A comparison of hepatic lipid metabolism and fatty acid composition in muscle between Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire and Tibetan pigs from three regions

Abstract

Qinghai-Tibet Plateau with an average altitude above 4000 m provides favorable conditions for Tibetan pigs that may have different meat quality from other pig breeds. This study was designed to compare the differences in lipid metabolism in liver and fatty acid composition in muscle between Tibetan and Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire (DLY) pigs. Aba Tibetan pigs (n = 10), Gannan Tibetan pigs (n = 9), Nyingchi Tibetan pigs (n = 10) and DLY pigs (n = 10) were selected for the experiment. After fasting for 12 hours, they were slaughtered and blood, liver and muscle samples were taken for biochemical analyses. The results showed that the intramuscular fat content was not significantly different for Tibetan pigs among the three regions (<i>P</i> &gt; 0.05), which was significantly higher than that of DLY pigs (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.05). However, the liver fat content of Gannan Tibetan pigs was significantly lower than those of DLY pigs and Aba and Nyingchi Tibetan pigs (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.05). The hepatic lipid metabolism may be stronger in DLY pigs than in Tibetan pigs, but lipid deposition in muscle is weaker in DLY pigs than that in Tibetan pigs. Aba Tibetan pigs and Nyingchi Tibetan pigs had similar proportions of saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, while Gannan Tibetan pigs and DLY pigs had similar types of fatty acids. The findings provide new insight into mechanisms of environmental and breed effects on the pork quality.