiCastello. Domenico Duranti,CommissionerforUrban were CesareLucaccioni,representingthefamily, and Presenting thetrophytohisowner, BasilioLuchetti, of thelastNationalShowinBastiaUmbra. many willrememberastheSeniorGrandChampion The much-desiredprizewaswonbyMoriero,whom bered inthissectorasstrongsupportersofshow. whose livescametoanearlyendandwhoareremem- brothers AldoandAntonioLucaccioni,twobreeders the awardingoftrophynamedinmemory Another particularlytouchingmomentcamewith Castello. Production ActivitiesofthetownCittàdi was LucianoBacchetta,Commissionerfor same farm.Presentingthetrophiestowinners Melinda, anotherprize-winningrepresentativeofthe Moglie, repeatingthesuccessobtainedlastyearwith Senior FemaleChampionoftheshow, Noccadi farm wonaparticulardistinction,showingthe Fedeli, LombardiandMarcuccifarms.Thelatter Tel. 620-837-3303 Fax 316-283-8379 www.marchigiana.org that itwillbecrownedwiththesamesuccess. So seeyouallatnextyear’s edition,withthehope Italian BeefConsortium,whoactedashost. Montagnoli, andFrancescoFedeli,Presidentofthe Director MarcoPrepi,“dieselengine”Giampaolo Perugia, representedbyPresidentFaustoLuchetti, the staffofProvincialBreeders’Association for theMayor, FernandaCecchini,without forgetting of CittàdiCastello,withaparticularnotepraise nizational workoftheMunicipalExecutiveCouncil who deserveourheartfeltthanks,butalsotheorga- rewards notonlytheeffortsofbreederspresent, local televisionstations.Thesuccessofthisedition and aidedbyfineweather, wascovered byvarious The event,visitedbyaparticularlynumerouspublic imposed afterabluetongueoutbreak. unable toparticipatebecauseofhealthrestrictions Spoleto, traditionallypresentatChianinashows,but was thenon-participationofF.lli Gobbifarmof The onlynoteofregretinthisverysuccessfulevent Francesco Lisi,theprovincialdirectorofColdiretti. show professionalismandwererewardedby represent thefutureofbreed,gaveprooftheir and waswonbyDanieleLuchetti.Theseyouths,who * MorphologicalEvaluations confirming theBibbonadateasanextremely impor- racterized bythehighqualityofanimalsshown, animals, theshowtookplaceregularly andwascha- ting, whichprevented anadequatepreparation ofthe cattle shows;thus,evenifwithabitofdelayinstar- climate ofuncertaintythatbynowcharacterizedall The desire togetbackshowingprevailed overthe Tongue outbreak nationwide. to thehealthproblems connectedwiththeBlue reopened afterseveralyears offorced suspensiondue Region, andtheMunicipalityofBibbona,show withthecontributionofProvince, the Livorno, Organized bytheProvincial Breeders’ Associationof in Bibbona,theprovince ofLivorno. of Chianinacattleregistered intheHerdbook washeld On 28and29August,theeighthInterprovincial Show Lucio Migni* Bibbona 2004…the Bibbona judge’s decision The publicvisitingtheBibbonaFair Fiorella Marini,whoconfirmedtheMunicipality’s inte- greeted thewords oftheMayorBibbona,Ms. sures infavourofChianinacattle.Warm applause the newregional livestockfarmingplanandthemea- Commissioner andtheregional official Mr. DelRe,on attentively followedthespeechesby There wasafullparticipationofthebreeders, who the regional Barbini. Agriculture CommissionerTito meeting whichwasabletocountonthepresence of Arzilli, aclassyspeakerandthepromoter ofalively worthy ofmentionisthe“verve”Director Luca nally workedfortheeventtotakeplace;butalso Commissioner oftheMunicipalityBibbona,perso- ANABIC breed expert,whoinhisrole asAgriculture Guerrieri, oneofthemostbrilliantbreeders andan The meritforthisgoes,inthefirstplace,toMassimo Chianina breed. tant momentintheselectionprogramme ofthe

