Exploring the breed-specific variations in meat quality attributes and gene expression patterns associated with tenderness, intramuscular fat, and fatty acid composition profiles in nellore and deecani sheep breeds of india.

Sheep breed has a major influence on characteristics of meat quality and intramuscular fat (IMF), however, studies into the relationship between sheep breed and meat quality traits rarely consider the large variation in IMF within breed. In this study, groups of 176 Hu and 76 Tan male sheep were established, weaned at 56 days old, with similar weights, and representative samples were selected based on the distribution of IMF in each population, to investigate variations in meat quality, IMF and volatile compound profiles between breeds. Significant differences were observed in drip loss, shear force, cooking loss, and color coordinates between Hu and Tan sheep (p < 0.01). The IMF content and the predominate unsaturated fatty acids, oleic and cis, cis-linoleic acids, were similar. Eighteen out of 53 volatile compounds were identified as important odor contributors. Of these 18 odor-active volatile compounds, no significant concentration differences were detected between breeds. In another 35 volatile compounds, γ-nonalactone was lower in Tan sheep relative to Hu sheep (p < 0.05). In summary, Tan sheep exhibited lower drip loss, higher shear force values, and redder color, had less saturated fatty acids, and contained less γ-nonalactone against Hu sheep. These findings improve understanding of aroma differences between Hu and Tan sheep meat. Graphical Abstract.

In Northeast China, Dorper and Australian White rams are commonly crossbred with small-tailed Han (STH) ewes to improve the offspring's meat yield and quality. However, the differences in traits and the flavor between the crossbred sheep and STH sheep remain unclear. In addition, the candidate genes potentially influencing the meat quality in the three sheep breeds require further verification. A total of 18 2-month-old healthy rams were raised over a period of 5 months, which included 6 STH, 6 Dorper and small-tailed Han crossbred (Do × STH), and 6 Australian white and small-tailed Han crossbred (Au × STH) offspring. The differences in slaughter, meat quality traits, fatty acid and amino acid composition in the muscular longissimus dorsi (MLD), and volatile compounds in the semitendinosus muscle were compared between the sheep breeds. The candidate genes related to intramuscular fat (IMF) content and fatty acids were validated. The results of this study revealed that the crossbred sheep had higher body weight, carcass weight, bone weight, net meat weight, and IMF content than the STH sheep (p < 0.05). The Do × STH offspring had a higher pH value (24 h), moisture content, and cooking percentage; they also had redder and brighter meat color. The content of myristate, palmitic, and margaric acids in the crossbred sheep was higher than that in the STH sheep (p < 0.05). The Do × STH offspring had the highest saturated fatty acid content (p < 0.05). The Au × STH offspring had the highest protein content (p < 0.05). The arachidonic acid and amino acid (Asp, Ala, Ile, Leu, Lys, Thr, and essential amino acid) contents were higher in the STH sheep than in the crossbred sheep (p < 0.05). The odor activity value (OAV) analysis showed that most of the aldehydes in the Au × STH offspring had higher values. The PDK4 gene expression was positively associated with the IMF content and was negatively correlated with the linoleic acid content in the Do × STH sheep (p < 0.05). The TMEM273 gene expression was positively associated with linoleic and arachidonic acid contents and was negatively correlated with oleic and palmitic acid contents in the Do × STH sheep (p < 0.05). The results showed the differences between the crossbred sheep and STH sheep and provided the candidate genes related to meat quality in sheep.

