Can we improve the nutritional quality of meat?

SNPS within the SLC27A6 gene are highly associated with Hu sheep fatty acid content

Fatty acids (FA) are an important factor affecting meat quality and human health, and the important role of the solute carrier family 27 member 6 (SLC27A6) in FA metabolism has been demonstrated in several species. However, the expression profile of the SLC27A6 in different tissues and the effect of its polymorphism on FA in sheep are currently unknown. This study aimed to explore the differences in FAs in the longissimus dorsi (LD) of 1,085 Hu sheep, the expression profile of SLC27A6, and confirm the effect of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on FA phenotypes. We found that many FA phenotypes differ significantly across different seasons, and winter promoted the deposition of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). The mRNA expression level of SLC27A6 in the lung was significantly higher than that in the heart, testis, and LD. A total of 16 SNPs were detected in the SLC27A6, and 14 SNPs were successfully genotyped by improved multiplex ligase detection reaction (iMLDR) technology. Correlation analysis showed that 7 SNPs significantly affected at least one FA phenotype. Among them, SNP14 contributes to the selection of lamb with low saturated fatty acid content and high PUFA content. Combined genotypes also significantly affected a variety of beneficial FAs such as C18:3n3, C20:4n6, C22:6n3, and monounsaturated fatty acids. This study suggests that SLC27A6 plays an important role in FA metabolism and SNPs that are significantly associated with FA phenotype could be used as potential molecular markers for later targeted regulation of FA profiles in sheep.

Comparison of production performance and meat quality characteristics between Guizhou Black goats and F4 generation hybrids of South African Kalahari Goats

This study spanned 6 years and 4 generations, involving the progressive crossbreeding of South African Kalahari Goat (SK) and Guizhou Black Goat (GB) over three generations, followed by cross fixation F3 with F1 in the fourth generation, accompanied by the use of molecular markers technology to select a high fertility population, resulting in the creation of a hybrid goat, BKF4 (11/16 SK lineage and 5/16 GB lineage). A comparative evaluation of the BKF4 hybrid breed and its parental breeds was conducted. Reproductive and production parameters of GB, SK, and BKF4 goat groups were monitored, including lambing rate (LR), survival rate (SR), daily weight gain at 3 months of age (DWG), and adult body weight (ABW) (n = 110, 106, 112 per group). In addition, dressing percentage (DP) (n = 12 per group) and analyses of amino acids (n = 8, 6, 10 per group) and fatty acids (n = 6 per group) were conducted to evaluate meat quality indicators. Results: (1) Reproductive and production performance: The index of LR reached 199%, significantly higher than GB and SK (p ≤ 0.001), with a SR of 95.0%, markedly higher than SK (p ≤ 0.001); DWG was 276.5 g, ABW reached 56.6 kg and with a dressing percentage (DP) of 54.5%, they are significantly surpassing GB (p ≤ 0.001). (2) Regarding meat quality: pH45-value and crude protein content (CP) increased, while intramuscular fat content increased compared to GB and ash content decreased. The amino acid composition was similar to GB, but the taste was more similar to SK. However, there were some negative impacts on fatty acid composition and functionality. (3) PCA analysis revealed that: BKF4 exhibited superior meat quality compared to GB and SK, influenced by two key factors contributing 83.49% and 16.51% to the explained variance, respectively. The key factors affecting meat quality include intramuscular fat (IMF), nutrient index (NI), PUFAs/MUFAs, n-6FAs, and drip loss (DL).

The comparison of meat yield, quality, and flavor between small-tailed Han sheep and two crossbred sheep and the verification of related candidate genes

Introduction

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.

Methods

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.

Results

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).

Discussion

The results showed the differences between the crossbred sheep and STH sheep and provided the candidate genes related to meat quality in sheep.

Development and validation of dietary depression index in Chinese adults

Objective: Previous studies have suggested diet was associated with depressive symptoms. We aimed to develop and validate Dietary Depression Index (DDI) based on dietary prediction of depression in a large Chinese cancer screening cohort.Methods: In the training set (n = 2729), we developed DDI by using intake of 20 food groups derived from a food frequency questionnaire to predict depression as assessed by Patient Health Questionnaire-9 based on the reduced rank regression method. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were used to assess the performance of DDI in evaluating depression in the validation dataset (n = 1176).Results: Receiver operating characteristic analysis was constructed to determine the best cut-off value of DDI in predicting depression. In the study population, the DDI ranged from -3.126 to 1.810. The discriminative ability of DDI in predicting depression was good with the AUC of 0.799 overall, 0.794 in males and 0.808 in females. The best cut-off values of DDI for depression prediction were 0.204 overall, 0.330 in males and 0.034 in females. DDI was a validated method to assess the effects of diet on depression.Conclusion: Among individual food components in DDI, fermented vegetables, fresh vegetables, whole grains and onions were inversely associated, whereas legumes, pickled vegetables and rice were positively associated with depressive symptoms.

Effects of Supplementing Tributyrin on Meat Quality Characteristics of Foreshank Muscle of Weaned Small-Tailed Han Sheep Lambs

This experiment aimed to evaluate the effects of supplementing tributyrin (TB) on the meat quality characteristics of foreshank muscle of weaned lambs. A total of 30 healthy weaned Small-Tailed Han female lambs with body weights ranging from 23.4 to 31.6 kg were selected and randomly divided into five groups, and each group consisted of 6 lambs. The control group was fed a basic total mixed ration, while other groups were fed the same ration supplemented with 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, and 4.0 g/kg TB, respectively. The experiment lasted 75 d, including 15 d of adaptation. Foreshank muscle obtained at the same position from each lamb was used for chemical analysis and sensory evaluation. The results showed that supplementing TB increased the muscle contents of ether extract (p = 0.029), calcium (p = 0.030), phosphorus (p = 0.007), and intermuscular fat length (p = 0.022). Besides, TB increased the muscle pH (p = 0.001) and redness (p < 0.001) but reduced the lightness (p < 0.001), drip loss (p = 0.029), cooking loss (p < 0.001), shear force (p = 0.001), hardness (p < 0.001), cohesiveness (p < 0.001), springiness (p < 0.001), gumminess (p < 0.001), and chewiness (p < 0.001). In addition, TB increased the muscle content of inosine-5'-phosphate (p = 0.004). Most importantly, TB increased the muscle contents of essential amino acids (p < 0.001). Furthermore, TB increased the saturated fatty acids level in the muscle (p < 0.001) while decreasing the unsaturated fatty acids content (p < 0.001). In conclusion, supplementing TB could influence the meat quality of foreshank muscle of weaned lambs by modifying the amino acid and fatty acid levels.

Essential oil supplementation in milk replacers: short- and long-term impacts on feed efficiency, the faecal microbiota and the plasma metabolome in dairy calves

Early supplementation with oregano essential oil (EO) in milk replacer (MR) may improve growth, immune responses, the microbiota and the metabolome in dairy calves during pre-weaning and in adulthood. Sixteen female dairy calves (3 days of age) were divided in two groups (n = 8/group): the control group (no EO) and the EO group (0.23 ml of EO in MR during 45 days). After weaning, calves were kept in a feedlot and fed ad libitum. The animals were weighed, and blood and faecal samples were collected on days 3 (T0), 45 (T1) and 370 (T2) to measure the biochemical profile and characterise peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs; CD4+, CD8+, CD14+, CD21+ and WC1+), the metabolome and microbiota composition. The EO group only had greater average daily weight gain during the suckling (EO supplementation) period (P = 0.030). The EO group showed higher average CD14+ population (monocytes) values, a lower abundance of Ruminococcaceae UCG-014, Faecalibacterium, Blautia and Alloprevotella and increased abundances of Allistipes and Akkermansia. The modification of some metabolites in plasma, such as butyric acid, 3-indole-propionic acid and succinic acid, particularly at T1, are consistent with intestinal microbiota changes. The data suggest that early EO supplementation increases feed efficiency only during the suckling period with notable changes in the microbiota and plasma metabolome; however, not all of these changes can be considered desirable from a gut health point of view. Additional research studies is required to demonstrate that EOs are a viable natural alternative to antibiotics for improving calf growth performance and health.

