Carcass Quality Traits Research Articles

Comparison of Growth Performance and Meat Quality Traits of Commercial Cross-Bred Pigs versus the Large Black Pig Breed.

Simple SummaryEmphasis on improving meat quality is growing in the meat industry. Pigs under the same diet and environment could present with difference in meat quality if they have diverse genetic backgrounds. The Large Black pig is a British native pig breed which is famous for its hardness and resistance to extensive farming; compared with commercial cross-bred pigs, they have a slower growth rate. The aim of this study is to investigate the carcass and meat quality traits of Large Black pigs and commercial cross-bred pigs in relation to their transcriptome profiles, and consequently clarify the phenotypic and genotypic differences between these two groups of pigs. The results showed that Large Black pigs had greater intramuscular fat content than commercial cross-bred pigs, while the growth performance of commercial cross-bred pigs was better, and the transcriptomic differences between these two groups of pigs may be the cause of meat quality and growth performance variances. The outcome of the study provides new sights into the adoption of the Large Black breed in the pig industry.The meat quality of different pig breeds is associated with their different muscle tissue physiological processes, which involves a large variety of genes related with muscle fat and energy metabolism. Understanding the differences of biological processes of muscle after slaughter is helpful to reveal the meat quality development of different breeds. Therefore, eight native Large Black pigs (BP), with high fat content in meat, and seven cross-bred commercial pigs (CP), which had a high feed efficiency with high lean meat, were used to investigate the differences in their meat quality and RNA transcriptomes. The average daily gain (ADG) and hot carcass weight (HCW) of CP were higher than BP, but the back-fat thickness of BP was higher than CP (p < 0.05). The CP had higher a* (redness) but lower h (hue angle) than BP (p < 0.05). The metmyoglobin (MMb) percentage of CP was higher (p < 0.05) than BP. The fat content and oxygen consumption of longissimus dorsi (LD) muscles in BP were higher (p < 0.05) than CP. BP had higher monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) content, but CP had higher polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) content (p < 0.05). The RNA-seq data highlighted 201 genes differentially expressed between the two groups (corrected false discovery rate (FDR) p < 0.05), with 75 up-regulated and 126 down-regulated genes in BP compared with CP using the fold change (FC). The real-time PCR was used to validate the results of RNA-seq for eight genes, and the genes related to lipid and energy metabolism were highly expressed in BP (p < 0.05). Based on the results, BP had superior intramuscular fat content to CP, while the growth performance of CP was better, and the transcriptomic differences between these two groups of pigs may cause the meat quality and growth performance variance.

Effects of Allium mongolicum Regel and its extracts supplementation on the growth performance, carcass parameters and meat quality of sheep

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of Allium mongolicum Regel (AM) and AM extracts on the growth performance, carcass parameters and meat quality of sheep. Forty sheep were randomly divided into four groups. The groups consisted of CON (basal diet), AM water extract (AWE; basal diet + 3.4 g/sheep/day AWE), AM ethanol extract (AEE; basal diet + 2.8 g/sheep/day AEE) and AM (basal diet + 10 g/sheep/day AM). The average daily gain (ADG) was improved (p < .05) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) was decreased (p < .05) in AWE, AEE and AM compared to CON. The loin eye area (LEA) and intramuscular fat (IMF) percentage were improved (p < .05) and cooking loss (CL) was decreased (p < .05) in AM, AWE and AEE compared to CON. The water holding capacity (WHC) was improved (p < .05) in AM and AWE compared to CON. The Warner–Bratzler shear force (WBSF) was decreased (p < .05) in AWE and AEE compared to CON. The levels of Σ polyunsaturated fatty acid (ΣPUFA) was increased (p < .05) and Σ saturated fatty acids (ΣSFA) was decreased (p < .05) in AM, AWE and AEE compared to CON. The levels of C18:1t-9, C18:1t-10 and C18:1t-11 were increased (p < .05) in AM and AEE compared to CON. The levels of C16:0 and n6/n3 ratio were decreased (p < .05) and levels of Δ9-desaturase C16 and elongase enzymatic activity were improved (p < .05) in AWE and AEE compared to CON. In conclusion, supplementation with AM and AM extracts could increase the growth performance, carcass quality traits and some healthier fatty acids. Highlights Allium mongolicum Regel extracts increased average daily gain and decreased feed conversion ratio, improves carcass parameters in sheep. Allium mongolicum Regel extracts increased fat content in the Longissimus dorsi muscle. Allium mongolicum Regel extracts had beneficial effects on the fatty acid composition in the Longissimus dorsi muscle.