Taurus International • 3/2004 13 Judge Lucio Migni

rest and future commitment in favour of the Chianina Favilli Donatella farm of Livorno: a young female with show. great potential for becoming an important cow. Her 14 For the successful and easy-flowing organization of reserve was Pupa, a daughter of Giove from the the show, a word of thanks must go to the traditional Giannellini Edilio farm (Livorno), an animal of great efficiency of the handler and breed expert Mauro quality, extremely correct and typical, with a harmo- Giani, who has contributed significantly with his pro- nious and well-balanced trunk; some red hair still pre- fessionalism to the progress of the breed in the pro- sent at the poll prevented her winning the higher title. vince of Livorno. Worthy of mention is the particularly high quality of all But let’s move on to the technical aspects: fifty-five the heifers shown, a certainty for a future as excellent animals in the catalogue and fifteen breeders involved, breeding cows. A separate comment must be made of whom thirteen were from the province of Livorno on the category of the cows over five years of age, in and two from the province of Pisa. which four truly “super” animals competed; in this It was possible to admire correct, muscular animals in case the breeders were asked to untie the animals, perfect shape, even if the evaluation of the tied ani- improvising a ring in the shelter and making a direct mals and the impossibility of observing them moving comparison, imposed by the excellence of the compe- around in the arena limited their enhancement ting animals. First place went to Lauretta, a daughter somewhat, and was not the best working situation. The title of Male Grand Champion was won by Piocco, a son of the bull Dazzo, bred and presented by the Guerrieri Massimo farm of Livorno: a young bull of just twelve months of age, particularly appreciated for his skeletal correctness and somatic development. His reserve was Pluto, a Mandrillo presented by the Cicconofri Pietro farm of Pisa, who placed first in the second category, in which he had already stood out for the considerable length of his trunk and correctness of his rump. The title of Junior Female Champion of the Show went to Quara, a 7-month- old Dazzo bred and presented by the Nera, Senior Grand Champion of Show. Pietro Cicconofri Farm – Pisa Taurus International • 2/2004 Taurus Massimo Guerrieri, Chianina breeder and Agriculture Commissioner of the Municipality of Bibbona of the bull Dazzo of the Giannellini farm, who stood Among the positive notes of this show, worthy of men- out for her considerable dimensions, structural correct- tion is also the participation of three debuting farms, ness, and typical traits. Second place went to Damiana, run by motivated and enthusiastic young men, and the a Fanfullo of Fratelli Camilli (Livorno), typical but with a merry presence of numerous children and youngsters slight problem in her hind legs, while third place went who, we hope, will devote themselves to breeding with 15 to Gigiona, a daughter of Deodato of the Favilli the same passion as their families. A colourful and cor- Donatella farm, marked by an excellent development of dial atmosphere which contributed to increasing the the muscle masses and by particularly developed tran- emotion of my return to working as a judge, after over sverse diameters. a year of forced inactivity for health reasons. My heart- In the cow championship, the title of Grand Champion felt thanks go to my friends in Livorno and Pisa for the was assigned to the winner of the 3-to-5 year category: warmth with which they received me and for the atmo- Nera, owned by the Cicconofri Pietro farm (Pisa), a dau- sphere of solidarity and friendship that made this show ghter of Elino, with excellent trunk proportions and very an event, perhaps small, but special from many stand- correct structure and limbs, such that she also won the points, to be cherished with all the best memories. title of Best in Show. Reserve Grand Champion was the cow Lauretta, owned by Giannellini Edilio. *Genetic Center Office

Youngsters in the front row anxiously waiting to receive their trophies Taurus International • 3/2004 Taurus Taurus International • 3/2004 16 of theratherlownumberanimals, the as theyalsoprovedinthering. Inspite they werethereforeverycompetitive, Tongue” emergency brokeout,and their province,sincethe“Blue had beenabletoparticipate,outsideof show inwhichthebreedersofLivorno note isthefactthatthiswasfirst Siena, PisaandLivorno.Worthy of gories, comingfromtheprovincesof animals signedupinthevariouscate- The eventregisteredthepresenceof54 Valigi. ed bycollaboratingexpertAndrea national expertClaudioDelReassist- Cooperative. Theshowwasjudgedby Ponte aTressa CultureandRecreation Handicraft andAgriculture),the (Chamber ofCommerce,Industry, Administrations ofSiena,theCC.I.AA the ProvincialandMunicipal Breeders’ Association,theMunicipalityofMonteroni, Chianina Breedwasheld,organized bytheSienese Tressa” (Tressa Fair),the 3rdRegionalShowofthe Tressa, ontheoccasionofby-nowtraditional“Fieraa Saturday, 11andSunday, 12SeptemberinPontea Andrea Valigi* EUN OTRESSA TO RETURNS A momentduringtheevaluations Napoleone delChiostro, SeniorMaleGrandChampion, CHIANINA months) firstplacewenttoPreziosa,presentedby farm. Inthesecondfemalecategory(heifersfrom9to12 third placewenttoQueta,fromAlessandroCeccobao’s place wenttoParigina,presentedbyEdilioGiannellini; high somaticdevelopmentandverymuscular;second ed bytheFabbrinibrothers,adaughterofFaldowith months ofage),wonbyPostuniadelChiostro,present- Az. FratelliFabbrini-Siena female category(heifersfrom6to9 at 3pmonSaturday, withthefirst Matteo Ridolfi.Judgingbegan Provincial ofBibbona),and Migni (recentjudgeatthe Canestrari, werealsoLucio addition toDirectorPaolo Attending fortheANABIC,in Perugia, wasregistered. provinces ofReggioEmiliaand region, andinparticularfromthe provinces andfromoutsidethe experts fromotherTuscan even ofbreedersandbreed major events,sincethepresence ers. Thepublicwasalsooneof and ledverywellbytheirbreed- presented wereofgreatquality value, sincemanyoftheanimals show offeredwasofundoubted Ledy delChiostro,aDelloofthe Fabbrinibrothers,with extremely powerfulandcorrect cow. Thirdplacewentto gin, Innata,aDitoloowned byMecherini,another length ofhertrunk.Laurettabeat,withaveryslimmar- strength, andstructuralpowerfortheexceptional a DazzofromtheGiannellinifarm,forherelegance, category, worthyofaNational,thewinnerwasLauretta, “stratospheric” wouldnotbeatallexaggerated.Inthis To definethecategoryof cows over5yearsofageas movements. development characteristics,andwithelegant,correct Mecherini, ananimalwithexcellentbreedandmuscle ner wasNilla,adaughterofGermano,ownedbyFosco the categoryforcowsfrom3to5yearsofage,win- The categoriesforadultfemaleswereofhighvalue.In and correctnessoverOnda,aDazzoownedbyPalmi. by Ceccobao,wonforhergreattypicity, development months) Ornella,daughterofLisodiPolledraia,owned In thefifthfemalecategory(heifersfrom18to24 Pepa, aLorisbelongingtoAlessandroFerrone. Chiostro, aFaldooftheFabbrinibrothers;andthirdwas erable trunklength;secondplacewenttoPraiadel Mecherini farm,withstrikingbreedtraitsandaconsid- was wonbyParigina,anotherdaughterofLento,the The nextcategory(Cat.4:heifersfrom15to18months) ing toMecherini. belonging toGiannellini,andPranda,aLentobelong- ness overtwoheifersfromLivorno:Pupa,aGiove for hergreatermuscledevelopmentandskeletalcorrect- from 12to15months)PallinadelChiostro(Dazzo)won the Ceccobaofarm.Inthirdfemalecategory(heifers Chiostro, daughterofDazzo,andthirdwasPara,from with strikingbreedtraits,secondwasProserpinadel Alessandro Ceccobao,adaughterofLisodiPolledraia Nilla, SeniorFemaleGrandChampion,Az.FoscoMecherini-Livorno and inthearenabytimelessly fineGiovanniConti. coordinated intheofficeby evercourteousSerena, Association headedbyitsDirectorMontemeraniand the alwayspreciseorganization oftheSieneseBreeders’ go toallthebreederswhoshowedtheiranimals,and the otherhand,toNapoleonedelChiostro.Ourthanks Show.The SeniorMaleGrandChampiontitlewent,on the titleofJuniorMaleGrandChampionandBestin ness, butalsobeatoutalltheothercompetitorstowin excellent breedtraits,dimensionsandskeletalcorrect- Mecherini, whonotonlywoninhiscategoryfor from 15to18months)byPoldo,aLentoownedFosco rectness anddimensionsand,lastly, Cat.4(bullcalves Polledraia, oftheCicconofrifarm,withgreatskeletalcor- from 9to12months)byPluto,asonofMandrillodi breed traitsandskeletalcorrectness,Cat.2(bullcalves Quesito, aDazzooftheGiannellinifarmwithstriking different farms:Cat.1(bullcalvesfrom6to9months)by Ceccobao farm.Theremainingcategorieswerewonby very muscularLaviowithstrikingbreedtraits,fromthe greater trunklengthandlimbcorrectnessoverNilo,a ly Cat.6withNapoleone,aFaldothatwonforhis strong inmuscledevelopmentanddimensions,last- sions, Cat.5withPaperone,sonofGigante,alsovery ual ofstrikingmuscledevelopmentandgreatdimen- with Pierrot,asonofLeonardodelChiostro,anindivid- competed: Cat.3(bullcalvesfrom15to18months) winning threeoutofthesixcategoriesinwhichthey As forthemales,FratelliFabbrinifarmcleanedup, was namedSeniorFemaleGrandChampion. Liso ownedbyCeccobao,whileNilla,ina“photofinish”, The titleofShowJuniorChampionwenttoOrnella,the great muscledevelopmentandcorrectness. * ChianinaVisual Assessor

