The interest in animal welfare in the cattle farming has progressively increased over time, due to ethical concerns and the perception of the public opinion and the consumers about the management and the housing conditions of the farmed animals. The classical, standard approach to the stress status is based on the evaluation of parameters both related to the animal's physical and mental health and to the environment where the animal is reared. The relationships between environmental changes and health is well known and documented by several scientific papers conducted on animals and humans in the last half of the last century. Furthermore, it is universally accepted that poor health conditions lead to behavioral alterations, thus, in turn, adversely affecting the quality and safety of the animal food products. Stress conditions related to an unsuitable habitat may cause behavioral, biochemical and endocrine changes in all the animals, which can be monitored using selected indicators such as blood profile, adrenal hormones (cortisol and/or its metabolites), acute phase proteins, and oxidative stress products. Biochemical modifications can also lead to clinically evident or silent morphological alterations.
Our research team investigates the potential correlations between the different cattle housing systems and specific "animal-based" parameters, which are indicative of chronic stress. Among these, the attention is mainly focused on production performance, blood parameters and hair cortisol. Furthermore, our group hypothesizes that intensive farming-related stress may represent an important factor promoting the development of subclinical diseases such as the degenerative processes of the coronary arteries. In-depth studies on the intramural coronary arteriosclerosis in beef and dairy cattle reared under different intensive, semi-intensive and extensive farming systems are therefore in progress. The research activity primarily takes place in farms located in Piedmont and in the Department's Special Veterinary Teaching Structure. However, international collaborations are also in progress in order to have extensively-reared animals.

• Intensive breeding and pathologies due to "disturbed habitat" in cattle - Cassa di Risparmio di Cuneo: 06/19-05/21

• Biagini D., Capucchio M.T., Biasato I., Tarantola M., Malfatto V., Miniscalco B., Mioletti S., Biasibetti E., Guarda F. - Influence of beef cattle management on blood biochemistry - Italian Journal of Animal Science. ASPA 23rd Congress Book of Abstracts. Sorrento, 11-14 giugno 2019. Pp 139-140
• Biasato I., Biasibetti E., Gili S., Bruatto G., Tarducci A., Guarda F., Capucchio M.T. - Right atrial appendage aneurysms in veal calves and beef cattle: anatomopathological investigations and aetiopathogenetic hypotheses - (2016) Journal of Veterinary Cardiology, 19:68-73, 2017. doi: 10.1016/j.jvc.2016.08.005. Epub 2016 Oct 28.
• Capucchio M.T., Colombino E., Tarantola M., Biagini D., Alborali L.G., Maisano A., Scali F., Raspa F., Valle E., Biasato I., Schiavone A., Salogni C., Bar V., Gili C., Guarda F. - The disturbed habitat and its effects on the animal population. Chapter of book titled " Habitats of the World - Biodiversity and Threats, ISBN 978-1-78984-487-0.Edited by: Musarella C.M.. Publisher: InTech, January 2020.
• Tarantola M., Biasato I., Biasibetti E., Biagini D., Capra P., Guarda F., Leporati M., Miniscalco B., Mioletti S., Salaroglio A., Vincenti M., Capucchio M.T. - Welfare assessment in beef cattle: a multidisciplinary approach - 7th International Conference on the Assessment of Animal Welfare at Farm and Group Level (Ede, 05-06-07-08th of September, 2017).
• Tarantola M., Biasato I., Biasibetti E., Biagini D., Capra PL., Guarda F., Leporati M., Malfatto V., Cavallarin L., Miniscalco B., Mioletti S., Vincenti M., Gastaldo A., Capucchio M.T. - Beef cattle welfare assessment: use of resource and animal-based indicators, blood parameters and hair 20β-dihydrocortisol - Italian Journal of Animal Science, 19:1, 341-350. 2020

• Laboratori del settore di Patologia Generale e Anatomia Patologica Veterinaria, DSV
• Laboratori del settore di Biochimica, DSV

• Dr. Ilaria Biasato, Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Forestali e Alimentari (UNITO)
• Dr Davide Biagini, Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Forestali e Alimentari (UNITO)
• Dr.ssa Laura Cavallarin, Istituto di Scienze delle Produzioni Alimentari (ISPA-CNR), Largo Braccini 2, Grugliasco (Torino), 10095
• Prof. Vincenti Marco, Centro Regionale Antidoping e di Tossicologia “A. Bertinaria”, Regione Gonzole 10/1, Orbassano (TO), 10043
• Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Torino, Via Pietro Giuria 7, 10125
• Dr. Alessandro Gastaldo, CRPA. Centro Ricerche Produzioni Animali. Viale Timavo 43/2, Reggio Emilia, 42121
• Prof. Fernando Delgado, Instituto de Patobiología, CICVyA, INTA, Buenos Aires - Argentina Área de Patología.
• Prof. A. Mendez, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universitad de Cordoba, España.
• Associazione nazionale allevatori di bovini di razza piemontese (ANABORAPI)