Residual feed intake and the inclusion of crude glycerin in the diet of feedlot-finished Nellore cattle

Context The beef market faces an increasing demand for an environmentally friendly production system with high-quality final products. The use of strategies that improve system efficiency without detriment on quality are desired for both producers and consumer. Aims This study aimed to evaluate the effects of residual feed intake (RFI) and dietary inclusion of crude glycerin on carcass and meat quality traits of feedlot-finished Nellore cattle. Methods Nellore bulls selected for growth and classified as high (n = 14) and low (n = 14) RFI, with average liveweight of 328 kg and age of 552 days were used. Bulls received a high-concentrate diet for 96 days before slaughter and were randomly allocated to two experimental diets in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement: RFI class (low or high) and dietary inclusion (CG) or not (WCG) of crude glycerin (20% on dry-matter basis). Data were analysed with the SAS MIXED procedure considering RFI class and diet as fixed effects and selection line as a random effect. Key results There were no significant differences between RFI classes for dry-matter intake during finishing or production traits. Dry-matter intake tended to be reduced by 16% in CG bulls, without alterations in production. Dietary glycerin inclusion tended to increase the protein content in the Longissimus muscle and significantly reduced the fat content. In low-RFI bulls, shear force was higher in unaged beef, and shear force and myofibrillar fragmentation index tended to be higher in meat aged for 14 days. RFI class did not affect Longissimus muscle fatty acid profile, which was highly influenced by dietary glycerin inclusion. Bulls allocated to the CG treatment had a reduction in saturated fatty acids, an increase in odd-chain fatty acids, and a trend towards increased omega-3 fatty acids, which significantly increased the omega-3:omega-6 ratio. Conclusions The use of Nellore bulls classified as low-RFI and crude glycerin inclusion in finishing diets of Nellore cattle do not compromise production, carcass traits or beef properties. Implications This approach increases the efficiency and sustainability of the production process and improves the nutritional characteristics of beef for human consumption.

Effect of Quercus cortex extract on carcass and meat quality traits of broilers

In terms of consumers, broiler meat should have good nutritional characteristics. The scientific community has actively discussed the use of non-traditional ingredients for feeding poultry. Therefore, research in this direction may lead to an improvement of the quality of broiler meat. This study was designed to investigate the effect of Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus and Quercus cortex extract (QCE) on the carcass traits and meat quality of broiler chicken. For this, 120 broilers were allocated to the groups: control group – base diet (BD); I – BD +QCE; II – BD + probiotic; III – BD + probiotic + QCE. The following methods were used: capillary electrophoresis and biochemical methods. There was 7.0 % increase in the pre-slaughter live weight of the broilers in group II by the end of the period, compared to the other groups, 8.4 % increase in the proportion of muscle tissue in the carcass, and an increase in the crude protein and dry matter (0.93 %) in the pectoral muscle, in comparison to the control group. There was an increase in the essential amino acids content in comparison to that of the control: in group III – lysine, leucine; in group II – methionine. The supplementation with QC and probiotic leads to an improvement of the amino acid composition of muscle tissue, depending on its localisation with minor changes to carcass traits.