Bone Morphogenetic Protein 2 Enhances Porcine Beige Adipogenesis via AKT/mTOR and MAPK Signaling Pathways

Bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2) has been reported to regulate adipogenesis, but its role in porcine beige adipocyte formation remains unclear. Our data reveal that BMP2 is significantly induced at the early stages of porcine beige adipocyte differentiation. Additionally, supplementing rhBMP2 during the early stages, but not the late stages of differentiation, significantly enhances porcine SVF adipogenesis, thermogenesis, and proliferation. Furthermore, compared to the empty plasmid-transfected-SVFs, BMP2-overexpressed SVFs had the enhanced lipid accumulation and thermogenesis, while knockdown of BMP2 in SVFs exhibited the opposite effect. The RNA-seq of the above three types of cells revealed the enrichment of the annotation of thermogenesis, brown cell differentiation, etc. In addition, the analysis also highlights the significant enrichment of cell adhesion, the MAPK cascade, and PPARγ signaling. Mechanistically, BMP2 positively regulates the adipogenic and thermogenic capacities of porcine beige adipocytes by activating PPARγ expression through AKT/mTOR and MAPK signaling pathways.

Long chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid intake across the life span for cardiovascular disease prevention in women

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a major health concern for women. Historically there has been a misconception that men are at greater risk because CVD tends to occur earlier in life compared to women. Clinical guidelines for prevention of heart disease are currently the same for both sexes, but accumulating evidence demonstrates that risk profiles diverge. In fact, several CVD risk factors confer an even greater risk in women relative to men, including high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes and raised triglycerides. Furthermore, many female-specific CVD risk factors exist, including early menarche, pregnancy complications, polycystic ovary syndrome, reproductive hormonal treatments and menopause. Little is known about how diet interacts with CVD risk factors at various stages of a woman’s life. Long chain (LC) n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) intakes are a key dietary factor that may impact risk of CVD throughout the life course differentially in men and women. Oestrogen enhances conversion of the plant n-3 PUFA, alpha-linolenic acid, to LCn-3 PUFA. Increasing the frequency of oily fish consumption or LCn-3 PUFA supplementation may be important for reducing coronary risk during the menopausal transition, during which time oestrogen levels decline and the increase in CVD risk factors is accelerated. Women are under-represented in the evidence base for CVD prevention following LC n-3 PUFA supplementation. Therefore it is not clear whether there are sex differences in response to treatment. Furthermore, there is a lack of evidence on optimal intakes of LC n-3 PUFA across the lifespan for CVD prevention in women.

Screening and identification of lncRNAs in preadipocyte differentiation in sheep

Studies of preadipocyte differentiation and fat deposition in sheep have mainly focused on functional genes, and with no emphasis placed on the role that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) may have on the activity of those genes. Here, the expression profile of lncRNAs in ovine preadipocyte differentiation was investigated and the differentially expressed lncRNAs were screened on day 0 (D0), day 2(D2) and day 8(D8) of ovine preadipocyte differentiation, with their target genes being predicted. The competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) regulatory network was constructed by GO and KEGG enrichment analysis for functional annotation, and some differentially expressed lncRNAs were randomly selected to verify the RNA-Seq results by RT-qPCR. In the study, a total of 2517 novel lncRNAs and 3943 known lncRNAs were identified from ovine preadipocytes at the three stages of differentiation, with the highest proportion being intergenic lncRNAs. A total of 3455 lncRNAs were expressed at all three stages of preadipocyte differentiation, while 214, 226 and 228 lncRNAs were uniquely expressed at day 0, day 2 and day 8, respectively. By comparing the expression of the lncRNAs between the three stages of differentiation stages, a total of 405, 272 and 359 differentially expressed lncRNAs were found in D0-vs-D2, D0-vs-D8, and D2-vs-D8, respectively. Functional analysis revealed that the differentially expressed lncRNAs were enriched in signaling pathways related to ovine preadipocyte differentiation, such as mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway, the phosphoinositide 3-kinase protein kinase B (PI3K-Akt) pathway, and the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) pathway. In summary, lncRNAs from preadipocytes at different stages of differentiation in sheep were identified and screened using RNA-Seq technology, and the regulatory mechanisms of lncRNAs in preadipocyte differentiation and lipid deposition were explored. This study provides a theoretical reference for revealing the roles of lncRNAs in ovine preadipocyte differentiation and also offers a theoretical basis for further understanding the regulatory mechanisms of ovine preadipocyte differentiation.

Functional identification of PGM1 in the regulating development and depositing of inosine monophosphate specific for myoblasts

Background

Inosine monophosphate (IMP) is naturally present in poultry muscle and plays a key role in improving meat flavour. However, IMP deposition is regulated by numerous genes and complex molecular networks. In order to excavate key candidate genes that may regulate IMP synthesis, we performed proteome and metabolome analyses on the leg muscle, compared to the breast muscle control of 180-day-old Jingyuan chickens (hens), which had different IMP content. The key candidate genes identified by a differential analysis were verified to be associated with regulation of IMP-specific deposition.

Results

The results showed that the differentially expressed (DE) proteins and metabolites jointly involve 14 metabolic pathways, among which the purine metabolic pathway closely related to IMP synthesis and metabolism is enriched with four DE proteins downregulated (with higher expression in breast muscles than in leg muscles), including adenylate kinase 1 (AK1), adenosine monophosphate deaminase 1 (AMPD1), pyruvate kinase muscle isoenzyme 2 (PKM2) and phosphoglucomutase 1 (PGM1), six DE metabolites, Hypoxanthine, Guanosine, L-Glutamine, AICAR, AMP and Adenylsuccinic acid. Analysis of PGM1 gene showed that the high expression of PGM1 promoted the proliferation and differentiation of myoblasts and inhibited the apoptosis of myoblasts. ELISA tests have shown that PGM1 reduced adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and IMP and uric acid (UA), while enhancing the biosynthesis of hypoxanthine (HX). In addition, up-regulation of PGM1 inhibited the expression of purine metabolism pathway related genes, and promoted the IMP de novo and salvage synthesis pathways.

Conclusion

This study preliminarily explored the mechanism of action of PGM1 in regulating the growth and development of myoblasts and specific IMP deposition in Jingyuan chickens, which provided certain theoretical basis for the development and utilization of excellent traits in Jingyuan chickens.

miR136 regulates proliferation and differentiation of small tail han sheep preadipocytes

Low meat performance is the defect of Small Tail Han sheep. Intramuscular fat affects meat quality and largely determined by adipogenesis. In previous study, miR136 was showed one of differentially expressed microRNAs between preadipocytes and mature adipocytes of Small Tail Han sheep but its role in adipogenesis is still not elucidated. Here, we investigated the effect of miR136 on adipogenesis and the underlying mechanism. qPCR data showed that miR136 level increased with preadipocytes proliferation while declined with preadipocytes differentiation. Moreover, miR136 mimics blocked lipid droplet formation, reduced lipid content and triglyceride accumulation while miR136 inhibitor showed the opposite effects, revealing that miR136 promoted preadipocytes proliferation but inhibited preadipocytes differentiation. Bioinformatics and biochemical validation manifested that PPARGC1B was a target of miR136. Furthermore, miR136 mimics decreased PPARγ and C/EBPα expression accompanied by PPARGC1B expression descending. Reverse effects were observed with miR136 inhibitor. Besides, overexpression of miR136 elevated IGF1 expression. Collectively, our data first exhibited a regulatory role of miR136 in adipogenesis, which is promoting preadipocytes proliferation through elevating IGF1 expression while inhibiting preadipocytes differentiation through targeting PPARGC1B and further declined PPARγ and C/EBPα expression. The modulation of PPARGC1B by miR136 may provide a new potential target for increasing intramuscular fat.

Design and development of a rapid meat detection system based on RPA-CRISPR/Cas12a-LFD

In recent years, meat adulteration safety incidents have occurred frequently, triggering widespread attention and discussion. Although there are a variety of meat quality identification methods, conventional assays require high standards for personnel and experimental conditions and are not suitable for on-site testing. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a rapid, sensitive, high specificity and high sensitivity on-site meat detection method. This study is the first to apply RPA combined with CRISPR/Cas12a technology to the field of multiple meat identification. The system developed by parameter optimization can achieve specific detection of chicken, duck, beef, pork and lamb with a minimum target sequence copy number as low as 1 × 100 copies/μL for 60 min at a constant temperature. LFD test results can be directly observed with the naked eye, with the characteristics of fast, portable and simple operation, which is extremely in line with current needs. In conclusion, the meat identification RPA-CRISPR/Cas12a-LFD system established in this study has shown promising applications in the field of meat detection, with a profound impact on meat quality, and provides a model for other food safety control programs.

