Effects of Farm Management Practices and Transport Time on Post-Mortem Changes of Longissimus lumborum Muscle Proteins in Suckling Goat Kids.

Tomás Francisco Martínez,María Isabel Sáez,María Dolores Suárez,María Jesús Alcalde

doi:10.3390/foods9070934

Tomás Francisco Martínez, María Isabel Sáez + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/foods9070934

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Abstract

The combined effect of farm management practices, transport time, and ageing time on the electrophoretic changes of sarcoplasmic (SPP) and myofibrillar (MFP) protein fractions of goat kids was studied. A total of 64 suckling goat kids were withdrawn from two farms with “high” (GW) and “low” (DW) welfare-friendly management practices, and they were transported for 2 or 6 h immediately before slaughtering. Longissimus lumborum samples were obtained at 3, 8, and 21 days post-mortem, and muscle proteins were separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis SDS-PAGE. Both protein extracts displayed significant changes attributable to meat maturation. Managing conditions of kids in DW farms increased the post-mortem susceptibility of muscle proteins. Some MFP of Longissimus lumborum muscle, such as troponin T, as well as 26–30 and 35–37 kDa fractions were influenced significantly by deficient on-farm management, and therefore, these protein fragments might be considered as indicators of low-welfare on-farm management in goat kids.

Highlights

Studies evaluating the potential impact of stressful management practices on the quality of animal products are of great interest [1]
Considering the values overall, the amount of muscle sarcoplasmic protein extracted tended to be higher in low, welfare-friendly management farm animals, considering each sampling time individually, significant differences were found only at 21 dpm in animals transported for 2 h, and at 3, 8, and 21 days in animals transported for 6 h
The results suggest that managing conditions of kids in low welfare-friendly management farms increased the post-mortem susceptibility of muscle proteins to degradation, according to the higher values observed for sarcoplasmic proteins (SPP), and total amino acids (TA), together with lower myofibrillar protein (MFP) content

Summary

Introduction

Studies evaluating the potential impact of stressful management practices on the quality of animal products are of great interest [1]. Pre-slaughtering, handling, and transport of animals are acknowledged as major sources of stress, and even under careful management, it is likely that conditions during transport might lead to catecholamine release and muscle glycogen depletion [2]. Other factors influencing meat quality are linked to post-mortem autolytic reactions, which are responsible for the disruption of muscle structures through the ageing process. Thereby, myofibrillar proteins (MFP) have been widely acknowledged as valuable indicators for estimating the extent of such changes throughout muscle ageing [4]. Changes in sarcoplasmic proteins (SPP) have not received much attention when it comes to assessing muscle post-mortem changes. In the last few decades, the role of SPP as indicators of meat quality is resurging, given that most metabolic enzymes catalyzing post-mortem biochemical processes are sarcoplasmic proteins

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