Carcass quality traits of beef cattle with different DGAT1 genotypes

The paper presents the research results on carcass quality traits of beef cattle for different DGAT1 genotypes. The study aimed to detect the effect of SNP DGAT1-K232A on carcass and beef quality of Hereford and Limousine bull calves of different genotypes. The tasks were SNP genotyping of animals by DGAT1-K232A, detecting the impact of SNP on carcass quality and morphological composition, weight and yield of half carcasses, organoleptic properties of meat, as well as the chemical composition of beef. The method of a polymerase chain reaction with a subsequent restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis was used to genotype fattening bull calves of Hereford (91 heads) and Limousine (109 heads) breeds. The animals were raised until 20 months of age in conditions of a resource-saving indoor and pasture-based system. There was an apparent effect of SNP DGAT1-K232A (DGAT1KK>DGAT1AA, P◘0.05) on the interior raw fat weight and yield indicators, subcutaneous fat tissue thickness, fat content in the rib eye and a sample of minced meat. Thus, genotyping by SNP DGAT1-K232A can be used as an additional criterion to improve the quality traits of meat in beef cattle breeding.

Assessment of Egg and Carcass Quality Traits of Indigenous Naked Neck (Angete Melata), Normal-Feathered and Tetra H Hybrid Chicken Genotypes in South West Ethiopia

Assessment of Egg and Carcass Quality Traits of Indigenous Naked Neck (Angete Melata), Normal-Feathered and Tetra H Hybrid Chicken Genotypes in South West Ethiopia

Effect of Supplementing Butyric Acid on Growth Performance and Carcass Quality Traits in Broiler

Effect of Supplementing Butyric Acid on Growth Performance and Carcass Quality Traits in Broiler

Breed direct, maternal and heteros is effects due to Angus, Caracu, Hereford and Nelore on carcass and meat quality traits of cull cows

• The Caracu breed can be used in crossbreeding with Angus to take heterosis and also to improve meat tenderness. • The carcass weight and meat tenderness can be obtained by crossing taurine breeds. • The cross between taurine and Zebu breeds leads to higher carcass yield and ribeye area. Meat is an end-of-life by-product from cows that fail to reproduce. Thus, the objective of this study was to determine breed additive and heterosis effects on carcass traits and characteristics of the meat from beef cows raised in southern Brazil. Angus (A), Hereford (H), Nelore (N), A × H (AH), H × A (HA), A × N (AN), N × A (NA) and Caracu (C) × A (CA) cows were slaughtered when they did not become pregnant for a second season. Slaughter weight (SW), hot carcass weight (CW), carcass yield (CY), ribeye area (REA), pH value, water holding capacity (WHC), tenderness (MT), moisture (MM), ether extract (EE), carcass fat score (CFS), marbling score (MS), subcutaneous fat thickness (SFT) and L*, a* and b* measures of color of the fat and meat color were evaluated. Taurine x taurine heterosis effects increased SW and to a lesser degree CW, and improved MT. Taurine x indicine heterosis increased REA, a* and b*, and decreased L* and EE. Direct breed additive effects attributable to A increased SW but decreased CY and thus had no detectable effect on CW. Direct breed additive effects of C decreased CFS, SFT, CY and MM. Finally, direct breed additive effects of H and C similarly decreased CFS and SFT. Maternal breed additive effects were generally unremarkable except for slight effects of H reducing a* and b*. Thus, SW and MT may be increased by crossbreeding with taurine breeds, while CY and REA can be increased by using zebu-influenced cattle. The desirable carcass composition of CA cows and their MT and color comparable to taurine crossbred cows make this crossbred cow a viable alternative for producers in southern Brazil.

Effects of dietary energy content and source using by-products on carcass and meat quality traits of cull ewes