Research Note: Identification of core promoter region of the polyunsaturated fatty acid synthesis-related gene family in chicken

Chicken is considered an ideal model species to study the synthesis of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) due to its appropriate proportions of fatty acids and abundant content of PUFAs, suitable for human consumption. However, the molecular mechanisms regulating poultry PUFA synthesis remain unclear. Here, we systematically explored the transcriptional regulation activity of the gene family related to PUFA synthesis in chicken by carrying out the Dual-Luciferase Reporter Assay. We identified the core promoter regions of members of the chicken PUFA synthesis-related gene family, including ELOVL1, ELOVL2, ELOVL3, ELOVL4, ELOVL5, ELOVL6, ELOVL7, FADS1, FADS2, FADS6, SCD, and SCD5. Additionally, changes in relative fluorescence values of different truncated segments in the upstream regulatory region of these genes indicate the existence of regulatory regions. Furthermore, we predicted the transcription factors that bind to the identified core promoter regions of multiple genes, including Sp1, NF-1, C/EBPalpha, etc. These findings provide a basis for the molecular mechanisms regulating poultry PUFA synthesis and offer new scientific insight into the potential improvement of poultry meat quality in the future.

Muscle quality traits and oxidative status of Iberian pigs supplemented with zinc and betaine under heat stress

The study analyzed the effect of supplemental zinc and betaine on meat quality and redox status of muscles (longissimus lumborum and gluteus medius) from heat- stressed pigs. Twenty-four pure Iberian pigs were assigned to one of three treatments (n = 8): control diet, Zn supplemented diet (120 mg/kg) and betaine supplemented diet (5 g/kg) that were all exposed to 30 °C during 28 days. No significant differences were observed in chemical composition and fatty acid profile of the muscles. The Zn diet improved the water retention capacity of longissimus, increased the antioxidant properties (ABTS and FRAP) and the glutathione peroxidase activity, and reduced the level of MDA. No significant effects associated to the betaine diet were observed in quality traits and antioxidant markers of muscles. These findings suggest that Zn supplementation may be used as a nutritional strategy to improve the antioxidant properties of meat of Iberian pigs subjected to heat stress conditions.

Can botanically-diverse pastures positively impact the nutritional and antioxidant composition of ruminant meat? - Invited review

A desire for more sustainable pasture-based ruminant feeding systems has led to growing interest in utilising botanically-diverse pastures (BDP) over monoculture pastures. Research suggests that, from a human consumption viewpoint, grass-based ruminant feeding leads to more nutritionally desirable fatty acid (FA) and antioxidant concentrations in meat compared with concentrate feeding, which can affect meat quality. The FA, antioxidant and secondary metabolite content of plants differ, depending on species, maturity and seasonality, offering the potential through targeted feeding of BDP to produce meat with superior nutritional and antioxidant profiles. This review explores the effect, if any, that grazing ruminants on BDP has on the FA profile, fat-soluble vitamin, and antioxidant content of meat. The input-output relationship between forage and red meat constituents is complex and is likely affected by species diversity, forage consumption patterns and modulation of rumen fermentation processes. Further investigation is required to fully understand the effect that BDP may have on the composition and quality of ruminant meat.

Effects of Silage Diet on Meat Quality through Shaping Gut Microbiota in Finishing Pigs

With increasing demand for high-quality pork, development of green and healthy feed for finishing pigs is urgently needed. In this study, the effects and mechanisms of mulberry and paper mulberry silages on growth performance, meat quality, and intestinal health of finishing pigs were explored. Intestinal microbiota were profiled, and microbially produced short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) were measured. The average daily gain (ADG) and feed conversion rate (FCR) with mulberry and paper mulberry silages were not significantly different from those of the control. Meat quality as measured by pork marbling and fatty acids in the longissimus dorsi was better with mulberry silage. The highest concentration of SCFAs was also with mulberry silage. According to 16S rRNA sequencing, Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1, Terrisporobacter, and Lachnospiraceae, which are important in SCFA production, were biomarkers of mulberry silage. PICRUSt functional analysis of intestinal microbes indicated that galactose metabolism, starch and sucrose metabolism, and carbohydrate digestion and absorption decreased significantly in silage treatments but increased in the control. Correlations between intestinal microbes and SCFAs and fatty acids indicated Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1, Terrisporobacter, and Lachnospiraceae were closely associated with SCFA and fatty acid contents. The results indicated that mulberry silage could increase SCFA content through shaping intestinal microbes to affect the deposition of fatty acids, which laid a solid theoretical foundation for improving pork quality. IMPORTANCE To avoid competition between people and animals for food, it is essential to develop nontraditional feeds. In this study, the effects of the silages of the unconventional feed resources mulberry and paper mulberry on meat quality of finishing pigs were examined. With mulberry silage in the diet, meat quality improved as indicated by meat color, marbling score, and beneficial fatty acids in the longissimus dorsi muscle. Pigs fed mulberry silage had the highest concentrations of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), and 16S rRNA sequencing identified Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1, Terrisporobacter, and Lachnospiraceae as biomarkers, which are important in SCFA production. Functions of intestinal microbes in the two silage groups primarily involved amino acid metabolism and SCFA production. Correlations between intestinal microbes and SCFAs and fatty acids indicated that Clostridium_sensu_stricto-1, Terrisporobacter, and Lachnospiraceae were closely associated with SCFA contents in the intestine and fatty acids in the longissimus dorsi.

Sex effect on the fatty acid profile and chemical composition of meat from beef cattle fed a whole shelled corn diet

Abstract. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of sex on the chemical composition, fatty acid profile, and nutritional indexes of the Longissimus lumborum muscle of feedlot cattle fed a whole shelled corn diet. A total of 40 Nellore cattle were used, of which 20 animals were uncastrated bulls and 20 were heifers, with an average body weight of 411 ± 20.82 and 274 ± 17.80 kg, respectively. The diet was composed of 85 % whole shelled corn and 15 % protein–vitamin–mineral supplement. The chemical composition, fatty acid profile, and the nutritional value of the meat of the animals were evaluated. The chemical composition of the Longissimus lumborum muscle was similar among sexes (p>0.05). Differences were observed in the saturated (17 : 0, 18 : 0, and 21 : 0) and monounsaturated (16 : 1 cis-9, 17 : 1 cis-10, 18 : 1 cis-9, and 18 : 1 trans-7) fatty acid composition between sexes (p<0.05), and the polyunsaturated fatty acid (18 : 2 cis-9 and cis-12, 18:2 cis-9 and trans-11, 20 : 3 n-6, and 22 : 6 n-3) content also showed sex differences (p<0.05). The total number of saturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids was higher in bulls, and the total number of monounsaturated fatty acids was higher in heifers (p<0.05). Indicators of nutritional quality, such as the n-6 : n-3 ratio, thrombogenicity index, and Δ-9-desaturase C14, Δ-9-desaturase C16, and Δ-9-desaturase C18 indexes, were different between the sexes (p<0.05). In conclusion, sex was not found to influence chemical composition but did affect the fatty acid profile and nutritional indexes in the meat of feedlot cattle fed a whole shelled corn diet.

Carcass traits and meat quality of goats fed with cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica Mill) silage subjected to an intermittent water supply

The effect of different proportions of cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica Mill) silage (CPS) and intermittent water supply (IWS) to crossbreed goats' diets on carcass traits and meat quality were evaluated. The IWS caused a reduction (p = 0.03) in the percentage of leg fat in the animals. The rib eye area, carcass weight, and physical-chemical characteristics were not affected (p > 0.05) by the CPS or IWS. The IWS reduced (p = 0.04) the elongase enzyme activity. The CPS inclusion in the diet reduced C22:0 (p = 0.01), some branched-chain fatty acid (BCFA), C20:1 (p = 0.03), c13-C18:1 (p = 0.01) fatty acids. Therefore, in situations of water scarcity, an intermittent water supply of up to 48 h and diets with up to 42% cactus pear silage, can be adopted in goat feedlot, without affecting carcass traits and meat quality.