Taurus International • 3/2004 17

virtue ofhisgreatstructuralcorrectness; oneofhisbest the farmwasGiove,usedin early1990s,especiallyby Sassoferrato. Thefirstbullthat leftanimportantmarkin Sant’Abbondio (Pesaro),Venature andLaPantanaof lands oftheFarmingCommunityConsortiumsSerra grazing fromMaytoNovemberonMonteCatria,the up tothe1980s,todayithasaloosehousingsystemand and wheatfields.With apermanentstall-feedingsystem 70 hectaresincludingpastures,alfalfafields,andbarley livestock. Thefarmhas120headofcattleandanarea with thebreedersforevaluationandmarkingof Inspectorate andtheProvincialBreeders’Associationmet Romagnola, wearepresentingPieroSmargiassi’s Valdolmo farm ontheMarchesApennines,inprovinceofAncona. managerial skillsofthebreeder, arethediamondpointinbreedingofItalianbreeds.AfterRenatoStoppa’s, “Feather inthecap”:that’s howwe’vedecidedtocallthefarmsthat,forgeneticqualityoftheirlivestockand Piero Smargiassi “ A FEATHER IN THE CAP”…OF “A THE IN FEATHER THE MARCHIGIANA BREED MARCHIGIANA THE cians oftheAgricultural ings thatwereheldin in 1954,duringthemeet- registered intheHerdbook ther. Thefarm’s damswere particular, fromhisgrandfa- the Marchigianabreedin his passionforlivestock,and Piero Smargiassi inherited Matteo Ridolfi** Roberta Guarcini*and those occasionsthetechni- Sassoferrato twiceayear;on Number ofanimals:120headMarchigianacattle Farm area:70hectares Locality: Valdolmo, Sassoferrato(Ancona) Azienda AgricolaValdolmo diPieroSmargiassi. THE FARM the NationalShowofMacerata in2003.Herdaughter, show ofOsimoandSeniorFemale GrandChampionat cow, waschampionfor hercategoryattheprovincial crescendo ofsuccesses.Festosa,amulti-prize-winning in 1994,andsincethenhasalwaysbeenpresentwitha shows; heparticipatedforthefirsttimeinanationalshow Smargiassi isaconstantpresenceattheofficialHerdbook Erode andMarlon,anoutbredsonofBullo. Currently workingintheherdareNek,afinesonof and Mirinousedinartificialinsemination. son ofDainopurchasedattheGeneticCentre,andCirio the foundingsires,worthyofmentionarealsoGolia,a Senior GrandChampionofthe2002National.Among Lotar, anotherbullrankingamongthetopsforBSIand performance-tested sons,amongwhichastand-outis the mostimportantbullmothersofbreed,withfour calving periodandexcellentudderstructure.Sheisoneof great functionalefficiency, asshownbytheoptimalinter- breed. Festosacombinesmorphologicalbeautywitha 90 pointsamongthe250topcowsofMarchigiana Festosa, theonlyExcellentcowevaluatedwithascoreof Dolce, purchasedattheGeneticCentreandfatherof Another decisivebullinthehistoryofthisfarmwas (BSI) intherankingoftestedMarchigianabulls. Cirano andlongtoprankerfortheBullSelectionIndex daughters, Banana,wasthemotherofEnea,son

