Abstract
Simple SummaryCirculating non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) may be valuable as biomarkers for intramuscular fat content and fatty acid composition, as well as for other meat quality traits, in finishing heavy Duroc pigs. However, circulating NEFA composition may be affected by other factors such as age, fasting duration, and genetic variants related with adipogenesis and fatty acid metabolism pathways (e.g., SCD and LEPR). This study revealed that the circulating NEFA composition, especially the oleic acid content, reflects the metabolic status of an animal at a given time but has limited value as biomarker of intramuscular fat content and fatty acid composition.Circulating non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) can reflect the composition of dietary fat or adipose tissues depending on the fasting conditions. Therefore, circulating NEFA may be valuable as biomarkers for meat quality traits, such as intramuscular fat content and fatty acid composition in finishing pigs. Genetic variants that regulate lipid metabolism can also modulate the circulating NEFA. We conducted an experiment with 150 heavy Duroc pigs to evaluate fluctuations in the circulating NEFA composition due to age, fasting duration and two genetic polymorphisms, one in the leptin receptor (LEPR; rs709596309) and one in the stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD; rs80912566) gene. Circulating NEFA were more saturated and less monounsaturated than the subcutaneous and intramuscular adipose tissues. Absolute circulating NEFA content was more influenced by fasting duration than age. The SCD polymorphism did not impact NEFA content or composition. The LEPR polymorphism affected the content but not the fatty acid composition. Circulating oleic acid NEFA content after a short fasting was positively correlated with intramuscular fat content and, after a long fasting, with intramuscular oleic acid content. We conclude that circulating NEFA reflect environmental and genetic metabolic changes but are of limited value as biomarkers for intramuscular fat content and fatty acid composition.
Highlights
Fat content and composition of pork has a decisive influence on its organoleptic, nutritional, and technological quality, either as fresh meat or elaborated products [1]
In the production of high-quality dry cured products, for which high intramuscular fat contents are typically appreciated, enhanced pork quality can be pursued by favoring high oleic acid content rather than polyunsaturated fatty acids content to reduce the risk of rancidity during long curing periods
In post-prandial states, lipoprotein lipase catalyzes the hydrolysis of the triglyceride core of circulating chylomicrons and the released non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) become available as substrate for triacylglycerol synthesis in the adipocyte cells
Summary
Fat content and composition of pork has a decisive influence on its organoleptic, nutritional, and technological quality, either as fresh meat or elaborated products [1]. In the production of high-quality dry cured products, for which high intramuscular fat contents are typically appreciated, enhanced pork quality can be pursued by favoring high oleic acid content rather than polyunsaturated fatty acids content to reduce the risk of rancidity during long curing periods In this process it is necessary to have tools to understand and monitor the fat deposition processes that assist in animal husbandry decisions. The aim of the present study was to: (i) characterize the circulating NEFA composition in growing Duroc pigs compared to adipose tissue and muscle, (ii) study the effect of age, fasting duration, and SCD and LEPR genotypes on the circulating NEFA content and composition, and (iii) assess the potential use of the NEFA content as biomarker for intramuscular fat content and fatty acid composition
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