A study was conducted on the effect of two different lamb production systems on the fatty acid (FA) composition of subcutaneous fat of 40 purebred Ile de France lambs. In the first production system, ewes and lambs grazed on pasture without concentrate (GS), whereas in the second production system, ewes and lambs were housed indoor and fed silage/hay and concentrate (IS). Twenty lambs (7 females and 13 males) were included in each group. Lambs were slaughtered at 28.75 ± 2.76 kg. The FA were determined by gas chromatography and analysed through ANOVA by considering the following fixed effects: production system, sex and the interaction between production system and sex. Subcutaneous fat of GS lambs had greater proportion of C18:3n-3 (P <0.001), C22:5n-3 (P <0.05) and C22:6n-3 (P <0.05) than IS lambs, which resulted in a higher sum of n-3 polyunsaturated FA in GS compared to IS lambs (2.00 vs. 1.15 g/100 g FAME, P <0.001). Moreover, subcutaneous fat of GS lambs had greater proportion of c9,t11-C18:2 (P <0.001) and sum of detected conjugated linoleic acid isomers than IS lambs (2.21 vs. 0.67 g/100 g FAME, P <0.001). Females had significantly greater proportion of C18:2n-6 (P <0.05) and C18:3n-6 (P <0.001) than males. We can conclude that the GS system where lambs are raised under grazing conditions may provide carcasses with a more acceptable subcutaneous fat, as far as a human health and nutrition perspective is concerned.

The present study evaluated the effects of dietary docosahexaenoic acid-rich supplement (DHA; C22:6 n-3) supplementation on growth, carcass and meat quality and the fatty acid profile of different fat depots in pre-weaning goat kids. Thirty Majorera dairy goat kids were randomly assigned to one of three milk replacer diets: a control diet (no DHA-rich supplement), a low-DHA diet (9 g DHA/L of milk replacer, MR-LD-DHA), or a high-DHA diet (18 g DHA/L, MR-HD-DHA). Growth performance, carcass and meat quality traits and the fatty acid composition of intramuscular and external fat depots (perirenal, pelvic, subcutaneous and intermuscular) were measured. The dietary DHA-rich supplement significantly altered the fatty acid composition of fat depots (p < 0.05), notably increasing long-chain n-3 fatty acids and lowering the n-6/n-3 ratio. However, there were no significant differences neither in growth performance or carcass and meat quality variables (p > 0.05). In conclusion, supplementing pre-ruminant goat kids with a rich microalgal oil source, a DHA-rich supplement, via milk replacer effectively improved the fatty acid profile of goat kid meat by lowering the n-6/n-3 ratio without adversely affecting growth or meat quality. These findings justify the use of DHA-rich supplement supplementation, despite its extra cost, as a strategy to produce healthier goat meat enriched in n-3 fatty acids. Implications Modern human diets are often deficient in omega-3 fatty acids such as DHA. As meat is a major component of adult diets, it is an appropriate vehicle for providing essential fatty acids. This study demonstrates that supplementing goat kids' milk replacer with either 9 g or 18 g of DHA-rich supplement per litre is an effective strategy to enrich goat meat with n-3 fatty acids, leading to a markedly improved fatty acid profile (especially a lower n-6/n-3 ratio) in meat without compromising animal growth or meat quality.

Genetic correlations between 29 wool production and quality traits and 25 meat quality and nutritional value traits were estimated for Merino sheep from an Information Nucleus (IN). Genetic correlations among the meat quality and nutritional value traits are also reported. The IN comprised 8 flocks linked genetically and managed across a range of sheep production environments in Australia. The wool traits included over 5,000 yearling and 3,700 adult records for fleece weight, fiber diameter, staple length, staple strength, fiber diameter variation, scoured wool color, and visual scores for breech and body wrinkle. The meat quality traits were measured on samples from the and included over 1,200 records from progeny of over 170 sires for intramuscular fat (IMF), shear force of meat aged for 5 d (SF5), 24 h postmortem pH (pHLL; also measured in the , pHST), fresh and retail meat color and meat nutritional value traits such as iron and zinc levels, and long-chain omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid levels. Estimated heritabilities for IMF, SF5, pHLL, pHST, retail meat color lightness (), myoglobin, iron, zinc and across the range of long-chain fatty acids were 0.58 ± 0.11, 0.10 ± 0.09, 0.15 ± 0.07, 0.20 ± 0.10, 0.59 ± 0.15, 0.31 ± 0.09, 0.20 ± 0.09, 0.11 ± 0.09, and range of 0.00 (eicosapentaenoic, docosapentaenoic, and arachidonic acids) to 0.14 ± 0.07 (linoleic acid), respectively. The genetic correlations between the wool production and meat quality traits were low to negligible and indicate that wool breeding programs will have little or no effect on meat quality. There were moderately favorable genetic correlations between important yearling wool production traits and the omega-3 fatty acids that were reduced for corresponding adult wool production traits, but these correlations are unlikely to be important in wool/meat breeding programs because they have high SE, and the omega-3 traits have little or no genetic variance. Significant genetic correlations among the meat quality traits included IMF with SF5 (-0.76 ± 0.24), fresh meat color * (0.50 ± 0.18), and zinc (0.41 ± 0.19). Selection to increase IMF will improve meat tenderness and color which may address some of the issues with Merino meat quality. These estimated parameters allow Merino breeders to combine wool and meat objectives without compromising meat quality.

