The Grey Goat of Lanzo Valleys (Fiurinà): Breedcharacteristics, genetic diversity, and quantitative-qualitativemilk traits

The aim of this study was to provide an overview on breed’s characteristics of a small dairygoat population recently identified in the Piedmont region (NW Italy): the Grey Goat ofLanzo Valleys. This goat, locally named Fiurinà, is composed of about 150 heads. Increasingknowledge on threatened breeds is an effective tool to develop conservation programsaiming at preserving loss of genetic resources, economically valorizing animal-derivedfood products, maintaining traditions and cultural values, as well as appropriately man-aging native habitats. Data and samples were collected in 15 representative farms to obtaininformation on geographical distribution, breeding systems, morphometric measures, andgenetic diversity. Milk traits, including fatty acids profile and caseins polymorphism, werealso investigated. The prevalent breeding system is extensive or semi-extensive, mostlywith vertical transhumance from lowland to alpine pastures during the grazing season. Thebreed is characterized by a peculiar color of the fleece (mixture of white, grey and blackcourse outer hairs with brown under-down) from which the local name “Fiurinà” (=speck-led) derives. The breed is of medium size, with a quite high frequency of well-developed andturned backward horns. More than 80% of does have pear-shaped udder, typical of goats,with cylindrical teats directed downward. The microsatellite analysis pointed out signifi-cant distances between Fiurinà and other goat breeds reared in the same area. Consequently,Fiurinà has to be considered as a unique breed. Although highly variable, quite apprecia-ble milk yields were observed. Considering milk gross composition and fatty acids profile,Fiurinà goat showed comparable results to other local breeds reared in alpine environmentand mainly fed with fresh and conserved forages. A remarkable amount of -linolenic acid(0.82 g 100 g−1fat) was detected. The breed is also characterized by an interesting and widevariability in the casein cluster, with some haplotypes (i.e., A-C-F-C, E-A-C-B, F-C1-F-C)detected only in Fiurinà, confirming the genetic uniqueness of the breed. The balanced fre-quency of medium-strong and weak-null CSN1S1 alleles could be exploited for differentbreeding strategies