Taurus International • 3/2004 19 Taurus International • 3/2004 20 which areadded20Marchigianadams,whointhewin- vineyards, 200olivetrees,and20Apenninesheep,to Sasso Park.Itisasmall,family-runfarm:8hectaresof cattle inthemunicipalityofFarindolawithinGran for example,ofBiagioDeVico, whobreedsMarchigiana purchase cattlealreadyusedtograzing-farmslikethat, particular, forbreedersofmountainzoneswhowantto Abruzzo, Sicily, andnorthernItaly. Heisthesource,in the provincesofMarches,Latium,Campania, by Tom Rijken,Smargiassi sellsallhisbreedingcattle,in Among thefirsttoexportanimalsHolland,purchased the FieragricolainVerona. represented theMarchigianabreedforfirsttimeat National Showof2002.Thisyearthefarm’s cattlealso placed firstinthecategoryonherdebut Novella, whopromisestorepeathermother’s successes, “Festosa”, SeniorFemaleGrandChampionofthe2003National.BreederPieroSmargiassi–Ancona adapted tograzingfromtheSmargiassiFarm. Sasso; heisoneofthebreederswhopurchasebullsthathave Biagio DeVico breedsMarchigianasontheslopes oftheGran the WhileYoung BullsoftheCentralApennines. Italian BeefConsortium,tojointheproductionchainof the fatteningfarmsofareathataremembers 250-300 kg,atanaveragepriceof1,250-1,300euro,to duced aresold,attheageof6-7monthsandaweight adaptation onthoseslopingpastures.Thecalvespro- farm, sincetheyhavedemonstratedagreatcapacityfor animals usedhavebeencomingfromtheSmargiassi Horn) oftheGranSasso.Formanyyearsbreeding nificent valleyopeningoutundertheCornoGrande(Big of 1,300metrestothe1,900Vadosiella, amag- od thecattlemovefromlandofRigopianoataheight to theendofOctoberareoutatpasture.Duringthisperi- ter areshelteredinatraditionalstallandfrommid-May * * MorphologicalEvaluations * Shows Office SENSORY ANALYSIS OF MEAT: THE EVALUATION OF TASTERS

Andrea Gaddini* innate talent and subsequent application. The high qual- Agricultural Ir. ification required of the panellists is reached through a For a long time the sensory evaluation of foods was almost long selection process, followed by an equally long train- exclusively associated with wine; starting in the 1920s it ing period and practice and updating sessions. was adopted by many food industries for tasting their Here we will briefly describe the steps that lead to the for- products before launching them on the market. mation of a panel of meat tasters. Obviously this process started in the United States, and then extended to the other industrialized countries. RECRUITMENT Today sensory evaluation is also regulated by law, as in the The first step consists of carrying out a survey to find a case of virgin and extra-virgin olive oils which, under the certain number of willing persons, much larger than that Community and national laws, must pass a taste test in needed at the end and, among those willing, those which order to be defined as such. In the case of meat, a sensory meet a series of minimum requirements are chosen. test is not provided for by law, and could not be, consid- Contact with aspiring tasters may take place either ver- ering the particularity of the product, but it is in any case bally or by means of written questionnaires. an important tool for evaluating quality, which is taking The taster is asked, first of all, to have the necessary time, on a growing importance. which often leads to making up the panel with employ- In a previous article (Taurus 1, 2004) we briefly described ees of the institutes and universities conducting the the technique of tasting meat as one of the methods for research, since they are available for the test during their evaluating its quality. It was also shown that there are two work hours, or else students of those universities, both types of tasting groups: those of generic consumers, made because they have the time and because they are interest- up of persons chosen at random and in a fairly high num- ed in research sectors that might fall within their future ber (50-100), who are asked to express a judgment called professions. Other easily available categories are house- 21 affective, which gives an idea of the appreciation of the wives and pensioners who, in reality, make up the major- product on the market, and those of selected trained ity in many European meat panels. tasters, who form a panel of experts, who are asked to Some see in this a lack of representativeness of the sample function almost as a measuring instrument, giving an group as compared to the population, but in reality a analytic type judgment of high scientific and objective trained panellist works like a measurement instrument, reliability, which reduces human factors such as prefer- not like a member of a statistically representative sample ence, habits and affectivity to a minimum. group. Moreover, even though some express doubts about The analytic judgments asked of the panel members, or the inclusion of elderly persons on the panel, various stud- panellists, may in turn be of a discriminating nature, con- ies carried out in a number of countries seem to indicate sisting of distinguishing between two or more different that age does not influence the ability to judge foods from products, or descriptive, with an expression of a judgment a sensory standpoint. on the basis of a scale or with the creation of a sensory pro- In any case the problem, if it exists, cannot be solved, file of the product in question, obtained by measuring the since the sessions take place on weekdays and preferably single components of the aroma or taste of the product, in the mid-morning hours (since this is the time of best and their different intensities. The latter method is sensory efficiency and between mealtimes), and it is not famously used by wine tasters, and it is increasingly fre- possible to ask employees to periodically take time off quent to find short lists of the elementary aromas (for from work to spend an hour in a tasting room. The pos- example violet, berries, vanilla, etc.) on the back labels of sibility of pay does not improve the situation much, and wine bottles. in any case it would not be easy to find the funds in the All the panel’s activities take place under the guidance of budgets of the universities and research institutes, espe- a panel supervisor or organizer, a person who is an expert cially in recent years. on the subject and who is responsible for the organization The taster is asked to have constancy, patience and passion of the tests, the selection of the tasters, and the processing for the task he or she must perform, in order to limit the of the data, and who also acts as a guide and advisor for possibility of quitters, a damaging eventuality both the panellists, albeit without influencing their judgment because the training time would have thus been wasted, with his or her own. According to the European Union and because of the need to rapidly find substitutes. regulations on panels for virgin olive oils (no. 2568/91), The possibility of paying the tasters may increase motiva- the panel supervisor also has the duty to “stimulate the tion, which in any case must already be present. Those morale of the panel members by encouraging interests, who perform this work are generally aware of its impor- curiosity, and a competitive spirit among them”. tance, therefore they know they are not taking part in a Seen from the outside, the task of making a sensory eval- game, and perform the task seriously, often working free uation of meat may seem simple, but instead it requires of charge and displaying a certain “professional pride”, Taurus International • 3/2004 Taurus

