Energy consumption and energy efficiency in olive oil mills: case studies in Portugal and Spain in the frame of TESLA project

TESLA project (Transfering Energy Save Laid on Agroindustry) financed by the European Commission, had the main goals of evaluating the energy consumption and to identify the best available practices to improve energy efficiency in key agro-food sectors, such as the olive oil mills. A general analysis of energy consumptions allowed identifying the partition between electrical and thermal energy (approximately 50%) and the production processes responsible for the higher energy consumptions, as being the in the mill and paste preparation and the phases separation. Some measures for reducing energy waste and for improving energy efficiency were identified and the impact was evaluated by using the TESLA tool developed by Circe and available at the TESLA website.

Physicochemical and microbial analysis of feces from horses fed diets containing citrus pulp.

This study aimed to evaluate the e ect of diets containing increasing levels of citrus pulp on the physic-chemical and microbiological characteristics of horses feces. Five mares, at an average age of 3.5 years old and body weight of 492 ± 44.5 kg were arranged in a 5 x 5 Latin Square. The experimental diet consisted of 60% coast-cross hay and 40 % of concentrate with increasing levels of citrus pulp (0, 7, 14, 21, and 28 %). To determine the fecal pH, samples were collected directly from the oor, immediately after defecation, in the rst feces the day at 07:00 a.m., and color and fecal consistency were evaluated. For microbiological analysis, an aliquot was reserved in plastic bags, frozen, and sent to the microbiological laboratory for further analysis. Lactic acid bacteria were counted for Lactobacillus spp. and Streptococcus spp. from fecal samples under anaerobic conditions. The diet produced di erences (P<0.05) in feces consistency 98% had normal and rm stools, while 2% had loose ruminant-type feces. We observed no di erence (P<0.05) for color, verifying 100% of greenish feces, normal for equines. There was no e ect (P>0.05) on pH and on the number of Lactobacillus spp. and Streptococcus spp. The inclusion of up to 28% citrus pulp concentrates for horses did not promote change in the physio-chemical characteristics and on the population of lactic acid-producing bacteria in feces.