Performance and meat quality of suckling calves grazing cultivated pasture or free range in mountain

Transcriptomic and metabolomic profiling of the Longissimus thoracis muscle insights into variations in meat quality between Hainan Black and Nubian Black goats

Article Details: Received: 2020-10-20 | Accepted: 2020-11-27 | Available online: 2021-01-31 https://doi.org/10.15414/afz.2021.24.mi-prap.25-28 Twenty Tsigai and Suffolk crossbreed lambs in grazing conditions were used to investigate the effect of weaning status (weaned vs. unweaned) and sex on fatty acid composition of meat. Six males and four females were included in both groups, the weaned lambs group (WL) and the unweaned lambs group (UL). The fatty acid profile of Musculus longissimus lumborum et thoracis intramuscular fat (IMF) were determined by gas chromatography and analysed by analysis of variance. WL displayed higher proportion of t 11-C18:1 (P < 0.001), n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) C18:2 (P < 0.01) and C20:4 (P < 0.05), n-3 PUFA C18:3 (P < 0.05), C20:5 (P < 0.01), C22:5 (P < 0.05), C22:6 (P < 0.05) and the total PUFA (P < 0.01) in IMF than UL. On the contrary, IMF of UL had higher proportion of the medium-chain saturated fatty acids (SFA) such as C12:0 (P < 0.01), C14:0 (P < 0.01) and C16:0 (P < 0.01), the total SFA (P < 0.05) and the total monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) (P < 0.05). The weaning status had no significant effect on n-6/n-3 ratio, however the ratio was satisfactory low in both groups. The sex had no effect on a profile of essential and health beneficial fatty acids in meat of lamb. In conclusion, meat of weaned lambs in grazing system might be considered to obtain a higher proportion of healthy n-3 fatty acids compared to unweaned lambs. Keywords: fatty acids, intramuscular fat, lamb meat, weaned lambs, unweaned lambs References Belanche, A. et al. (2019). Amulti-kingdom study reveals the plasticity of the rumen microbiota in response to a shift from non-grazing to grazing diets in sheep. Frontiers in Microbiology , 10, 1-17. Doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2019.00122 Caneque, V. et al. (2001). Effect of weaning age and slaughter weight on carcass and meat quality of Talaverana breed lambs raised at pasture. Animal Science , 73, 85-95. Cividini, A. et al. (2014). Fatty acid composition of lamb meat from the autochthonous Jezersko-Solcava breed reared in different production systems. Meat Science , 97(4), 480-485. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meatsci.2013.12.012 Cividini, A. et al. (2008). Fatty acid composition of lamb meat as affected by production system, weaning and sex. Acta Agriculturae Slovenica , Suplement 2, 47-52. De Brito, G. F. et al. (2017). TheEfect of Extensive Feeding Systems on Growth Rate, Carcass Traits, and Meat Quality of Finishing Lambs. Comprehensive Reviews. Food Science and Food Safety . 16(1), 23-38. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/1541-4337.12230 Enser, M. et al. (1998). Fatty acid content and composition of UK beef and lamb muscle in relation to production systemand implications for human nutrition. Meat Science ., 49, 329–341. French, P. et al. (2000). Fatty acid composition, including conjugated linoleic acid, of intramuscular fat from steers offered grazed grass, grass silage, or concentrate-based diets. Journal of Animal Science , 78, 2849-2855. Howes, N. L. (2015). Opportunities and Implications of Pasture-Based Lamb Fattening to Enhance the Long-Chain Fatty Acid Composition in Meat. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety , 14(1), 22-36. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/1541-4337.12118 Jacques, J. et al. (2016). Meat quality, organoleptic characteristics, and fatty acid composition of Dorset lambs fed different forage to concentrate ratios or fresh grass. Canadian Journal of Animal Science , 97, 290-301.Doi: https://doi.org/10.1139/cjas-2016-0104 Kosulwat, S. et al. (2003). Lipid composition of Australian retail lamb cuts with differing carcass classification characteristics. Meat Science , 65, 1413-1420. Margetin, M. et al. (2018). Fatty acids in intramuscular fat of Ile de France lambs in two different production Systems. Archives Animal Breeding , 61 (4), 395-403. Doi: https://doi.org/10.5194/aab-61-395-2018 Velasco, S et al. (2004). Effect of different feeds on meat quality and fatty acid composition of lambs fattened at pasture. Meat Science , 66(2), 457-465. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0309-1740(03)00134-7 Velasco, S. et al. (2001) Fatty acid composition of adipose depots of suckling lambs raised under different production systems. Meat Science , 59(3), 325-333. Velasco, S. et al. (2000). Carcass and meat quality of Talaverana breed sucking lambs in relation to gender and slaughter weight . Animal Science , 70, 253-263. Woods, V. B., &Fearon, A. M. (2009). Dietary sources of unsaturated fatty acids for animals and their transfer into meat, milk and eggs: A review. Livestock Science , 126, 1-20.