Fresh Beef and Lamb Consumption in Relation to Nutrient Intakes and Markers of Nutrition and Health Status among the Population Aged 5-90 Years in Ireland

The dietary role of meat is under scrutiny for health and environmental reasons, yet a growing body of evidence proposes that advice to limit red meat consumption is unnecessarily restrictive. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of 'fresh beef and lamb' in the diet of the population (5-90 years) in Ireland and its association with markers of nutrition and health status. Analyses are based on data from three nationally representative dietary surveys in the Republic of Ireland. Dietary intake data were estimated using food records, and nutrient intakes were estimated based on UK and Irish food composition tables. Biochemical samples were collected and analysed using standard procedures. 'Fresh beef and lamb' (defined as beef/lamb that had not undergone any preserving process other than chilling/freezing/quick-freezing) was consumed by 68-84% of the population and intakes ranged from 19 to 43 g/d across age groups. It made important contributions to intakes of protein, monounsaturated fat, vitamins D, B12, niacin, iron and zinc while also contributing relatively small proportions of total fat, saturated fat and salt. Higher consumption of 'fresh beef and lamb' was associated with higher intakes of protein, niacin, vitamins B6, B12, zinc and potassium (but also total fat) and lower intakes of carbohydrate and total sugars (but also dietary fibre). In adults, older adults and WCBA, higher consumption of 'fresh beef and lamb' was not associated with increased risk factors of cardio-metabolic diseases nor was it associated with better or poorer nutritional status for vitamins D, B12 or iron. This study adds to the evidence base on the contribution of 'fresh beef and lamb' in the diet and may be useful to policymakers updating guidance for healthy diets from sustainable food systems.

Melatonin supplementation promotes muscle fiber hypertrophy and regulates lipid metabolism of skeletal muscle in weaned piglets

Melatonin has been reported to play crucial roles in regulating meat quality, improving reproductive properties, and maintaining intestinal health in animal production, but whether it regulates skeletal muscle development in weaned piglet is rarely studied. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of melatonin on growth performance, skeletal muscle development, and lipid metabolism in animals by intragastric administration of melatonin solution. Twelve 28-d-old DLY (Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire) weaned piglets with similar body weight were randomly divided into two groups: control group and melatonin group. The results showed that melatonin supplementation for 23 d had no effect on growth performance, but significantly reduced serum glucose content (P < 0.05). Remarkably, melatonin increased longissimus dorsi muscle (LDM) weight, eye muscle area and decreased the liver weight in weaned piglets (P < 0.05). In addition, the cross-sectional area of muscle fibers was increased (P < 0.05), while triglyceride levels were decreased in LDM and psoas major muscle by melatonin treatment (P < 0.05). Transcriptome sequencing showed melatonin induced the expression of genes related to skeletal muscle hypertrophy and fatty acid oxidation. Enrichment analysis indicated that melatonin regulated cholesterol metabolism, protein digestion and absorption, and mitophagy signaling pathways in muscle. Gene set enrichment analysis also confirmed the effects of melatonin on skeletal muscle development and mitochondrial structure and function. Moreover, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed that melatonin supplementation elevated the gene expression of cell differentiation and muscle fiber development, including paired box 7 (PAX7), myogenin (MYOG), myosin heavy chain (MYHC) IIA and MYHC IIB (P < 0.05), which was accompanied by increased insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 (IGFBP5) expression in LDM (P < 0.05). Additionally, melatonin regulated lipid metabolism and activated mitochondrial function in muscle by increasing the mRNA abundance of cytochrome c oxidase subunit 6A (COX6A), COX5B, and carnitine palmitoyltransferase 2 (CPT2) and decreasing the mRNA expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARG), acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) and fatty acid-binding protein 4 (FABP4) (P < 0.05). Together, our results suggest that melatonin could promote skeletal muscle growth and muscle fiber hypertrophy, improve mitochondrial function and decrease fat deposition in muscle.

Characterization of fatty acid compositions in longissimus thoracis muscle and identification of candidate gene and SNPs related to polyunsaturated fatty acid in Hu sheep

Fatty acid (FA) composition contributes greatly to the quality and nutritional value of lamb meat. In the present study, FA was measured in longissimus thoracis (LT) muscles of 1,085 Hu sheep using gas chromatography. Comparative transcriptomic analysis was conducted in LT muscles to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between six individuals with high polyunsaturated fatty acids (H-PUFA, 15.27% ± 0.42%) and six with low PUFA (L-PUFA, 5.22% ± 0.25%). Subsequently, the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a candidate gene PLIN2 were correlated with FA traits. The results showed a total of 29 FA compositions and 8 FA groups were identified, with the highest content of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA, 46.54%, mainly C18:1n9c), followed by saturated fatty acids (SFA, 44.32%, mainly C16:0), and PUFA (8.72%, mainly C18:2n6c), and significant correlations were observed among the most of FA traits. Transcriptomic analyses identified 110 upregulated and 302 downregulated DEGs between H-PUFA and L-PUFA groups. The functional enrichment analysis revealed three significant Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways and 17 gene ontology (GO) terms, in which regulation of lipolysis in adipocytes, the AMPK signaling pathway, and the PPAR signaling pathway may play important roles in FA metabolism and biosynthesis. In addition, weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) identified 37 module genes associated with PUFA-related traits. In general, PLIN1, LIPE, FABP4, LEP, ACACA, ADIPOQ, SCD, PCK2, FASN, PLIN2, LPL, FABP3, THRSP, and ACADVL may have a great impact on PUFA metabolism and lipid deposition. Four SNPs within PLIN2 were significantly associated with FA. Of those, SNP1 (g.287 G>A) was significantly associated with C18:1n9c and MUFA, and SNP4 (g.7807 T>C) was significantly correlated with PUFA (C18:3n3). In addition, the combined genotype of SNP1 (g.287 G>A), SNP3 (g.7664 T>C), and SNP4 (g.7807 T>C) were significantly correlated with C16:1, C17:0, C18:1C6, PUFA (C18:3n3, C22:6n3), and n-6/n-3 PUFA. These results contribute to the knowledge of the biological mechanisms and genetic markers involved in the composition of FA in Hu sheep.

Metabolomics and Proteomics Characterizing Hepatic Reactions to Dietary Linseed Oil in Duck

The imbalance in polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) composition in human food is ubiquitous and closely related to obesity and cardiovascular diseases. The development of n-3 PUFA-enriched poultry products is of great significance for optimizing fatty acid composition. This study aimed to improve our understanding of the effects of dietary linseed oil on hepatic metabolism using untargeted metabolomics and 4D label-free proteome analysis. A total of 91 metabolites and 63 proteins showed differences in abundance in duck livers between the high linseed oil and control groups. Pathway analysis revealed that the biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids, linoleic acid, glycerophospholipid, and pyrimidine metabolisms were significantly enriched in ducks fed with linseed oil. Meanwhile, dietary linseed oil changed liver fatty acid composition, which was reflected in the increase in the abundance of downstream metabolites, such as α-linolenic acid (ALA; 18:3n-3) as a substrate, including n-3 PUFA and its related glycerophospholipids, and a decrease in downstream n-6 PUFA synthesis using linoleic acid (LA; 18:2n-6) as a substrate. Moreover, the anabolism of PUFA in duck livers showed substrate-dependent effects, and the expression of related proteins in the process of fatty acid anabolism, such as FADS2, LPIN2, and PLA2G4A, were significantly regulated by linseed oil. Collectively, our work highlights the ALA substrate dependence during n-3 PUFA synthesis in duck livers. The present study expands our knowledge of the process products of PUFA metabolism and provides some potential biomarkers for liver health.