essary tobeableperceivethe differentshadesofcolour, For colourevaluationthesituation isparticular:itnec- ring totheparametersrequired bythetest. to placethesamplebeingtasted onascaleofmeritrefer- is essential,butnotsufficient;italsonecessarytobeable other words,perceivingthecharacteristicsofmeatwell if theyaremoreorlessjuicy, moreorlessflavourful, etc.In tougher ormoretenderthanthoseremembered,aswell type (species,age,cut,etc.)anddecidingwhethertheyare another andwiththoseeateninthepast,recognizingtheir makes itpossibletocomparethemeatsbeingtastedone case, thepossessionofaparticularsensorymemory, which Another fundamentalrequirementforthetasteris,inany to theexclusionfrompanel. defect mustberevealedduringtheselectiontrialsandlead though theyareabletosmellotherodoursnormally;this who arenotabletoperceivetheirsmell(anosmia),even molecules thereisacertainpercentageofthepopulation ness, colour)willbeexcluded.Formanyodour-carrying tic characteristicsofmeat(smell,taste,tenderness,juici- who thereforearenotfullyabletoevaluatetheorganolep- Of course,allthosewhohaveperceptionproblems,and becoming judgesofthesensoryattributesmeat. particular innatequalitiesthatmakethemsuitablefor ing panellists,thelimitednumberofpersonswhohave The selectionprocedureservestochoose,amongtheaspir- SELECTION with agoodvocabulary. ed sample,andtobeableexpressacorrectjudgment stand thetermsusedinquestionsaskedabouttast- is agoodmasteryoflanguage,inordertobeableunder- generally metbyall,buttobekeptinmindanycase, A lastrequirementforadmissiontotheselectionprocess, always becollectedinadvance. are infullolfactoryefficiency, butthisinformationcannot test session,eventhoughtheyareskilledtasterswhen gies andfromfrequentcoldsmayalsomissmorethanone the sensesoftasteandsmell.Peoplewhosufferfromaller- even thoughtheydonotalwaysshowalowersharpnessof It wouldbepreferabletoexcludesmokersfromthepanel, quite short,thusproducingarather“rare”meat. served withoutoilorsalt,andthatthecookingmaybe carried out,inparticularaboutthefactthatmeatis inform thepersonscontactedabouthowtestwillbe method usedinthetest.Forthisreasonitisadvisableto en orhamburgers, orwhoarenotusedtothecooking beef, itisnotpossibletoincludethosewhoeatonlychick- not onlyvegetarians,butalso,forexample,ifthetestis to thetypeofmeatconsideredarebeexcluded–thus liking fortheproducttobetasted:personsnotaccustomed Lastly, theaspiringmeattasterisaskedforaminimumof activity haswornout. of sessions,oncethedrivecuriosityfornew abandon thejobentirely, especiallyafteracertainnumber quently absentwhenthetastingsessionsareheld,orelse of constancy, sincealittlemotivatedtastermaybefre- zines. Thisalsomakesitpossibletomeettherequirement publication ofarticlesininternationalscientificmaga- especially iftheresultoftheirworkistranslatedinto design oftheexperiment),and limitingtoaminimum have seen,notastermustbeinvolved intheconceptionor detail ontheexperiment’s design(for thisreason,aswe about thetypeoftestconducted, excludingabsolutelyany It isadvisabletoinformthetastersaslittlepossible striving toguessthe“rightanswer”. judges, workingtogiveanimpartialjudgmentandnot ined, notthem;thisissotheycanbecomeawareofbeing excluding thelessskilful,itismeatthatbeingexam- before thetestthat,evenifselectionleadsinrealityto in anycase,agoodideatorepeataspiringpanellists 3 onascaleof5points),forfearmakingmistake.Itis, too frequentlythecentralvaluesofscale(forexample of judgmentexpressedwithscores,whichleadstochoose tion istheso-called“centraltrend”,foundinmanycases false results.Anexampleofthiskindevaluationdistor- ence, butartificially, usingreasoning,andthusobtaining longer serene,basingoneselfonone’s sensesandexperi- judgment, leadingtoevaluateinamannerthatisno results, thatnegativelyinfluencestheobjectivenessof this turningintoananxietytoguess,obtainpositive ticular giftstobeproudofit,butitisnecessaryavoid is legitimateforthosewhodiscoverthepossessionofpar- tasters whomanifestaparticular“performanceanxiety”.It reached. Furthermore,itisnecessarytoexcludethose influenced bytheknowledgeofobjectivetobe experiment beingconducted,inordertoavoidtheir avoid theinclusiononpanelofpersonsinvolvedin objective judgments.Inthefirstplace,itisnecessaryto mit thepureandsimpleperceptioncapacitiestobecome mind certainpsychologicalcharacteristicsalso,whichper- In theselectionofpanellistsitisnecessarytokeepin should beexcluded. who toooftengivejudgmentsdisagreeingwiththegroup with thepanel,inevaluationofsamesamples:those tistical processingistheagreementofindividualtaster Another importantpointtobeevaluatedduringthesta- sions, without,however, tellingthetaster. coming fromthesamesliceofmeatinsubsequentses- samples, whichisevaluatedalsobyproposingsamples ty, i.e.thecapacitytogivesamejudgmentonsimilar The triangletestpermitsanevaluationoftherepeatabili- who wereonlyguessing. that willseparatethosewhoevaluatedwellfrom at random,anditisthestatisticalprocessingofresults there isa33%probabilityofgivingtherightanswerjust asked torecognizewhichisdifferent.With thismethod, sequence, ofwhichtwoarethesame,andtasteris the “triangletest”,inwhichthreesamplesareproposed various recognitiontests,amongwhichthemostusedis The selectionofthepanellistsiscarriedoutbymeans roughly. instrument iscapableofdoingatthistime,exceptvery distribution overthesliceofmeat,somethingthatno uation ofnotonlytheshadescolour, butalsototheir with theaidofphotographicsamples,andleadstoaneval- meat andisonlyentrustedtoexpert,trainedtasters,also by thenoseandmouth.Obviously, thetestismadeonraw tests isseparatefromthatforthecharacteristicsperceived and theentireprocedureofevaluationexecution