Abstract. Title of the paper: Effect of sire breeds in commercial pig crosses on growth, carcass composition, meat and fat quality 200 weaners from a large field trial in Niedersachsen to test different German and foreign sire breeds for their ability to improve the quality of market products were put at an individual feeding trial at the FAL-Nutrition Institute in Braunschweig. It was the aim of this feeding trial to compare the effects of different fat additions to the diet, sire breeds, sexes and slaughter weights upon growth and usual carcass traits but also upon several additional meat and fat quality traits. The trial was carried out in two blocks with 96 pigs each with the sire breeds Pietrain of the two MHS-genotypes PP (stress susceptible) and NN (stress resistant), Duroc and Hamsphire*Duroc (both NN) as preferrably used in Denmark. As control in both blocks the BHZP-standard boar 65 (PI*HA(NN)) was used. Here only the sire breed effects will be reported. In daily gain and energy conversion only DU-progeny differed significantly from the control (+33g, −1.32 MJ/kg). The tissue dissection showed that PI(PP)-, DU- and HA*DU-progeny had 0.8–1.0% higher bone and respectively lower residual components (lean, fat, tissue). In carcass measurements PI(PP) progeny were the leanest followed by PI(NN), and DU progeny had the smallest loin eye areas and carcass lean contents. This affected the carcass cuts such that PI(PP) progeny had a 1.2 % (= 1.08 kg) higher sum of primal cuts and DU progeny with –0,8% (−400g) below the control were the poorest. In meat quality traits only the heterozygote stress susceptible PI(PP) progeny showed highly significant poorer values than all other crosses, which differed little from each other. This was confirmed by drip losses 2 and 4 days post mortem, which were 1.3–1.6% higher than the control whereas DU progeny were the best with –0.6%. Chemical analysis of a loin sample produced for both Danish sire breeds significantly higher intramuscular fat (+0.36–0.38%) and for PI(PP) progeny with –0.32% the lowest values, but the overall mean reached only 1.3% intramuscular fat. The protein and glycogen contents of loin revieled the expected large deviations of Hamsphire progeny due to the dominant RN- gene (−0.8–1 % protein, +10–14 μmol/g glycogen). All HA-free crossbreds did not differ much. The fatty acid composition of backfat and intramuscular fat showed much smaller differences between sire breeds than between fat supplements to the ration, but Danish sire breeds transmitted higher contents of polyunsaturated and Omega 3 fatty acids than the other sire breeds. Finally, for animals of the second trial also a sensoric test of loin samples was performed at the Federal Meat Research Institute. There subjective scores for tenderness and juiciness as well as grill losses showed significant sire breed differences. But contrary to expectation both Danish sire breeds produced inferior quality in all three traits to PI*HA(NN) control sire groups.