Tannin in Ruminant Nutrition: Review

Tannins are polyphenols characterized by different molecular weights that plants are able to synthetize during their secondary metabolism. Macromolecules (proteins, structural carbohydrates and starch) can link tannins and their digestion can decrease. Tannins can be classified into two groups: hydrolysable tannins and condensed tannins. Tannins are polyphenols, which can directly or indirectly affect intake and digestion. Their ability to bind molecules and form complexes depends on the structure of polyphenols and on the macromolecule involved. Tannins have long been known to be an "anti-nutritional agent" in monogastric and poultry animals. Using good tannins' proper application protocols helped the researchers observe positive effects on the intestinal microbial ecosystem, gut health, and animal production. Plant tannins are used as an alternative to in-feed antibiotics, and many factors have been described by researchers which contribute to the variability in their efficiencies. The objective of this study was to review the literature about tannins, their effects and use in ruminant nutrition.

SLC16A7 Promotes Triglyceride Deposition by De Novo Lipogenesis in Chicken Muscle Tissue

Triglyceride (TG) content in chicken muscle tissue signifies intramuscular fat (IMF) content, which is important for improving meat quality. However, the genetic basis of TG deposition in chicken is still unclear. Using 520 chickens from an artificially selected line with significantly increased IMF content and a control line, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) with TG content reports a region of 802 Kb located in chromosome 1. The XP-EHH and gene expression analysis together reveal that the solute carrier family 16 member A7 (SLC16A7) gene is the key candidate gene associated with TG content in chicken muscle tissue. Furthermore, the weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) confirmed the regulatory effects of SLC16A7 on promoting TG deposition by de novo lipogenesis (DNL). Functional verification of SLC16A7 in vitro also supports this view, and reveals that this effect mainly occurs in myocytes. Our data highlight a potential IMF deposition pathway by DNL, induced by SLC16A7 in chicken myocytes. These findings will improve the understanding of IMF regulation in chicken and guide the formulation of breeding strategies for high-quality chicken.

Effect of guanidine acetic acid on meat quality, muscle amino acids, and fatty acids in Tibetan pigs

This study investigated the effects of guanidine acetic acid (GAA) supplementation on growth performance, carcass traits, and meat quality in Tibetan pigs. A total of 18 male Tibetan pigs (21.35 ± 0.99 kg) were randomly assigned to the control (basal diet) and GAA (basal diet + 800 mg/kg GAA) groups for 125 days. Growth performance, carcass traits, and meat quality in pigs, and the chemical composition of Longissimus thoracis (LT) were not altered by GAA. In LT, compared to the control group, dietary GAA increased the superoxide dismutase activity, transcripts of stearoyl CoA desaturase (SCD) and fatty acid synthase (FAS), and contents of glutamate, glutamine, C24:0, C20:3n-6, C20:4n-6, and polyunsaturated fatty acids (P < 0.05), but it decreased the malondialdehyde content (P < 0.001). In back fat, dietary GAA reduced the transcript of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) and the contents of C10:0, C12:0, C14:0, and C16:0 (P < 0.05), whereas it increased the contents of C22:0, C20:1, C22:1, C24:1, C20:2, C20:3n-3, and C22:2 (P < 0.05). These findings will provide a basis for high-quality Tibetan pork production.

Effects of Feeding Housefly (Musca domestica) Larvae on the Butchery Skills and Meat Sensory Characteristics of Local Chickens in Niger

The purpose of this work was to study the effects of substitution of fishmeal by housefly larvae at different rates and different physical states in the diet of local chickens. Five diets consisted of LFD, 25DL, 50DL, 25FL and 50FL, respectively, larval-free, 25%-dried-larvae, 50%-dried-larvae, 25%-fresh-larvae and 50%-fresh-larvae diet, in which 0, 25 and 50% of fishmeal was replaced by dried and fresh larvae, was formulated. A total of 165 local chickens of three weeks old, divided into 15 boxes in batches of 11 animals were raised. The experiment consists of three replications of five treatments. At 14 weeks of age, sixty chickens were slaughtered. Butchery skills and sensory characteristics were evaluated. Thus, a small variation of the ultimate pH from 5.63 to 5.55 between the different types of meat, and a carcass yield around 66%, was recorded. Any effects of substitution rate and physical state of housefly larvae on growth performance was not observed. Feet and proventriculus percentages increased in chickens fed 25% substitution. Liver and spleen percentage, and redder breast meat, increased in chicken fed dried larvae. Yellowness of the breast, thigh-and-drumstick meat and juiciness increased with 50% substitution. There is need of an investigation for liver and spleen enlargement and housefly larvae containing pigments. Thus, housefly larvae up to 50% substitution can be a suitable alternative to fishmeal in local chicken diets.

Microbiome-driven breeding strategy potentially improves beef fatty acid profile benefiting human health and reduces methane emissions

BACKGROUND

Healthier ruminant products can be achieved by adequate manipulation of the rumen microbiota to increase the flux of beneficial fatty acids reaching host tissues. Genomic selection to modify the microbiome function provides a permanent and accumulative solution, which may have also favourable consequences in other traits of interest (e.g. methane emissions). Possibly due to a lack of data, this strategy has never been explored.

RESULTS

This study provides a comprehensive identification of ruminal microbial mechanisms under host genomic influence that directly or indirectly affect the content of unsaturated fatty acids in beef associated with human dietary health benefits C18:3n-3, C20:5n-3, C22:5n-3, C22:6n-3 or cis-9, trans-11 C18:2 and trans-11 C18:1 in relation to hypercholesterolemic saturated fatty acids C12:0, C14:0 and C16:0, referred to as N3 and CLA indices. We first identified that ~27.6% (1002/3633) of the functional core additive log-ratio transformed microbial gene abundances (alr-MG) in the rumen were at least moderately host-genomically influenced (HGFC). Of these, 372 alr-MG were host-genomically correlated with the N3 index (n=290), CLA index (n=66) or with both (n=16), indicating that the HGFC influence on beef fatty acid composition is much more complex than the direct regulation of microbial lipolysis and biohydrogenation of dietary lipids and that N3 index variation is more strongly subjected to variations in the HGFC than CLA. Of these 372 alr-MG, 110 were correlated with the N3 and/or CLA index in the same direction, suggesting the opportunity for enhancement of both indices simultaneously through a microbiome-driven breeding strategy. These microbial genes were involved in microbial protein synthesis (aroF and serA), carbohydrate metabolism and transport (galT, msmX), lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis (kdsA, lpxD, lpxB), or flagellar synthesis (flgB, fliN) in certain genera within the Proteobacteria phyla (e.g. Serratia, Aeromonas). A microbiome-driven breeding strategy based on these microbial mechanisms as sole information criteria resulted in a positive selection response for both indices (1.36±0.24 and 0.79±0.21 sd of N3 and CLA indices, at 2.06 selection intensity). When evaluating the impact of our microbiome-driven breeding strategy to increase N3 and CLA indices on the environmental trait methane emissions (g/kg of dry matter intake), we obtained a correlated mitigation response of -0.41±0.12 sd.

CONCLUSION

This research provides insight on the possibility of using the ruminal functional microbiome as information for host genomic selection, which could simultaneously improve several microbiome-driven traits of interest, in this study exemplified with meat quality traits and methane emissions. Video Abstract.

Inclusion of Grape Pomace in Finishing Cattle Diets: Carcass Traits, Meat Quality and Fatty Acid Composition

Because of its high content of polyphenolic compounds, dietary inclusion of grape pomace (GP) in finishing cattle diet could possibly enhance product quality and the health value of beef lipids. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of feeding a high amount of grape pomace in finishing cattle diets on carcass traits, product quality, and fatty acid (FA) composition of beef. Jersey × Holstein crosses (n = 24) were fed either a typical finishing diet (CON) or a finishing diet containing 58% grape pomace (DM basis; HGP). Following the feeding period, animals were harvested, and carcass traits measured. Longissimus lumborum (LL) and semimembranosus (SM) muscle were then collected from each carcass for sensory quality evaluation and FA profile analysis. Hot carcass weight, backfat thickness, and preliminary and final yield grades were greater (p ≤ 0.04) for CON than HGP steers. However, there was no diet effect on rib eye area (REA), kidney, pelvic, and heart (KPH) fat, and marbling. Feeding the HGP compared to CON diet reduced lipid oxidation of LL and SM steaks over time; the malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration, which did not differ on d 0 and 2 of 8-d simulated retail display, was lower on d 4, 6 and 8 for HGP than CON steers (treatment × day of simulated display interaction; p < 0.01). Brightness (L* values) and redness (b*) were greater for LL steaks from HGP than CON steers on most days of simulated display (treatment × day of simulated display interaction; p < 0.01). In addition, the LL and SM muscle content of several FA linked to positive health outcomes in humans including 18:2 n-6, 18:2 c9t11, total conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and total polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) was also greater (p ≤ 0.02) for steers fed the HGP compared to the CON diet. In summary, current findings suggest that although it could possibly limit growth performance, feeding a high amount of grape pomace to finishing cattle could enhance both the sensory quality and the health value of beef lipids, which are key in increasing consumer acceptability of beef.