Taurus International • 3/2004 23 meat and in the various meat categories, different by Preparation species, age, sex, cut or cooking technique. For example, of the champions different cooking techniques and lengths give different juiciness (rare meat is juicier than well done meat), beef is tougher than veal due to its connective tissue, and little- aged meat or meat subjected to cold contraction is tougher because of the contraction of the muscle fibres. The training sessions often focus on one single parameter, attempting to perfect the recognition of even just two or three points of the scale of that parameter. After 10 or 12 training sessions, the results are processed statistically, arriving at identifying weaknesses in the single panellists. For example, an individual may have difficulty evaluating juiciness, another evaluating tenderness, and in the following sessions an attempt is made to solve these problems with a specific, personalized training. The training usually further reduces the number of tasters, any further details that are not necessary for the expression and in any case leads to the formation of the final group of of the judgment (obviously, if an evaluation of the “inten- experts, the panel. Generally speaking, it is felt that the sity of the taste of beef” parameter is requested, the infor- minimum number of panellists is eight, below which the mation on the species from which the meat comes is incidence of the results of a single individual becomes too implicit). It would also be advisable to avoid communi- high. But it is necessary, in any case, to avoid including cating the outcome of the test after it takes place and after persons who are not skilful or trained enough only in order the processing of the data, in order to avoid “How did I to reach the minimum number. do?” anxiety. The samples to be examined, both during At this point the panel of meat tasters is ready to go to 24 the selection and during the actual sensory tests, must be work in the actual evaluation sessions, producing the numbered for identification, and it is preferable to use ran- results that will be used for scientific purposes, but the domly generated 3-digit numbers (for example by a sim- training continues in the same way even after the start of ple computer programme) in order to avoid influencing the actual tasting sessions. Generally speaking experimen- the taster who, even unconsciously, might be led to prefer, tal sessions are not distributed throughout the entire year, for example, number 1 over number 6. More in general, but are concentrated into periods of a few weeks each. This any type of distraction that might compromise the taster’s means that a number of months could go by between one concentration is to be avoided, even with an appropriate session and the next, inevitably leading to a tendency to design of the rooms where the test will take place and with forget the training acquired. a careful study of the way it takes place, which will be ana- Therefore, during “dead” periods, it is a good idea to hold lyzed in another article. The evaluation of the results is review and refresher sessions periodically (at least once a done using statistical methods, by now generally entrust- month), using specially chosen cuts to keep the tasters in ed to computers, which make it possible to evaluate the practice. performance of the aspiring panellists, but also to identify problems extraneous to the tasters: for example, to mea- BIBLIOGRAPHY sure the so-called “session effect”, i.e. a tasting session in ASPA - Associazione Scientifica di Produzione Animale (1996), which all the tasters give wrong answers, probably attrib- Metodiche per la determinazione delle caratteristiche qualitative utable to errors in the preparation of the samples, in par- della carne. Università degli Studi di Perugia. ticular in their cooking. At the end of this selection pro- Cross, H.R., Moen, R., Stanfield, M. (1978) Training and test- cedure, a group of aspiring panellists much smaller than ing of judges for sensory analysis of meat quality. Food tech. the initial one is obtained, because the number of persons (Chicago) 32: 48-54. who meet the requirements is not high, and the selection Cross, H.R., Durland, P.R., Seideman, S.C. (1986) Sensory qual- must in any case be rigorous, since the upcoming training ities of meat. In “Muscle as food” compiled by P.J. Bechtel, requires a considerable investment of energy and time, and Academic Press, Orlando, USA, pp. 279-320. it is thus advisable to avoid choosing persons who are not Endrizzi, I., Gasperi, F., Biasioli, F., Framondino, V., Stoppa, G. suitable and not reliable. (2003) La performance dei giudici nella valutazione del profilo sensoriale. Atti del 1° Congresso Nazionale della Società Italiana TRAINING di Scienze Sensoriali, Rome 13-14 November, p. 131. After choosing a small group of tasters, their innate skills Gaddini, A., Iacurto, M. (2004) La valutazione sensoriale della will be perfected and honed with training, during which carne. Taurus, 1: 13-17. they will be made to try various types of meat, proposing European Commission Regulation ECC/2568/91 of 11 July tastes which are no longer blind, but guided, in which 1991, on the characteristics of olive and olive pomace oils and on they are taught which parameters to observe with partic- their analytical methods, Official Journal no. L 248 of ular attention, what they depend on, how they vary in 05/09/1991, p. 0001 - 0083 Taurus International • 3/2004 Taurus