Swine industry breeding goals are mostly directed towards meat quality and carcass traits due to their high economic value. Yet, studies on meat quality and carcass traits including both phenotypic and genotypic information remain limited, particularly in commercial crossbred swine. The objectives of this study were to estimate the heritabilities for different carcass composition traits and meat quality traits and to estimate the genetic and phenotypic correlations between meat quality, carcass composition, and growth traits in 2 large commercial swine populations: The Maschhoffs LLC (TML) and Smithfield Premium Genetics (SPG), using genotypes and phenotypes data. The TML data set consists of 1,254 crossbred pigs genotyped with 60K SNP chip and phenotyped for meat quality, carcass composition, and growth traits. The SPG population included over 35,000 crossbred pigs phenotyped for meat quality, carcass composition, and growth traits. For TML data sets, the model included fixed effects of dam line, contemporary group (CG), gender, as well as random additive genetic effect and pen nested within CG. For the SPG data set, fixed effects included parity, gender, and CG, as well as random additive genetic effect and harvest group. Analyses were conducted using BLUPF90 suite of programs. Univariate and bivariate analyses were implemented to estimate heritabilities and correlations among traits. Primal yield traits were uniquely created in this study. Heritabilities [high posterior density interval] of meat quality traits ranged from 0.08 [0.03, 0.16] for pH and 0.08 [0.03, 0.1] for Minolta b* to 0.27 [0.22, 0.32] for marbling score, except intramuscular fat with the highest estimate of 0.52 [0.40, 0.62]. Heritabilities of primal yield traits were higher than that of primal weight traits and ranged from 0.17 [0.13, 0.25] for butt yield to 0.45 [0.36, 0.55] for ham yield. The genetic correlations of meat quality and carcass composition traits with growth traits ranged from moderate to high in both directions. High genetic correlations were observed for male and female for all traits except pH. The genetic parameter estimates of this study indicate that a multitrait approach should be considered for selection programs aimed at meat quality and carcass composition in commercial swine populations.

Effect of feeding regime during finishing on lamb welfare, production performance and meat quality

The effect of dietary inclusion of Moringa oleifera leaf meal (MOLM) on the feed conversion ratio (FCR) of finisher pigs, physico-chemical meat quality, fatty acid (FA) composition and shelf life of pork was investigated. A six-week feeding trial was conducted with 24 Large White x Landrace gilts aged 14 weeks. Each pig was housed individually and randomly allocated to one of four dietary treatments, containing 0%, 2.5%, 5% or 7.5% MOLM, with six replicates per treatment. Feed intake was measured daily, pig liveweight was measured weekly, and average daily gains (ADGs) and FCR were calculated. Pigs were slaughtered at 20 weeks old and measurements of backfat thickness, pH45min and pH24h were taken. Muscularis longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscle samples from each carcass were analysed for physico-chemical quality. Muscle, subcutaneous fat and feed samples were analysed for FA composition and health lipid indices of atherogenicity (AI) and thrombogenicity (IT) were calculated. A 10-day shelf-life study was conducted, during which instrumental and sensory meat colour and odour were assessed. Pigs fed 7.5% MOLM had significantly higher average daily feed intakes (3.56 kg/day) than pigs fed 0%, 2.5% and 5% MOLM (3.05, 3.14 and 3.07 kg/day, respectively). The FCR of pigs fed 0%, 2.5% and 5% MOLM did not differ significantly (3.34, 3.44 and 3.22, respectively). However, the FCR of pigs fed 7.5% MOLM was significantly poorer (3.78). No significant differences were observed for carcass and physico-chemical quality traits. MOLM inclusion improved shelf life, as meat samples from MOLM-fed pigs exhibited significantly prolonged acceptability of colour and odour during 10 days of refrigerated storage. Although the n-6 : n-3 FA ratios of the dietary treatments containing MOLM were significantly improved (T1 = 35.45, T2 = 22.08, T3 = 14.24, T4 = 15.90), no significant differences were observed for this ratio in the fat composition of the meat or subcutaneous fat samples between treatments. A significant reduction in intramuscular fat and stearic acid content was observed with increasing levels of MOLM. However, all other FA profiles, ratios and health lipid indices did not differ significantly across treatments. In conclusion, up to 5% MOLM may be included in finisher pig feed with no negative effect on feed conversion efficiency, carcass and meat quality traits, and may improve shelf life of pork. However, inclusion levels of 7.5% MOLM may lower FCR. The MOLM inclusion significantly improved the FA composition of the feed, but did not produce the desired improvements in FA composition of meat, probably because of the prominence of fat deposition by de novo lipogenesis in finisher pigs rather than direct incorporation of dietary fatty acids.