Condensed tannins to increase bioactive fatty acids in the milk from Canindé, Repartida, and Saanen goats

Bioactive fatty acids present in goat milk have the ability to reduce the risks of coronary heart disease in humans, and condensed tannins (CT) can modulate the polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) biohydrogenation process in the rumen and consequently increase the levels of these fatty acids. Thus, the objective was to evaluate the inclusion of CT in the diet for Canindé, Repartida, and Saanen goats to increase the level of bioactive fatty acids in milk. Twenty-two lactating does of three genetic groups, six Canindé, eight Repartida, and eight Saanen, were randomly assigned in a 3 × 2 factorial arrangement of three genetic groups and two diets (control and with 50 g CT/kg DM). The inclusion of CT in the diet did not change (P > 0.05) nutrient intake and performance. However, the inclusion of CT promoted an increase (P < 0.05) in C14:1; cis-9; C18:2n6; C18:3n6; C18:3n3; PUFA; and long-chain fatty acids and reduction (P < 0.05) of C11; C12; C14; ω6/ω3; and atherogenicity index in milk fat. Thus, it is recommended to include CT in the diet for Canindé, Repartida, and Saanen goats to increase the level of bioactive fatty acids in milk. The inclusion of the tannins of Acacia mearnsii promoted an increase in C14:1; cis-9; C18:2n6; C18:3n6; C18:3n3; polyunsaturated fatty acid; and long-chain fatty acids and reduction of C11; C12; C14; ω6/ω3; and atherogenicity index in milk fat.

Fortification of diets with omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids enhances feedlot performance, intramuscular fat content, fat melting point, and carcass characteristics of Tattykeel Australian White MARGRA lambs

Meat eating quality indices such as intramuscular fat content (IMF) and fat melting point (FMP) of the Longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscle and the feedlot performance, carcass traits, and commercial wholesale cuts of lot-fed Tattykeel Australian White (TAW) MARGRA lambs as a result of dietary fortification of the diet with omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LC-PUFA) were evaluated. A total of 75 TAW MARGRA lambs at 6 months of age with an average liveweight of 30 ± 1.2 kg were used. The lambs were randomly allocated to the following three dietary treatments of 25 lambs each in a 47-day feeding trial using a completely randomized experimental design: (1) control diet of hay plus pellets without omega-3 oil, (2) hay plus commercial whole grain pellets (MSM) without omega-3 oil, and (3) hay plus pellets fortified with omega-3 oil. It was hypothesized that dietary supplementation with omega-3 fortified pellets will improve feedlot performance, meat-eating quality indices of IMF, FMP, and carcass characteristics. Lot-fed lambs on the MSM whole grain had the highest feed intake of 1.69 kg/day, followed by the control at 1.57 kg/day and the lowest in the omega-3 diet at 1.01 kg/day (p = 0.0001). However, the omega-3 diet had the highest average daily gain of 230 g/head/day (p = 0.0001), indicating the greatest feed efficiency since it had the best growth response with minimal feed intake. Post-slaughter evaluation of the Longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscle revealed significant treatment variations in IMF (p = 0.0001), FMP (p = 0.0001), pH (p = 0.0380), and wholesale French rack primal cut (p = 0.0001). Strong correlations (p < 0.05) between liveweight, temperature, pH, FMP, and IMF were observed. Similarly, significant correlations between carcass characteristics of total saleable meat yield, lean trim, fat trims, bones, and leg shank were evident (p < 0.05). However, there were no treatment differences in the final liveweight, GR fat depth, hot standard carcass weight, or dressing percentage. The findings indicate that feedlot performance, meat-eating quality traits such as IMF and FMP, and commercial wholesale French rack cuts can be further improved during feedlot finishing of TAW MARGRA lambs through dietary supplementation with omega-3 oils, and hence the tested hypothesis of improved meat quality attributes is partially confirmed.

Buffalo long non-coding RNA gene11007 promotes myoblasts proliferation

Buffalo meat is of good quality because it is lean and tender, and could bring significant cardiovascular benefits. The underlying difference in muscle development and meat quality is a complex and precisely orchestrated process which has been demonstrated to be regulated by long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). However, the regulatory role of lncRNAs in the growth and development of buffalo skeletal muscle is still unclear. In this study, the Ribo-Zero RNA-Seq method was used to explore the lncRNA expression profiles of buffalo myoblasts during the proliferation and differentiation phases. A specific set of 9,978 lncRNAs was found. By comparing the expression profiles of lncRNAs, it was found that there were 1,576 differentially expressed lncRNAs (DELs) during buffalo myoblast differentiation. Twelve DELs were chosen and subsequently verified in eight different buffalo tissues during fetal and adult stages by using qPCR. Gene11007 was found to be one of the most down-regulated lncRNAs during buffalo myoblasts differentiation and it was subsequently characterized. EdU, CCK-8, qPCR and western blotting assays showed that gene11007 promoted the proliferation of buffalo myoblasts but it had no effect on cell differentiation. Our research may enrich the genome annotations of buffalo and provide a new molecular target for the in-depth understanding of the regulation of lncRNAs in skeletal muscle.

Feedomics provides bidirectional omics strategies between genetics and nutrition for improved production in cattle

Increasing the efficiency and sustainability of cattle production is an effective way to produce valuable animal proteins for a growing human population. Genetics and nutrition are the 2 major research topics in selecting cattle with beneficial phenotypes and developing genetic potentials for improved performance. There is an inextricable link between genetics and nutrition, which urgently requires researchers to uncover the underlying molecular mechanisms to optimize cattle production. Feedomics integrates a range of omic techniques to reveal the mechanisms at different molecular levels related to animal production and health, which can provide novel insights into the relationships of genes and nutrition/nutrients. In this review, we summarized the applications of feedomics techniques to reveal the effect of genetic elements on the response to nutrition and investigate how nutrients affect the functional genome of cattle from the perspective of both nutrigenetics and nutrigenomics. We highlighted the roles of rumen microbiome in the interactions between host genes and nutrition. Herein, we discuss the importance of feedomics in cattle nutrition research, with a view to ensure that cattle exhibit the best production traits for human consumption from both genetic and nutritional aspects.

Effects of Fat Type and Exogenous Bile Acids on Growth Performance, Nutrient Digestibility, Lipid Metabolism and Breast Muscle Fatty Acid Composition in Broiler Chickens

The current study aimed to explore the effects of fat type and exogenous bile acids (BAs) on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, lipid metabolism, and breast muscle fatty acids composition in broiler chickens. A total of 432 one-day-old Arbor Acres male broilers were stochastically distributed to a 2 × 2 factorial design comprised of two fat types (soybean oil and lard) and two levels of BAs (0 and 80 mg/kg) included in diets, totaling 4 treatments of 6 replicate pens with 18 chicks per replicate pen. Compared with treatments with soybean oil, dietary inclusion of lard increased the digestibility of ether extract (EE) in diets and the percentage of breast muscle on d 42, and increased the level of serum triglycerides and decreased serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity on d 21 (p < 0.05). The level of saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), and the n-6 to n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids ratio in breast muscle were also increased (p < 0.05) when feeding lard versus soybean oil. Dietary supplementation with BAs elevated average daily gain and reduced the ratio of feed to gain at d 0−21 and 0−42, significantly (p < 0.05). The digestibility of EE in diets and the percentage of breast muscle on d 42 were also increased by BAs (p < 0.05). Serum total cholesterol content as well as the percentage of abdominal fat on d 42, and ALT activity on d 21 were decreased when BAs were fed (p < 0.05). The concentration of total fatty acids, saturated fatty acids, and MUFAs of breast muscle were decreased by BAs. These results indicate that BAs can increase growth performance and nutrient digestibility, elevate carcass characteristics, and improve lipid metabolism, and their effects on nutrient digestibility and carcass characteristics were more pronounced in broiler chickens fed diets with lard.

