Journal La Lifesci

Aligning Artificial Insemination and Vaccination for Sustainable Beef Cattle Populations

Asep Budi Santoso — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 02:46:59 +0000

This study evaluates the alignment of artificial insemination and livestock vaccination services as complementary interventions for sustaining the beef cattle population in Purwakarta Regency, Indonesia. A descriptive policy-analysis design was applied to secondary administrative data from 2023–2025, including livestock service performance, vaccination records, population statistics, planning documents, budgets, and the institutional risk register. Trend, gap, strengths–weaknesses–opportunities–threats, policy-option, and risk analyses were used. Artificial insemination performance improved in 2025: the number of acceptors rose by 4.39 percent, pregnancies increased by 4.01 percent, and services per conception declined from 1.51 to 1.47. However, births declined slightly, while foot-and-mouth disease vaccination dropped from 95,539 animals in 2024 to 11,283 in 2025. Service targets, locations, timing, and databases were not systematically connected, limiting the ability to verify whether cattle generated through reproductive services received adequate health protection. The preferred policy is a data- and risk-based alignment model that uses acceptor location, animal population, disease risk, and service history to prioritize vaccination without creating a new program or reallocating formal authority. Integrating service data into annual planning can improve targeting, budget efficiency, accountability, and the durability of population gains. The findings show that reproductive output should be assessed together with animal-health protection rather than as an isolated performance measure.

Effects of Soil Physical Properties and Slope Gradient on the Growth Performance of Hybrid Maize (ADF Ruby)

Innah Inayyah, Abdullah Abdullah, Sudirman Numba — Mon, 12 Oct 2026 03:13:21 +0000

The expansion of corn cultivation to dryland areas in the highlands increases the risk of soil degradation due to slope gradients, which can alter soil physical properties, increase erosion, and reduce crop productivity. This study aims to analyze the effect of slope gradient on the physical and chemical properties of soil, erosion potential, and the growth and yield of the hybrid corn (Zea mays L.) variety ADF Ruby in the highlands of Bima Regency, Indonesia. The study employed a field survey method across three slope gradient classes (8–15%, 15–25%, and >25%). Erosion potential was predicted using the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE), while data were analyzed using ANOVA, Pearson’s correlation, and simple linear regression. The results showed that an increase in slope gradient did not significantly alter soil particle density, bulk density, and porosity, but it increased soil permeability from 3.85 to 9.03 cm h⁻¹ and predicted soil loss from 83 to 317 metric tons ha⁻¹ year⁻¹. The highest maize growth and yield were obtained on slopes of 8–15%, while soil permeability was very strongly negatively correlated with dry kernel weight (r = −0.98; R² = 0.89). The results of this study indicate that the effect of slope on corn productivity is mediated by changes in soil hydrological characteristics and an increased risk of erosion; therefore, soil and water conservation are key to the sustainable management of sloping dryland.

Antimicrobial Antimicrobial Properties of Pineapple Peel Extract in Beef Skin Gelatin-Based Meatball Products

Thu, 15 Oct 2026 08:21:34 +0000

The aim of this study was to determine the microbiological parameters of meatballs prepared with beef skin gelatin extracted with pineapple peel after various storage periods. A laboratory approach to experiments and descriptive analysis were used. Beef skin was pretreated with pineapple peel extract for 12, 24, 30 and 40 hours before the gelatin extraction. The gelatin produced was subjected to Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and amino acid analysis which were used to characterize it, and then used in meatball products. The meatballs were kept for 14 and 21 days at 10°C and then microbiological tests were conducted to assess Total Plate Count (TPC), Gram staining and biochemical tests. The FTIR analysis showed amide characteristic functional groups that are associated with the formation of gelatin, and the amino acid profiling also showed that glycine and proline are the main components. Bacterial count was higher with the longer storage time for all pretreatment groups as revealed by the TPC results. The 24-hour pretreatment group had the lowest count of bacteria after 14 days (4.4 × 10⁴) and the lowest count after 21 days (100 × 10⁵) was recorded in the 30-hour pretreatment group. Microbiological examination showed Gram-negative bacteria (Neisseria sp. and Escherichia coli) and Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus). The results showed that meatballs with pineapple peel extract-pretreated beef skin gelatin were still detectable microbial contamination during a long storage period. Further controlled investigations are needed to establish its antimicrobial effectiveness.