International internship for postgraduate students of the Faculty of Livestock Raising and Water Bioresources within the Erasmus + Ag-Lab program

    Postgraduate students of the Department of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Biotechnology of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Taras Yakubets and Mykhailo Matveev, participated in the international internship organized within the Erasmus + Ag-Lab project. The event was held at the Faculty of Bioscience and Agro-Food and Environmental Technology of the University of Teramo (Italy).

    The internship included lectures and practical classes in English and partly in Italian. On the first day of the internship, Professor Dario Compagnone acquainted the participants with the university and the faculty. The students were given a tour around the university, campus and research laboratories.
 

    The next day, the participants listened to a lecture by Professor Carla Di Mattia on homogenization in food production. The professor presented the concepts and methods of homogenization, and acquainted the students with the main types and components of emulsions. A lot of attention was paid to homogenization methods, their advantages and disadvantages.

    After the lecture, the students visited the laboratory, where they got acquainted with the methods of emulsion research, devices and equipment used for homogenization.
 

    After that, the interns attended a lecture by Professor Nicolas Bernabo, who spoke about innovations in reproductive biotechnology. The professor shared current information on the technology of artificial insemination of animals, told about modern technologies of animal husbandry - in vitro fertilization and embryo transplantation. During the following laboratory class, Professor Nicolas Bernabo introduced the students to the peculiarities of the structure of the reproductive system of female farm animals, and demonstrated the ovaries of females at different stages of the estrous cycle.
 

    There was also a laboratory class on sensory evaluation of the bitterness of chocolate, which took place in the relevant laboratory. After the class, Professor Giampiero Sacchetti gave a lecture on sensory analysis of food and its importance to consumers. At the end of the lecture, the professor presented the results of the study of each of the group members.

    The next day of the internship began with a lecture by Dr. Georgia Perpetuini on the biotechnology of wine production, the use of special types of yeast for wine production, methods of identifying different strains of fungi and yeast.

    After the lecture, the students visited the laboratory of microbiology, which cultivates different strains of yeast for wine production.
 

   Dr. Andrea Ianni delivered a lecture on “The development of innovative strategies in animal husbandry to improve the quality and sustainability of livestock production”. The lecturer focused on the current state of animal husbandry in the region, the use of by-products of various industries in animal nutrition. After the lecture, Dr. Andrea Ianni presented the Laboratory of Livestock Raising Technologies, as well as the results of research by scientists of the faculty.
 

    An interesting, practical and useful lecture was devoted to the use of electrochemical and optical research methods to ensure the quality and safety of food products. Professor Dario Compagnone presented the methods of optical research, the results of recent research by a group of scientists from the university, and demonstrated modern developments that allow to check the quality and safety of food products.

     According to the internship program, the members of the international group had the opportunity to visit important enterprises in the Abruzzo region in Italy. The first was a factory specializing in semi-finished meat products. The product quality specialist conducted a detailed tour of the production, showing the critical control points of product quality control. This company produces Arrosticini - a traditional meat dish from sheep meat.
 

    Afterwards, the students visited the livestock farm and family cheese factory, which produces traditional local cheese for the Abruzzo region. The farm keeps about 1,500 sheep of the Lacone breed, which are used for milk production. There are also cattle of local breeds - Markijan, Kian, Frisian. The participants had the opportunity to see all the technological processes of sheep milk production, technologies for keeping and milking ewes, and modules for raising young animals. The students also got acquainted with the peculiarities of the preparation of feed for sheep. All processes on the farm are mechanized and automated.
 

    The last place the group visited was a mini-factory for the production of sauces and olive oil. The students were told about the technological features of processing vegetables and olives into sauces and the production of olive oil. The work of technological lines was also demonstrated.

     On the last day of the internship, the students visited the Institute of Zooprophylaxis of Giuseppe Caporale Experimental Institute in Teramo, where they took part in a seminar on the activities of the institute. Representatives of the Institute presented the structure of the Italian veterinary service, told about the tasks performed by the Institute and opportunities for cooperation.

    After the seminar, a tour was held to demonstrate the work of the institute's laboratories engaged in chemical analysis, molecular biology, and full-genome sequencing of various viruses, pathogens, including Sars-Cov 2. The most interesting was the full-genome sequencing laboratory. Here, the participants had the opportunity to get acquainted with modern equipment for automatic DNA isolation, sequencing and processing of information.

    After completing the internship, the participants received international certificates. Participation in the internship is an important element of gaining valuable experience, getting acquainted with modern opportunities of science and technology and practicing foreign languages.

    Postgraduate students Taras Yakubets and Mykhailo Matveev sincerely thank NUBiP administration for the opportunity to take part in the international internship, gain invaluable experience and implement it at NUBiP of Ukraine.
 

Nataliya Gryshchenko,
Chairman of the Council of Young Scientists of the
Faculty of Livestock Raising and Water Bioresources