A selected population study reveals the biochemical mechanism of intramuscular fat deposition in chicken meat

BACKGROUND

Increasing intramuscular fat (IMF) is an important strategy to improve meat quality, but the regulation mechanism of IMF deposition needs to be systematically clarified.

RESULTS

A total of 520 chickens from a selected line with improved IMF content and a control line were used to investigate the biochemical mechanism of IMF deposition in chickens. The results showed that the increased IMF would improve the flavor and tenderness quality of chicken meat. IMF content was mainly determined both by measuring triglyceride (TG) and phospholipid (PLIP) in muscle tissue, but only TG content was found to be decisive for IMF deposition. Furthermore, the increase in major fatty acid (FA) components in IMF is mainly derived from TGs (including C16:0, C16:1, C18:1n9c, and C18:2n6c, etc.), and the inhibition of certain very-long-chain FAs would help to IMF/TG deposition.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study elucidated the underlying biochemical mechanism of IMF deposition in chicken: Prevalent accumulation of long-chain FAs and inhibitions of medium-chain FAs and very long chain FA would jointly result in the increase of TGs with the FA biosynthesis and cellular uptake ways. Our findings will guide the production of high-quality chicken meat.

Screening of Bovine Tissue-Specific Expressed Genes and Identification of Genetic Variation Within an Adipose Tissue-Specific lncRNA Gene

Global classification of bovine genes is important for studies of biology and tissue-specific gene editing. Herein, we classified the tissue-specific expressed genes and uncovered an important variation in the promoter region of an adipose tissue-specific lncRNA gene. Statistical analysis demonstrated that the number of genes specifically expressed in the brain was the highest, while it was lowest in the adipose tissues. A total of 1,575 genes were found to be significantly higher expressed in adipose tissues. Bioinformatic analysis and qRT-PCR were used to uncover the expression profiles of the 23 adipose tissue-specific and highly expressed genes in 8 tissues. The results showed that most of the 23 genes have higher expression level in adipose tissue. Besides, we detected a 12 bp insertion/deletion (indel) variation (rs720343880) in the promoter region of an adipose tissue-specific lncRNA gene (LOC100847835). The different genotypes of this variation were associated with carcass traits of cattle. Therefore, the outcomes of the present study can be used as a starting point to explore the development of cattle organs and tissues, as well as to improve the quality of cattle products.

Replacing cottonseed meal and sorghum with dried distillers` grains with solubles enhances the growth performance, carcass traits, and meat quality of feedlot lambs

We evaluated the impacts of substituting cottonseed meal (CSM) and sorghum grain (SG) with dried distillers` grains with solubles (DDGS) in lamb feedlot diets on the dry matter intake (DMI), the growth performance, blood serum analysis, feces phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N), wool production and quality, carcass traits, adipose tissue fatty acid (FA) profiles, and sensory panel tests. For 72 d, Rambouillet wether lambs (n = 44, initial body weight, BW = 28.8 ± 3.3 kg) were individually fed ad libitum pelleted diets containing DDGS that replaced 0% (0DDGS), 25% (25DDGS), 50% (50DDGS), or 75% (75DDGS) of the CSM and SG in a completely randomized design trial. Linear and quadratic effects of DDGS levels on the response variables were analyzed. Treatment × day interactions (P < 0.001) were observed for BW and DMI. As the DDGS level was increased, DMI (from days 21 to 70), lamb BW (from days 56 to 70), average daily gain, blood urea nitrogen and P, and fecal P linearly increased (P ≤ 0.05). Fecal N quadratically increased (P = 0.01), but no effects were found for gain:feed, blood insulin-like growth factor-1, or calcium. No differences in wool production or most of the wool quality parameters were detected. Adipose tissue stearic acid linearly increased (P = 0.02), linoleic acid quadratically increased (P = 0.01), and oleic acid tended to quadratically decrease (P = 0.08) as the DDGS increased in the diets. Increasing the DDGS level in the diets quadratically increased the hot carcass weight (P = 0.02), backfat thickness (P = 0.04), and body wall thickness (P < 0.001) while having no impact on the longissimus muscle area. As the DDGS increased in the diet, juiciness, tenderness, and overall acceptability linearly increased (P ≤ 0.05), while having no effect on the cook-loss, flavor intensity, or off-flavor detectability. Replacing 50% of CSM and SG with DDGS improved growth performance and enhanced the carcass and meat quality.

Ratiometric Monitoring of Biogenic Amines by a Simple Ammonia-Response Aiegen

Herein, we developed a paper-based smart sensing chip for the real-time, visual, and non-destructive monitoring of food freshness using a ratiometric aggregation-induced emission (AIE) luminogen (i.e., H+MQ, protonated 4-(triphenylamine)styryl)quinoxalin-2(1H)-one) as pH sensitive indicators. Upon exposure to amine vapors, the deprotonation of H+MQ occurs and triggers its color change from blue to yellow, with the fluorescence redshift from blue to amaranth. Consequently, we successfully achieved the sensitive detection of ammonia vapors by recording the bimodal color and fluorescence changes. Given the high sensitivity of H+MQ to ammonia vapor, a paper-based smart sensor chip was prepared by depositing H+MQ on the commercial qualitative filter paper through a physical deposition strategy. After being placed inside the sealed containers, the developed H+MQ-loaded paper chip was applied to the real-time monitoring of biogenic amine contents according to its color difference and ratio fluorescence change. The detection results were further compared with those obtained by the high-performance liquid chromatography method, which verified the feasibility of the designed paper chip for the food spoilage degree evaluation. Briefly, this work indicates that the designed H+MQ-loaded paper chip could be a promising approach for improving food freshness monitoring.

Sustainable Diets as Tools to Harmonize the Health of Individuals, Communities and the Planet: A Systematic Review

Background. Climate change and global health are inextricably linked. Thus, health systems and their professionals must adapt and evolve without losing quality of care. Aim(s). To identify health and environmental co-benefits derived from a sustainable diet and promotion strategies that favor its implementation. Methods. A systematic search for articles published on sustainable diets and human/planetary health published between 2013 and 2020 was conducted on the databases PubMed, Cinahl, Scopus and Trip from 4 to 7 May 2020 in accordance with the PRISMA guideline. Results. A total of 201 articles was retrieved, but only 21 were included. A calorie-balanced diet mainly based on food of plant origin that would allow the attainment of 60% of daily caloric requirements and a low protein intake from animal foods (focusing in fish and poultry) could significantly reduce global morbi-mortality and the dietary environmental impact maintaining a framework of sustainability conditioned by the consumption of fresh, seasonal, locally produced and minimally packaged products. Discussion. The implementation of sustainable diets requires working on the triangulation of concepts of food–health–environment from schools and that is permanently reinforced during all stages of the life by healthcare workers, who should establish the appropriate modifications according to the age, gender and health situation.

UCP1 Knockin Induces Lipid Dynamics and Transcriptional Programs in the Skeletal Muscles of Pigs

Uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1), the hallmark protein responsible for nonshivering thermogenesis in adipose tissue (especially brown adipose tissue) has regained researchers' attention in the context of metabolic disorders following the realization that UCP1 can be activated in adult humans and reconstituted in pigs. Both skeletal muscle and adipose tissue are highly dynamic tissues that interact at the metabolic and hormonal level in response to internal and external stress, and they coordinate in maintaining whole-body metabolic homeostasis. Here, we utilized lipidomics and transcriptomics to identify the altered lipid profiles and regulatory pathways in skeletal muscles from adipocyte-specific UCP1 knock-in (KI) pigs. UCP1 KI changed the contents of glycerophospholipids and acyl carnitines of skeletal muscles. Several metabolic regulatory pathways were more enriched in the UCP1 KI skeletal muscle. Comparison of the transcriptomes of adipose and skeletal muscle suggested that nervous system or chemokine signaling might account for the crosstalk between these two tissues in UCP1 KI pigs. Comparison of the lipid biomarkers from UCP1 KI pigs and other mammals suggested associations between UCP1 KI-induced metabolic alternations and metabolic and muscle dysfunction. Our study reveals the lipid dynamics and transcriptional programs in the skeletal muscle of UCP1 KI pigs and suggests that a network regulates metabolic homeostasis between skeletal muscle and adipose tissue.

