Chapter 6 - Proteomics advances in beef production

Abstract

This chapter aimed to cover the recent advances and available knowledge on the applications of proteomics as a high-throughput methodology in the field of animal production and meat science with a focus on cattle. The use of massive OMICs techniques, such as proteomics, among other foodomics approaches, allowed to unravel the huge complexity of the muscle and other tissues and biofluids proteomes (or subproteomes). Proteomics represents a comprehensive characterization of all or partial expressed proteins present in a tissue or a fluid sample and/or in a biological system interacting with the studied matrix or fluid at any given time in an organism. Thanks to advanced protein profiling approaches, proteomics can provide significant details about the changes and comparisons in the expression pattern of proteins in a specific physiological or pathological condition. In beef production, proteomics was mainly used to investigate the variation in carcass characteristics and beef quality traits such as tenderness, color, marbling, pH decline among other quality traits. Proteomics was further used in beef research for several other objectives but mainly to understand the underlying mechanisms behind beef quality traits development during the early post-mortem process or aging period of the carcasses. Moreover, it was applied to decipher the interacting factors such as breeding, animal performances, and rearing practices in the objective of sustainable productivity of the animals and to study the impact of processing and production systems on the protein profiles and impact on meat quality traits. Accordingly, proteomics was also considered as an appropriate tool for the discovery of protein biomarkers that can be used for the management of animal production and/or quality products.