In cull ewes, energy supply by time short periods can affect growth, carcass traits, and meat quality. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of biscuit bran (BB) and cashew nut bran (CNB) in diets with different total digestible nutrient (TDN) content on animal performance and carcass and meat traits of cull ewes. Twenty Morada Nova cull ewes, with the initial BW of 30.1 ± 3.56 kg, and three years of age were distributed in a completely randomized design into factorial scheme 2 × 2, with two energy sources (BB and CNB) × two levels of TDN. All diets were isoproteic with variations in TDN content increased by 10% (TDN10) and 25% (TDN25) above the recommended requirement for the study category, which was 66.0% TDN. The experimental period lasted 56 days, in which daily intake in relation to metabolic weight and weight performance of the animals was determined. The hot carcass, the cold carcass, commercial cuts, loin eye area, and subcutaneous fat thickness were measured, obtained, or calculated. A sample of the Longissimus lumborum (LL) muscle was used by determination of physical-chemical composition, sensory, and fatty acid (FA) profile analysis. The ANOVA was performed to access the effect of diet and energy level on the characteristics studied, and means were compared by the Turkey and Kruskal Wallis tests at 5% of probability. A higher daily gain weight was observed from TDN25 (P = 0.006). Among by-products, higher nutrient intakes were observed in animals fed with BB diets (P < 0.01), except for crude protein. The same patterns have been observed for live weight, reconstituted half-carcass, higher yield in fat thickness, and internal carcass length. Cashew nut bran produced darker colored meat (P = 0.017) and higher cooking weight loss (P = 0.008). Higher lipid content was observed in animals submitted to diets with CNB and TDN25 (P = 0.001). The internal length of the carcass was higher in animals fed with BB (P = 0.041). All diets did not effect on sensory characteristics (P > 0.05). Total digestible nutrient in 25% above recommended promotes higher weight gain and meat with higher lipid content and less weight loss by cooling. The inclusion of BB, compared to CNB, provides a higher weight of carcasses and better conformation, in addition to lower total lipid content with higher proportion for monounsaturated FAs in meat, providing more attractive features for the consumer market.

Genome-enabled prediction of meat and carcass traits using Bayesian regression, single-step genomic best linear unbiased prediction and blending methods in Nelore cattle

Several methods have been used for genome-enabled prediction (or genomic selection) of complex traits, for example, multiple regression models describing a target trait with a linear function of a set of genetic markers. Genomic selection studies have been focused mostly on single-trait analyses. However, most profitability traits are genetically correlated, and an increase in prediction accuracy of genomic breeding values for genetically correlated traits is expected when using multiple-trait models. Thus, this study was carried out to assess the accuracy of genomic prediction for carcass and meat quality traits in Nelore cattle, using single- and multiple-trait approaches. The study considered 15 780, 15 784, 15 742 and 526 records of rib eye area (REA, cm2), back fat thickness (BF, mm), rump fat (RF, mm) and Warner–Bratzler shear force (WBSF, kg), respectively, in Nelore cattle, from the Nelore Brazil Breeding Program. Animals were genotyped with a low-density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) panel and subsequently imputed to arrays with 54 and 777 k SNPs. Four Bayesian specifications of genomic regression models, namely, Bayes A, Bayes B, Bayes Cπ and Bayesian Ridge Regression; blending methods, BLUP; and single-step genomic best linear unbiased prediction (ssGBLUP) methods were compared in terms of prediction accuracy using a fivefold cross-validation. Estimates of heritability ranged from 0.20 to 0.35 and from 0.21 to 0.46 for RF and WBSF on single- and multiple-trait analyses, respectively. Prediction accuracies for REA, BF, RF and WBSF were all similar using the different specifications of regression models. In addition, this study has shown the impact of genomic information upon genetic evaluations in beef cattle using the multiple-trait model, which was also advantageous compared to the single-trait model because it accounted for the selection process using multiple traits at the same time. The advantage of multi-trait analyses is attributed to the consideration of correlations and genetic influences between the traits, in addition to the non-random association of alleles.