Meat from Bos taurus and Bos indicus breeds are an important source of nutrients for humans and intramuscular fat (IMF) influences its flavor, nutritional value and impacts human health. Human consumption of fat that contains high levels of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) can reduce the concentration of undesirable cholesterol (LDL) in circulating blood. Different feeding practices and genetic variation within and between breeds influences the amount of IMF and fatty acid (FA) composition in meat. However, it is difficult and costly to determine fatty acid composition, which has precluded beef cattle breeding programs from selecting for a healthier fatty acid profile. In this study, we employed a high-density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) chip to genotype 386 Nellore steers, a Bos indicus breed and, a Bayesian approach to identify genomic regions and putative candidate genes that could be involved with deposition and composition of IMF. Twenty-three genomic regions (1-Mb SNP windows) associated with IMF deposition and FA composition that each explains 1% of the genetic variance were identified on chromosomes 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 17, 26 and 27. Many of these regions were not previously detected in other breeds. The genes present in these regions were identified and some can help explain the genetic basis of deposition and composition of fat in cattle. The genomic regions and genes identified contribute to a better understanding of the genetic control of fatty acid deposition and can lead to DNA-based selection strategies to improve meat quality for human consumption.

ObjectiveAccording to market demand, meat duck breeding mainly includes 2 breeding directions: lean Pekin duck (LPD) and fat Pekin duck (FPD). The aim of the present study was to compare carcass and meat quality traits between 2 strains, and to provide basic data for guidelines of processing and meat quality improvement.MethodsA total of 62 female Pekin ducks (32 LPDs and 30 FPDs) were slaughtered at the age of 42 days. The live body weight and carcass traits were measured and calculated. Physical properties of breast muscle were determined by texture analyzer and muscle fibers were measured by paraffin sections. The content of inosine monophosphate (IMP), intramuscular fat (IMF) and fatty acids composition were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography, Soxhlet extraction method and automated gas chromatography respectively.ResultsThe results showed that the bodyweight of LPDs was higher than that of FPDs. FPDs were significantly higher than LPDs in subcutaneous fat thickness, subcutaneous fat weight, subcutaneous fat percentage, abdominal fat percentage and abdominal fat shear force (p<0.01). LPDs were significantly higher than FPDs in breast muscle thickness, breast muscle weight, breast muscle rate and breast muscle shear force (p<0.01). The muscle fiber average area and fiber diameter of LPDs were significantly higher than those of FPDs (p<0.01). The muscle fiber density of LPDs was significantly lower than that of FPDs (p<0.01). The IMF of LPDs in the breast muscle was significantly higher than that in the FPDs (p<0.01). There was no significant difference between the 2 strains in IMP content (p>0.05). The polyunsaturated fatty acid content of LPDs was significantly higher than that of FPDs (p<0.01), and FPDs had higher saturated fatty acid and monounsaturated fatty acid levels (p<0.05).ConclusionLong-term breeding work resulted in vast differences between the two strains Pekin ducks. This study provides a reference for differences between LPD and FPD that manifest as a result of long-term selection.

Phenotypic variations of muscle fibre and intramuscular fat traits in Longissimus muscle of F 2 population Duroc×Berlin Miniature Pig and relationships to meat quality