Marchigiana in the States

Flavio Forabosco* which will be held next year in Italy. The meeting was held on a typical American ranch, INTRODUCTION in a comfortable, relaxed atmosphere, 2 hours out “The States”, for those who might not know, is the of Seattle (the capital of the state of Washington), familiar way to indicate the United States of in an area (Moses Lake) that was originally desert, America. America, the great Homeland, but also consisting of volcanic sediments and basalt. the land of the Marchigiana breed. Which has Thanks to an extremely efficient system of canals found an ideal environment here of huge grazing conveying water from the far-off Colorado River, lands, prairies, and a practically uncontaminated today this is considered one of the most fertile ter- environment. In spite of the fact that the number ritories in America. In this “Eden” the Marchigiana of Marchigiana animals raised is not high, it is a breed has found an excellent environment rich with breed that we find spread practically all across excellent quality feed and an ideal climate consist- North America, from California to Washington ing of hot but not humid summers and winters state, from Texas to Kansas, Arkansas and Oregon. which are not particularly cold, made milder Not only the United States, but also more to the thanks to the effect of the nearby ocean. north, in Canada, this prestigious breed is raised 26 successfully. THE MEETINGS Annual meeting of the Marchigiana breed The meetings, which took place from Friday, 23 The annual meeting of the Marchigiana breed is July through Sunday the 25th, were used to pro- held at the “Badly Scattered Land & Cattle Ranch” vide an update on the situation of the American of Dottie and Dutch Starzman in Moses Lake, Marchigiana, which currently counts more than Washington. The aim of the meeting is to provide 6,000 animals registered in the “National Herd an update on the situation of the breed in the Book” from 1973 up to today. What attracted the United States, describe the new Italian bloodlines attention of all those present was the great demand currently available on the market, and encourage for fullblood live animals (generally heifers). those present to participate in the “4th Unfortunately, as many already know, the International Congress of Italian Beef Breeds”, Community laws, and those of the United States in

Il bestiame del “Badly Scattered Land & Cattle Ranch” di Dottie e Duch Starzman a Moses Lake, Washington. Taurus International • 3/2004 Taurus

particular, are very restrictive with regard to the fact that the raising system was of the summer graz- moving of live animals between continents, while ing type, they were in excellent condition. the semen market is currently free. Perhaps, shortly, The trip ended with a guided tour of the nuclear the frontiers should open for the importing of power plant on the Columbia River. It was a unique embryos, which would represent for the United experience, just like the experience with the States an important source of genetic variability nec- Marchigiana breeders of the United States. To them, essary for further increasing the already important to the Association, and to Dottie and Dutch genetic makeup. Starzman, who had me as their guest on their ranch, Sunday morning was perhaps the most important go my heartfelt thanks for the hospitality and recep- day, with the start of the proceedings of the Annual tion I received. Meeting of the Marchigiana Breed. The proceedings * Genetic Evaluations were officially opened by President Bill Bell who, after thanking those present (some had made a 2-day trip to reach the ranch), asked this writer to speak. I dealt with a number of different points in my report, which began with a “photograph” of the situation of the breed in Italy, continued with the presenta- tion of the results obtained at the Genetic Centre over the past decade, and ended with a broad discussion of what are currently the most important bloodlines available for the American market. Much interest was shown by the participants; the questions concerned a great variety of different subjects, ranging from the new bloodlines to the availability and ease of finding semen, to the genetic improvement activity, to the traits which are indexed. The quality of the meat and the cur- 28 rent situation of the Italian market were an important topic on which the attention and questions of the participants focused. The United States too, like many Anglo-Saxon countries, has a consumer market which is increasingly mindful of the qualitative and nutritional characteristics of meat. American consumers, in particular those in the middle and middle-high bracket, are increasingly mindful of the quality of food. Unfortunately this DOTTIE STARZMAN matter cannot yet be generalized, and the meat It is with great sadness that ANABIC has to inform that market suffers from a lack of price differentiation. Dottie Starzman passed away October 17,2004. Our con- The meeting continued with a report by Martie dolences go out to Dottie’s husband and all family. TenEyck on the current situation of the Association, the future objectives, and the results Dorothy Grace Banes was born June 20, 1926 and obtained in the past year of activity. A long dis- raised in Grand Coulee, Washington. She married cussion followed the end of the report, involving Richard C. Starzman of Brewster, WA in 1946. old and new members. The speaker then reminded After living in Brewster they moved to Grand everyone of the important occasion for meeting Coulee to help Dorothy’s mother with her restaurant other breeders and coming into contact with the called the “Wild Life Cafe”. The fall of 1954, Dutch numerous experiences of the ANABIC, thanks to and Dot moved to Newport, WA were they raised the great opportunity connected with the “4th three children and started a successful horse and cat- International Congress of Italian Beef Breeds”, tle ranch. In 1974, they sold their Newport ranch which will be held in Italy next year. and settled in Moses Lake, WA. Since then they have continued the ranching tradition and operating FARM TOUR as the Badly Scattered Land and Cattle Company. As in every good meeting, this one could not lack a For anyone that knew Dottie remembers her incred- series of trips to the various farms in the area. Of ible spark for life itself. Without being able to men- particular interest was the visit to the ranch of tion them all, Dottie enjoyed many things. Her pas- Dottie and Dutch Starzman, where we were able to sion was the stage. She performed in over 19 plays see some noteworthy Marchigiana animals, both at Big Bend Community College and then at many fullblood and crossbred (see photo). They were local theaters in the community. With a heart of excellent animals in their morphology, correctness of gold and an endless sense of humor we will remem- limbs, and noteworthy breed traits. In spite of the ber her in many ways. Taurus International • 3/2004 Taurus Ville Unite Romagnola

