The rearing of the rural poultry is, in Italy widespread and of interest both for its sustainability and for the multiple benefits of health, economic and social issues. In the last decade there were two key issues: from the scientific and ethical point of view the need to protect the poultry breeds at risk of extinction. from the commercial point of view, the request by a consumer more careful and conscious of food coming from alternative farming systems, more friendly regarding the environment and the animal welfare . The problem of the conservation of biodiversity is a topic widely debated around the world. In this cultural context , it has been renewed interest in the chickens Brianzoli , a population not well-defined , raised in the hills of Brianza at the beginning of the last century. The chicks were born on the farm directly from hens that brooded their eggs or turkeys that were used as natural incubators and slaughtered at 6/ 7 months old . This quality production, in the '30s and '40s of the last century mastered the markets of Milan and Tassinari used to say that the chicken was raised Brianzolo " ... the sun blessed hills and placid ." Immediately after the war , however , its presence in the markets , it was very limited and the official bulletins of the prices do not mention any more. In the early '50s, given the considerable demands of the market took off , sponsored by the markets of Milan, a production program aimed at recovering chicken Brianzolo . They began, therefore, some experiences designed to evaluate the best genetic program in order to " demonstrate the perfect acclimatization of new Brianzolo chicken , which lends itself particularly to the enhancement factor mesologici Brianza . Currently the chicken Brianzolo has been added to the list of traditional food products of the Lombardy Region ( DDUO n.3641/09 ) .
In this context, and also in view of future challenges that Milan and the entire region will face in the field of view of the Expo 2015 is of extreme interest to propose the development of " Chicken Brianzolo " , already appreciated by the consumer in the context of provinces of diffusion establishing the phenotypic characteristics and studying in depth the properties and nutritional quality of meat obtained from it . A further objective will be to characterize the " Chicken Brianzolo " from the point of view of behavioral reactivity and adaptation to local environments in which this animal was reared ( plain and hill).
- Principal Investigators: Valentina Ferrante , Paolo Simonetti
- Lead organization: DIPARTIMENTO DI SCIENZE E TECNOLOGIE ALIMENTARI E MICROBIOLOGICHE (attivo dal 01/11/1985 al 27/04/2012), DIPARTIMENTO DI SCIENZE ANIMALI (attivo dal 01/05/2007 al 27/04/2012)
- Financing institution: REGIONE LOMBARDIA
- Type: RL_DG-AGR - Bandi DG Agricultura
- Coordinatore: Allevamenti Legramanti (IRIS)
- Start date: 2011
- Duration in months: 36 mesi
- Status: Closed