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Embrapa's (Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation) Goat and Sheep Unit has started using a food evaluation technology known as gaseous chromatography. The technology is used in Syria to measure fat in goat and sheep products, such as meat, milk and dairy, as well as skins.
According to the head of research Marco Bomfim, it has been available at the unit for roughly one month, to be used in experiments by the Embrapa and partnering research institutions.
Gaseous chromatography did not originate in Syria, but has been mastered and works well in the country, according to Bonfim. It was the head of research who brought the system to Embrapa after spending four months in Syria, from June to October last year.
With the technology, it is possible to ascertain the quality of the fat contained in the products, as well as the amount of saturated fat, for instance. For such, a machine needs to be used. Embrapa purchased the equipment and Bomfim trained the personnel to operate it.
The goal, according to Bomfim, is to open a market for goat and sheep products, taking into consideration that consumers are increasingly seeking healthier foods.
In Syria, the head of research at Embrapa Goat and Sheep operated at the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (Icarda), in the city of Aleppo. In addition to learning chromatography techniques to bring to Brazil, Bomfim passed on the Brazilian knowledge in food efficiency for goat and sheep.
In practice, he taught how to monitor the animals' metabolism when the food intake is reduced. By means of the system, goats and sheep receive increasingly lower amounts of food in order to verify what their limit is, or what is the minimum amount of food with which they are able to grow and breed well, without using stored fat.
According to Bomfim, Brazil has mastery in this field. "Some fat needs to be stored for times of need," says the head of research. The process helps generate healthier foods.
Bomfim is an animal nutritionist and has been with Embrapa Goat and Sheep, in the city of Sobral, state of Ceará, for six years now. He graduated from the State University of Maranhão, the state in which he was born, earned his master's degree from the Federal University of Lavras, in the state of Minas Gerais, and a doctorate from the Federal University of Viçosa. In Syria, aside from conveying his knowledge and learning from local experience, he also obtained a postdoctorate from the Icarda.
Bomfim's trip resulted from a partnership between the Icarda and the Embrapa. The Icarda is an international research institution linked to the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), which is comprised of several international research centres and maintained by governments, the United Nations and other international organizations.
The Icarda, in Aleppo, counts on researchers from 60 different countries. There are Syrians and many Arabs, according to Bomfim.
Syria has a herd of 17 million sheep and 1 million goats. The country is the world's fourth largest exporter of sheep, and sheep farming for milk production is an important agricultural activity.
Sheep milk and yoghurt, according to Bonfim, are widely produced and consumed. Most farmers run small businesses, says the nutritionist, and among them there are Bedouin nomads, who migrate depending to the availability of food for the animals.
Anba
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