16th NATIONAL ROMAGNOLA SHOW PIANCALDOLI (FI) APRIL 25th - 27th - 2003 Three in a Row... Following Ergum and Glorioso E.T. we are proud to introduce Ville Unite Manso

National grand Champion bull 2003

Special thanks to Granfranco Carapia for his skill in parading Manso.

VILLE UNITE ROMAGNOLA Via Viazza, 27 - 48010 Gambellara (RA) Telefono e fax +39 544 551 298 - Cell. +39 335 280100 E-mail: [email protected] web page: www.romagnola.it IRISH DELEGATION VISITS ANABIC Interest in the white Italian beef breeds is certainly mark. During the two days, various farms were visit- growing even on the other side of the Channel, as ed, which we would like to thank, mentioning them proved by the visit of a delegation of breeders from in order: the Republic of Ireland, who visited the ANABIC on Gian Michele Graziani’s “La Viola” breeding farm, in 28 and 29 October. The visit, followed for the Santerno (Ravenna), which boasts around 600 head of ANABIC by Matteo Ridolfi, was organized by ICSA Romagnola cattle in a closed cycle. Ireland, the main Irish professional organization of Primo Bagioni farm, of Forlì, where the fattening meat sheep and cattle breeders. Among the delega- centre, which groups together around 400 tion, in addition to the president Mr. Malcolm Romagnola animals intended for the IGP circuit, was Thompson, was Mrs. Jenny Young, the wife of Peter visited. Young, the Irish Farmer’s Journal reporter who was Iper-Lame Supermarket, of the Finiper group, locat- present at the National Romagnola Show in Reggio ed in Bologna, in the Lame neighbourhood, where it Emilia last April. The group also included Joe was possible to stop at the counter selling IGP Garrett, an Irish “Romagna fan” whom Italian breed- Romagnola beef. ers have known for many years now. The delegation A pleasant intermezzo during this day was lunch was largely made up of breeders of commercial herds, together with the president of the Provincial and was interested in both the Romagnola breed and Breeders’ Association of Ravenna, Gian Marco in the entire production chain covered by the IGP Casadei, who warmly welcomed the guests. The next day, the delegation was received by the ANABIC, stopping by the Genetic Centre’s struc- tures and enjoying a buffet based on Italian meat dishes. The occasion was also very useful for promot- ing the World Congress of Italian Breeds scheduled to be held in Gubbio this coming spring. The ques- 30 tions of the Irish operators on the various points which emerged during the two days were numerous, and at times insistent, showing an interest that is the sure basis for further contacts in the future.

ANABIC Director, Paolo Canestrari, with the President of the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association, Malcolm Thompson.

JAPANESE COOKS VISIT ANABIC The ANABIC continues to collaborate with the Italian Culinary Tour, the organizer – together with the Italian Cooks Federation – of an itinerant Master’s course in Italian cooking for the Japanese. On 27 October, the Association’s headquarters was visited by a group of 18 Japanese cooks, accompanied by the head of ICT Tours, Daniela Patriarca. In addition to the Association’s purposes and activities, a detailed description was given of the characteristics of the Chianina, Marchigiana and Romagnola breeds, the knowledge of which was furthered with a trip to the Ferretti slaughterhouse in Madonna Alta (Perugia). Here the technicians of the Italian Beef Consortium explained the characteristics of the carcasses and meats, and presented the Protected Geographic Indication mark for “White Young Bulls of the Central Apennines”. The day ended with a tasting of Chianina beef, which was very much appreciated by our guests, who were obviously particularly interested in the gastronomic aspects.

The group of Japanese cooks of the Italian Culinary Tour Taurus International • 3/2004 Taurus