Genetics of feed intake traits in Czech Large White pig population

Genetics of feed intake traits in Czech Large White pig population

The effect of genotype and sex on growth and carcass traits of lambs

Submitted 2020-07-24 | Accepted 2020-08-31 | Available 2020-12-01 https://doi.org/10.15414/afz.2020.23.mi-fpap.276-281 The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of genotype and sex on growth and carcass traits of grazing lambs. A total of 32 lambs (16 Improved Jezersko-Solcava - JSR and 16 crossbreds with Texel - JSRT, 8 males and 8 females within each genotype) were included in the study. The lambs were grazed together with their dams from the beginning of the grazing period and had free access to commercial concentrate from the age of 10 days. Lambs were weaned at the average body weight of 22.9 kg. Feeding with a concentrate was finished when lambs achieved 35 kg of body weight and were slaughtered. Daily gains from birth to slaughter and from weaning to slaughter were calculated. Several carcass traits were determined. JSRT lambs had significantly higher daily gain from birth to slaughter, hot and cold carcass weights, and dressing percentages compared to JSR lambs. Carcass conformation was higher in JSRT than JSR carcasses. Also, carcasses of JSRT were shorter and wider than JSR carcasses. Rib eye muscle areas of JSRT lambs were significantly larger, and the colour was significantly lighter. Males had significantly higher average daily gain from birth to slaughter and from weaning to slaughter than females. Females had higher dressing percentages and subcutaneous and internal fatness scores than males. Females had significantly higher amount of kidney fat. The colour of males’ meat was significantly lighter than that of females. Crossbreeding with Texel rams improved growth and carcass traits of lambs, and males had better growth performance and several carcass traits than females. Keywords: lambs, commercial crossbreeding, sex, growth, carcass trait References Blasco, M. et al. (2019). Effect of Texel crossbreeding on productive traits, carcass and meat quality of Segurena lambs. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 99, 3335-3342. https://doi.org/10.1002/jsfa.9549 Cardoso, M. T. M. et al. (2013). Performance and carcass quality in three genetic groups of sheep in Brazil. Revista Brasileira de Zootecnia, 42(10), 734-742. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1516-35982013001000007 Claffey, N. A. et al. (2018). Effect of breed and castration on production and carcass traits of male lambs following an intensive finishing period. Translational Animal Science, 2, 407-418. https://doi.org/10.1093/tas/txy070 Do Prado Paim, T. et al. (2013). Performance, survivability and carcass traits of crossbred lambs from five paternal breeds with local hair breed Santa Ines ewes. Small Ruminant Research, 112, 28-34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smallrumres.2012.12.024 Facciolongo, A. M. et al. (2018). Effect of diet lipid source (linseed vs. soybean) and gender on performance, meat quality and intramuscular fatty acid composition in fattening lambs. Small Ruminant Research, 159, 11-17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smallrumres.2017.11.015 Freitas-de-Melo, A. et al. (2019). Behavioral pattern in Texel x Corriedale terminal crossbreeding: Maternal behavior score at birth, lambs’ feeding behaviors, and behavioral responses of lambs to abrupt weaning. Journal of Veterinary Behavior, 30, 9-15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jveb.2018.10.007 Nunes, I. A. et al. (2019). Performance, carcass characteristics, and centesimal composition of meat from Santa Ines lambs and Texel crossbred lambs (Santa Ines × Texel). Canadian Journal of Animal Science, 99(2), 228-236. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjas-2016-0231 Perez, P. et al. (2007). Gender and slaughter weight effects on carcass quality traits of suckling lambs from four different genotypes. Small Ruminant Research, 70, 124-130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smallrumres.2006.01.013 SAS. (2014). SAS/STAT® 13.2 User’s Guide. SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA. Scales, G. H. et al. (2000). Effect of sire breed on growth, carcass, and wool characteristics of lambs born to Merino ewes in New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research, 43(1), 93-100. https://doi.org/10.1080/00288233.2000.9513412

174 A comparison of machine learning algorithms in the classification of beef steers finished in feedlot

Abstract The aim of this project is to compare some of the state-of-the-art machine learning algorithms on the classification of steers finished in feedlots based on performance, carcass and meat quality traits. The precise classification of animals allows for fast, real-time decision making in animal food industry, such as culling or retention of herd animals. Beef production presents high variability in its numerous carcass and beef quality traits. Machine learning algorithms and software provide an opportunity to evaluate the interactions between traits to better classify animals. Four different treatment levels of wet distiller’s grain were applied to 97 Angus-Nellore animals and used as features for the classification problem. The C4.5 decision tree, Naïve Bayes (NB), Random Forest (RF) and Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) Artificial Neural Network algorithms were used to predict and classify the animals based on recorded traits measurements, which include initial and final weights, sheer force and meat color. The top performing classifier was the C4.5 decision tree algorithm with a classification accuracy of 96.90%, while the RF, the MLP and NB classifiers had accuracies of 55.67%, 39.17% and 29.89% respectively. We observed that the final decision tree model constructed with C4.5 selected only the dry matter intake (DMI) feature as a differentiator. When DMI was removed, no other feature or combination of features was sufficiently strong to provide good prediction accuracies for any of the classifiers. We plan to investigate in a follow-up study on a significantly larger sample size, the reasons behind DMI being a more relevant parameter than the other measurements.

