An Untargeted Metabolomics Investigation of Jiulong Yak (Bos grunniens) Meat by 1H-NMR.

Chenglin Zhu,Luca Laghi,Cheng Li,Enrico Fiore,Massimiliano Petracci

doi:10.3390/foods9040481

Chenglin Zhu, Luca Laghi + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/foods9040481

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Abstract

Yak represents the main meat source for Tibetan people. This work aimed to investigate the metabolome of raw meat from Jiulong yaks, focusing on specimens farmed and harvested locally through traditional procedures. Untargeted nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-NMR) was selected as the analytical platform. Samples from longissimus thoracis, trapezius, triceps brachii and biceps femoris muscles, with different prevalences of red and white fibers, were selected. Among the fifty-three metabolites quantified in each of them, carnitine, carnosine, creatine and taurine are known for their bioactive properties. Twelve molecules were found to be differently concentrated in relation to muscle type. Longissimus thoracis, compared to biceps femoris, had higher concentrations of carnosine and formate and lower concentrations of mannose, inosine, threonine, IMP, alanine, valine, isoleucine, tyrosine, phenylalanine and leucine. A metabolic pathway analysis suggested that the main pathways differing among the muscles were connected to the turnover of amino acids. These results contribute to a deeper understanding of yak raw meat metabolism and muscle type differences, which can be used as an initial reference for the meat industry to set up muscle-specific investigations. The possibility of simultaneously quantifying several bioactive compounds suggests that these investigations could revolve around meat’s nutritional value.

Highlights

Of the 14 million specimens of yak (Bos grunniens) bred in the world, 92% are located in the Himalayan highlands region [1,2], where they represent the main, if not the only, source of meat for people living in conditions made extreme by altitude
We considered the differences in water content among samples by probabilistic quotient normalization (PQN) [26], applied to the entire array of spectra
Creatine plays an important role in energy provision in muscle contraction, and its supplementation can increase the performance of muscles [51]. This is the first work devoted to the characterization of the metabolome of raw yak meat by means of untargeted 1 H-NMR

Summary

Introduction

Of the 14 million specimens of yak (Bos grunniens) bred in the world, 92% are located in the Himalayan highlands region [1,2], where they represent the main, if not the only, source of meat for people living in conditions made extreme by altitude. Its peculiar enzyme activity and gene expression profile [6] have positive consequences on the meat quality characteristics, on tenderness, juiciness and leanness [7]. These appreciable properties seem to be mainly linked to three muscles’ physiological features. Yak shows a lower intramuscular fat content in comparison with beef

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