Associations of Apoptotic and Anti-Apoptotic Factors with Beef Quality, Histochemical Characteristics, and Palatability of Hanwoo Longissimus thoracis Muscle

Unveiling the Genetic Mechanism of Meat Color in Pigs through GWAS, Multi-Tissue, and Single-Cell Transcriptome Signatures Exploration

Meat color traits directly influence consumer acceptability and purchasing decisions. Nevertheless, there is a paucity of comprehensive investigation into the genetic mechanisms underlying meat color traits in pigs. Utilizing genome-wide association studies (GWAS) on five meat color traits and the detection of selection signatures in pig breeds exhibiting distinct meat color characteristics, we identified a promising candidate SNP, 6_69103754, exhibiting varying allele frequencies among pigs with different meat color characteristics. This SNP has the potential to affect the redness and chroma index values of pork. Moreover, transcriptome-wide association studies (TWAS) analysis revealed the expression of candidate genes associated with meat color traits in specific tissues. Notably, the largest number of candidate genes were observed from transcripts derived from adipose, liver, lung, spleen tissues, and macrophage cell type, indicating their crucial role in meat color development. Several shared genes associated with redness, yellowness, and chroma indices traits were identified, including RINL in adipose tissue, ENSSSCG00000034844 and ITIH1 in liver tissue, TPX2 and MFAP2 in lung tissue, and ZBTB17, FAM131C, KIFC3, NTPCR, and ENGSSSCG00000045605 in spleen tissue. Furthermore, single-cell enrichment analysis revealed a significant association between the immune system and meat color. This finding underscores the significance of the immune system associated with meat color. Overall, our study provides a comprehensive analysis of the genetic mechanisms underlying meat color traits, offering valuable insights for future breeding efforts aimed at improving meat quality.

Effects of apoptotic factor levels on palatability variation during postmortem aging of Holstein longissimus thoracis muscles classified as Warner-Bratzler shear force change value

This study compared the caspase levels and myofibrillar protein degradation of longissimus thoracis muscles between the two groups with varying extents of tenderization during postmortem aging to investigate the cause of tenderness variation between aged beef from Holstein-Friesian steers. The change value (CV) of Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBS) was determined as the difference in WBS between 0 and 14 d of aging. The higher change (HC) value group exhibited lower WBS and higher initial tenderness values than the lower change (LC) value group aged 14 and 28 d (P < 0.05), even though there was no difference between the CV groups aged 0 d (P > 0.05). The higher tenderness improvement in the HC group at 14 d might be related to the lower cytochrome C and caspase values and higher degradation of desmin and troponin T compared to the LC group (P < 0.05).

Meat tenderization using acetaminophen (paracetamol/APAP): A review on deductive biochemical mechanisms, toxicological implications and strategies for mitigation

Meats consist of edible portions originating from domestic and wild animals. Meat's palatability and sensory accessibility largely depend on its tenderness to consumers. Although many factors influence meat tenderness, the cooking method cannot be neglected. Different chemical, mechanical, and natural means of meat tenderization have been considered healthy and safe for consumers. However, many households, food vendors, and bars in developing countries engage in the unhealthy use of acetaminophen (paracetamol/APAP) in meat tenderization due to the cost reduction it offers in the overall cooking process. Acetaminophen (paracetamol/APAP) is one of the most popular, relatively cheap, and ubiquitous over-the-counter drugs that induce serious toxicity challenges when misused. It is important to note that acetaminophen during cooking is hydrolyses into a toxic compound known as 4-aminophenol, which damages the liver and kidney and results in organ failure. Despite the reports on the increase in the use of acetaminophen for meat tenderizing in many web reports, there have not been any serious scientific publications on this subject. This study adopted classical/traditional methodology to review relevant literature retrieved from Scopus, PubMed, and ScienceDirect using relevant key terms (Acetaminophen, Toxicity, Meat tenderization, APAP, paracetamol, mechanisms) and Boolean operators (AND and OR). This paper provides in-depth information on the hazard and health implications of consuming acetaminophen tenderized meat via genetic and metabolic pathways deductions. Understanding these unsafe practices will promote awareness and mitigation strategies.

PSE condition is associated with increased apoptotic potential in broiler pectoralis major muscle

This study compared the meat quality and sensory quality characteristics of broiler pectoralis major (PM) muscle between meat quality classes, including reddish, firm, and non-exudative (RFN) and pale, soft, and exudative (PSE) conditions. Additionally, we also investigated the associations between the meat quality classes and expression levels of cytochrome c, initiator (caspase 9), and effector caspases (caspase 3 and 7) at the early postmortem period. A total of 135 PM muscles from broilers were used, and meat quality classes were determined according to the pH_{24 h} and lightness values and classified into the RFN (N = 81) and PSE (N = 54) conditions. The PSE breasts showed lower muscle pH_{15 min} and pH_{24 h} values compared to the RFN breasts (P < 0.05). A lower lightness value was observed in the RFN group compared to the PSE group (P < 0.001), whereas there were no significant differences in redness and yellowness between the groups (P > 0.05). The PSE group exhibited higher extent of water loss, including drip loss and cooking loss, compared to the RFN group (P < 0.05). For these reasons, samples from the RFN group required less force to breakdown the cooked meat with more moisture in the mouth after chewing compared to samples from the PSE group (P < 0.001); however, flavor intensity did not differ between the groups (P > 0.05). At 15 min postmortem, all apoptosis-related molecules, including cytochrome c, caspase 9, caspase 3, and caspase 7, were present at higher levels in the PSE group than in the RFN group (P < 0.05). These results indicated that higher apoptotic potentials were associated with the development of PSE chicken breasts. Therefore, the variation of meat quality in chicken breast can be explained as being affected by the expression levels of apoptosis-related factors at the early postmortem period.