Quantitative Genetics of Growth Rate and Filet Quality Traits in Atlantic Salmon Inferred From a Longitudinal Bayesian Model for the Left-Censored Gaussian Trait Growth Rate.

In selective breeding programs for Atlantic salmon, test fish are slaughtered at an average body weight where growth rate and carcass traits as filet fat (FF), filet pigment (FP) and visceral fat index (FF) are recorded. The objective of this study was to obtain estimates of genetic correlations between growth rate (GR), and the three carcass quality traits when fish from the same 206 families (offspring of 120 sires and 206 dams from 2 year-classes) were recorded both at the same age (SA) and about the same body weight (SW). In the SW group, the largest fish were slaughtered at five different slaughter events and the remaining fish at the sixth slaughter event over 6 months. Estimates of genetic parameters for the traits were obtained from a Bayesian multivariate model for (potentially) truncated Gaussian traits through a Gibbs sampler procedure in which phantom GR values were obtained for the unslaughtered, and thus censored SW group fish at each slaughter event. The heritability estimates for the same trait in each group was similar; about 0.2 for FF, 0.15 for FP and 0.35 for VF and GR. The genetic correlation between the same traits in the two groups was high for growth rate (0.91 ± 0.05) visceral index (0.86 ± 0.05), medium for filet fat (0.45 ± 0.17) and low for filet pigment (0.13 ± 0.27). Within the two groups, the genetic correlation between growth rate and filet fat changed from positive (0.59 ± 0.14) for the SA group to negative (−0.45 ± 0.17) for the SW group, while the genetic correlation between growth rate and filet pigment changed from negative (−0.33 ± 0.22) for the SA group to positive (0.62 ± 0.16) for the SW group. The genetic correlation of growth rate with FF and FP is sensitive to whether the latter traits are measured at the same age or the same body weight. The results indicate that selection for increased growth rate is not expected to have a detrimental effect on the quality traits if increased growth potential is realized through a reduced production time.

163 Investigating relationships between life history events, carcass quality and price of cull dairy cows sold through auction markets

Abstract Cull dairy cows comprise almost 10% of the national beef production in the United States and contribute with an important additional income source for farmers. However, cull dairy cows present high variation due to many reasons, which affect live animal characteristics, carcass traits, and market price. The objectives of this study were 1) to assess relationships between price and carcass quality of cull dairy cows sold through auction market, and 2) to investigate the effect of animal life history events on price, as an indicator of carcass quality. Data from four dairy operations in Wisconsin included 3,375 cull dairy cow records during the period of 2015 to 2019. Life history events data were collected from Dairy Comp software; live weight and price were obtained periodically from an auction barn, and the carcass data were provided by a local packing plant. Price ($/cwt) and adjusted price (price divided by the national average price) were the two outcome variables. Canonical correlation analysis (CCA) and multiple linear regression were used to investigate the relationship between variables. On average (standard deviations within parenthesis), live weight was 701.54kg (123.15kg), carcass weight of 324.97kg (68.92), dressing of 46.26% (4.92%), and price of $56.98/cwt (5.57$/cwt). CCA between adjusted price and carcass quality traits was 0.76, indicating that price is a good indicator of carcass quality. Lactation number, culling reason, month, and year of sale drastically affect price (R2 0.7532) and adjusted price (R2 0.4706). Higher live weight and days open led to higher adjusted price, and longer days dry and high milk production decreased price ($/cwt). A large variation between farms was noted. In conclusion, culling and marketing decisions should consider these factors, as an attempt to increase the price received for cull cows, and ultimately improve carcass quality.