Effect of dietary buriti oil on the quality, fatty acid profile and sensorial attributes of lamb meat

Forty crossbred (Santa Ines × Dorper) male lambs were used to investigate the effect of dietary buriti oil (BOIL) intake on meat quality, fatty acid (FA) composition and sensory attributes. A completely randomized design with five BOIL intake levels (0, 12, 24, 36 and 48 g/kg DM) was used. Increasing dietary BOIL intake linearly reduced the DMI, slaughter weight, cooking loss, shear force, yellowness, 16:0, c9-18:1 FA concentrations, and the delta-9-desaturase activity index computed using c9-16:1 and 16:0 as product and substrate pair, cis-MUFA and ƩMUFA/ƩSFA ratio of lamb meat (P ≤ 0.05); however, increasing dietary BOIL intake quadratically increased the energy intake, lipid content and linearly increased the total FA intake, chroma, collagen, total BI, 18:0, 20:3n-6 concentration and sensory attributes of lamb meat (P ≤ 0.05), without affecting health indexes regarding fat consumption. BOIL addition at levels above 24 g/kg DM in lamb diet reduces growth, however, improves tenderness, flavor and "goat" aroma intensity and slightly changes meat FA levels, promoting better acceptance by panelists.

Current Perspectives on Achieving Pronounced Enteric Methane Mitigation From Ruminant Production

Limiting global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels by 2050 requires achieving net zero emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050 and a strong decrease in methane (CH4) emissions. Our aim was to connect the global need for mitigation of the emissions of greenhouse gases and enteric CH4 from ruminant production to basic research on the biological consequences of inhibiting rumen methanogenesis in order to better design strategies for pronounced mitigation of enteric CH4 production without negative impacts on animal productivity or economic returns. Ruminant production worldwide has the challenge of decreasing its emissions of greenhouse gases while increasing the production of meat and milk to meet consumers demand. Production intensification decreases the emissions of greenhouse gases per unit of product, and in some instances has decreased total emissions, but in other instances has resulted in increased total emissions of greenhouse gases. We propose that decreasing total emission of greenhouse gases from ruminants in the next decades while simultaneously increasing meat and milk production will require strong inhibition of rumen methanogenesis. An aggressive approach to pronounced inhibition of enteric CH4 emissions is technically possible through the use of chemical compounds and/or bromoform-containing algae, but aspects such as safety, availability, government approval, consumer acceptance, and impacts on productivity and economic returns must be satisfactorily addressed. Feeding these additives will increase the cost of ruminant diets, which can discourage their adoption. On the other hand, inhibiting rumen methanogenesis potentially saves energy for the host animal and causes profound changes in rumen fermentation and post-absorptive metabolism. Understanding the biological consequences of methanogenesis inhibition could allow designing strategies to optimize the intervention. We conducted meta-regressions using published studies with at least one treatment with &gt;50% inhibition of CH4 production to elucidate the responses of key rumen metabolites and animal variables to methanogenesis inhibition, and understand possible consequences on post-absorptive metabolism. We propose possible avenues, attainable through the understanding of biological consequences of the methanogenesis inhibition intervention, to increase animal productivity or decrease feed costs when inhibiting methanogenesis.

Identification and Characterization of Circular RNAs in Association With the Deposition of Intramuscular Fat in Aohan Fine-Wool Sheep

Aohan fine-wool sheep (AFWS) is a high-quality fine-wool sheep breed that supplies wool and meat. Research is needed on the molecular mechanism behind intramuscular fat (IMF) deposition that greatly improves mutton quality. The widely expressed non-coding RNA is physiologically used in roles such as competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) that includes circular RNAs (circRNAs). Although circRNAs were studied in many fields, little research was devoted to IMF in sheep. We used the longissimus dorsi muscle of 2 and 12-month-old AWFS as research material to identify circRNAs related to IMF deposition in these sheep by RNA-seq screening for differentially expressed circRNAs in the two age groups. A total of 11,565 candidate circRNAs were identified, of which the 104 differentially expressed circRNAs in the two age groups were analyzed. Enrichment analysis was performed using Gene Ontology and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes. The enriched pathways included lipid transport (GO:0006869), negative regulation of canonical Wnt signaling pathway (GO:0090090), fat digestion and absorption (ko04975), and sphingolipid metabolism (ko00600). The differentially expressed circRNAs included ciRNA455, circRNA9086, circRNA7445, circRNA4557, and others. The source genes involved in these pathways might regulate IMF deposition. We used the TargetScan and miRanda software for interaction analysis, and a network diagram of circRNA-miRNA interactions was created. CircRNA455-miR-127, circRNA455-miR-29a, circRNA455-miR-103, circRNA4557-mir149-5p, and circRNA2440-mir-23a might be involved in the IMF deposition process. The targeting relationship of circRNA4557-miR-149-5p was verified by a dual-luciferase reporter assay. The RT-qPCR results of seven randomly selected circRNAs were consistent with the sequencing results. This study provides additional information on circRNA regulation of IMF deposition in AFWS and is a useful resource for future research on this sheep breed.

MicroRNA-29b/29c targeting CTRP6 influences porcine adipogenesis via the AKT/PKA/MAPK Signalling pathway

Porcine fat deposition is an important economic trait of pig breeds, and understanding the gene regulatory network in adipocytes is essential for modern pig breeding. In a previous study, we demonstrated that miR-29a negatively regulates the differentiation of porcine adipocytes. In this study, we investigated the roles of miR-29b/c in porcine adipocytes and the underlying mechanisms. Using EdU staining and the CCK-8 assay, we observed that transfection with the miR-29b/c agomir promoted the proliferation of porcine intramuscular (IM) and subcutaneous (SC) adipocytes by altering the expression of cell-cycle-related genes. According to the results of oil red O staining and western blot analysis, transfection with the miR-29b/c agomir suppressed the differentiation of porcine SC and IM adipocytes via the AKT/PKA/MAPK signalling pathway. Furthermore, we proved that miR-29b/c regulates porcine adipocytes by directly targeting the 3ʹ-untranslated region (3ʹUTR) of CTRP6 using a dual-luciferase reporter assay. Finally, co-transfection with miR-29b/c and CTRP6 partially restored the changes of phenotype and gene expression induced by miR-29b/c overexpression in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Taken together, our data demonstrate that both miR-29b and miR-29 c negatively regulate porcine adipogenesis by targeting CTRP6, which furthers our understanding of the gene network that regulates fat deposition in pigs.

Effects of Dietary Tea Powder on the Growth Performance, Carcass Traits, and Meat Quality of Tibetan Pig × Bama Miniature Pigs

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of tea powder in diets on the growth performance, meat quality, muscular amino acid, fatty acid profile, and serum biochemical indices of pigs. A total of 120 local Chinese pigs (Tibetan × Bama miniature pigs) were randomly assigned to five treatment groups, each with six pens and four pigs per pen. During a 60-day experiment, these groups of pigs were fed the normal diet and the diet supplemented with 1%, 2%, 4%, and 6% tea powder, respectively. The results showed that the supplementation of tea powder did not affect the growth performance of pigs. However, the dietary tea powder inclusion decreased (p < 0.05) the average fat thickness, total fat, and abdominal fat, and increased (p < 0.05) the total muscle as well. In addition, the dietary 2% tea powder decreased (p < 0.05) the muscle lightness (L*) and yellowness (b*). Compared with the control group, the dietary supplementation with 1%, 2%, and 4% tea powder raised (p < 0.05) the total amino acids (TAA) and essential amino acids (EAA), and dietary 4% and 6% tea powder increased (p < 0.05) the C20:5n3 in the muscle tissue. Furthermore, the serum lipid metabolism-related biochemical indices and mRNA expression levels were improved with the addition of tea powder. These results indicated that dietary tea powder might improve the carcass traits and meat quality of the Chinese native finishing pigs, but it does not affect their growth performance. Tea powder could be fully developed and reasonably applied as a dietary supplement.