PSVI-7 Increased consumption of Methionine as DL-Methionine or OH-Methionine improved pigs growing performance and carcass traits under hot conditions

Abstract This study aimed to determine the effects of increasing Methionine (Met) supply on growth performance and carcass traits of growing-finishing pigs under summer conditions in Brazil. A total of 200 barrows and females, 63 d-old (20.43±2.0 kg), were allocated in a 2 x 2 factorial design (two Met sources [DL-Met and OH-Met] and two Met doses [100 and 120% Brazilian Nutritional recommendation) with 10 replicates of 5 animals each. Corn-DDGS-wheat-soya based diets were formulated. Treatments were offered during four phases: growing I (63-93 d old), growing II (94-114 d old), finishing I (115-142 d old) and finishing II (143-160 d old). The recommended digestible Met levels were: 0.32, 0.30, 0.29 and 0.24% respectively for the four phases. Average temperature was 27.12 ± 4.51ºC and relative humidity was 61.72 ± 5.65%. Growth performance was measured for each rearing phase. Carcass yield, back fat height, loin depth, and lean meat yield were measured at the end of the experiment. Data were submitted to a 2-way ANOVA and Tukey test. There was no significant interaction between the Met source and the dose for all performance and carcass traits. Feed intake and feed conversion ratio were similar between treatments (P &amp;gt;0.05). The individual daily weight gain and live weight were better for the highest doses of methionine (P&amp;lt; 0.05) in all phases and on the whole period, except for the finishing II where the weight gain was similar for all treatments. Likewise, carcass yield, lean meat was increased with the highest dose of methionine in comparison to the adequate dose. No significant difference was found between DL-Met and OH-Met on growth performance parameters. OH-Met resulted in a higher loin depth (58.37 mm) in comparison to DL-Met (55.21 mm). Overall, these results demonstrated the interest of increasing Met supply under hot conditions to improving performance and carcass quality traits.

154 A genetic marker for PRRS resistance has no adverse effect on economically important traits in pigs

Abstract Porcine Respiratory and Reproductive Syndrome (PRRS) is a very costly viral disease of pigs. A genetic marker for host response to PRRS on chromosome 4 (rs80800372, (WUR)) could be used to select for resilience to PPRS. However, before including WUR in selection, it is necessary to know effects of WUR on economically important traits without PRRS. A dataset with both genotypes and phenotypes on purebred Duroc (D), Landrace (L), Yorkshire (Y) and crossbred (LY or DLY) pigs was used. A total of 20 traits were tested. Sow reproduction and litter traits were available on &amp;gt; 13,000 D, L and Y and 1,549 LY sows. Growth and ultrasound traits were recorded on &amp;gt;35,000 D, L and Y and 2,622 DLY pigs. Daily feed intake (70-120kg) was from 4,133 Durocs. Carcass and meat quality traits were from 2,184 Durocs, 1,160 Yorkshires and 2,184 DLY pigs. All animals were genotyped using a custom SNP chip ( &amp;gt; 55K) including WUR. Analyses were done within each breed using an animal model. WUR was fitted as a fixed effect by classifying pigs with one or two favourable alleles (B) into one group and others into a second group. Contemporary group, parity, litter, lactation length and net fostering effects were considered depending on the traits. Relationship matrices were constructed using pedigree in purebreds and genotypes in crossbreds. WUR had no significant ( P &amp;gt;0.05 ) effect on any trait, except for number of pigs alive at 24hrs in Y and ultrasound loin depth in D and Y ( P&amp;lt; 0.05 ) but the favorable WUR allele also had favorable effects on these two traits. These results were similar to the report by Dunkelberger et al. (J. Anim. Sci. 2017, 95: 2838). In conclusion, WUR had no adverse effects on any trait and can be used to select pigs with increased resilience to PRRS.

238 Linking livestock phenomics and precision livestock farming

Abstract Numerous pre- and post-mortem factors, such as genotype, production system, growth promotants, diet, health events, stress, slaughter age and weight, carcass chilling, and ageing time, have been shown to impact beef production and final product quality. The objective of livestock phenomics is the systematic acquisition of high dimensional phenotypic data, which requires measuring phenomes as they change in response to genetic mutation and environmental influences. Due to the decrease in costs associated to genomics technology and related fields, researchers had to face the so called “phenomic gap”, a lack of sufficient, appropriate phenotypic data. Selecting phenotypes of interests, standardizing methodologies, developing high-throughput data collection systems, systematically recording environmental factors, and integrating bioinformatics are some of the challenges when developing a livestock phenomics program. Precision livestock farming aims at applying continuous, automated real-time monitoring systems to optimize livestock management. The information collected by these systems can be used to optimize individual animal health and welfare, reproductive traits, and productivity, as well as environmental influences. This approach requires the use of novel technologies and the management of large amounts of data. Multiple technologies and sensors are already being used, or have the potential, to monitor important individual traits. These two interdisciplinary fields share multiple objectives that could lead to significant synergies. The complexity of in-farm data collection varies depending on the species and production system, with beef cattle presenting specific challenges. In addition, data collection needs to continue after slaughter, as carcass and meat quality traits are influenced by in vivo practices, determine the final profitability of the system, and need to be taken into consideration to modify management practices. Integrating livestock phenomics and precision livestock farming approaches will lead to a faster development of both fields and an optimal use of resources.

Effect of seaweed-containing diets on visceral organ sizes, carcass characteristics, and meat quality and stability of Boschveld indigenous hens

Seaweeds are functional feed ingredients that have antioxidant, antimicrobial, and growth-boosting properties that can improve poultry product quality. This study, therefore, investigated the effect of graded levels of green seaweed meal (Ulva spp.) (SWM) on visceral organ sizes, carcass characteristics, and meat quality and stability of Boschveld indigenous hens. A total of 275, four-week-old female chicks (202.4 ± 6.65 g of live weight) were reared on 5 isocaloric and isonitrogenous diets formulated by adding SWM at a concentration of 0 (SW0), 2 (SW20), 2.5 (SW25), 3 (SW30), and 3.5% (SW35). Birds were humanely slaughtered at 14 wk of age. Cecum weight linearly increased (R2 = 0.366, P = 0.002), whereas proventriculus (R2 = 0.205, P = 0.025) and duodenum (R2 = 0.242, P = 0.010) weights linearly decreased with SWM levels. Neither linear nor quadratic trends (P > 0.05) were observed for carcass traits, meat quality parameters, and shelf life indicators in response to dietary SWM levels. Repeated-measures analysis showed a significant time × diet interaction effect on meat redness (a∗). After 24 h of storage, meat from hens fed with SW35 (2.47) diet had a higher a∗ value than meat from hens fed with SW30 diet (0.48). However, the inclusion of SWM promoted similar (P > 0.05) shelf life indicators as the control diet for the rest of the 7-d storage period at room temperature. In conclusion, dietary inclusion of SWM had no adverse effect on visceral organ size, carcass and meat quality traits, and meat stability of Boschveld indigenous hens.

Associations of feed efficiency with circulating IGF-1 and leptin, carcass traits and meat quality of lambs

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of feed efficiency classifications on live animal measurements, circulating IGF-1 and leptin concentrations, and carcass, non-carcass and meat quality traits of lambs. One-hundred and two lambs approximately 70 days-old with initial live weight of 24.6 ± 3.71 kg (mean ± SD) were individually fed for 56 days to determine residual feed intake (RFI) and residual feed intake and gain (RIG). Lambs were then classified as phenotypically Low-, Medium- or High-RFI and Low-, Medium- or High-RIG phenotypes. Circulating leptin and IGF-1 concentrations were higher in more efficient lambs (Low-RFI or High-RIG). Variation in RFI and RIG did not affect meat redness or tenderness, but High-RIG lambs had darker meat. These findings show that the phenotypically more efficient Low-RFI and High-RIG lambs produced carcasses with similar characteristics and meat quality as the less efficient High-RFI and Low-RIG lambs but have a strategic advantage of lower feed intake to achieve similar production outcomes.