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Tomas K, Savaglia J, Hewitt RJE, Plush KJ, D'Souza DN, Butler KL, Hemsworth PH, Tilbrook AJ. Effects of maternal contact and positive human contact during lactation on pork quality: Positive human contact to piglets during lactation improves pork loin muscle pH. Meat Sci 2024; 219:109650. [PMID: 39265384 DOI: 10.1016/j.meatsci.2024.109650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2024] [Revised: 08/21/2024] [Accepted: 09/05/2024] [Indexed: 09/14/2024]
Abstract
Enhancing stress resilience through the early life period in pigs could potentially improve pork quality. It was hypothesised that pigs receiving maternal contact or positive human contact during lactation would have improved carcass and pork quality. Seventy-nine mixed-sex pigs were selected from a 2 × 2 factorial randomised block design for treatments maternal contact (MC+) / reduced maternal contact (MC-); and positive human contact (HC+) / control (HC-). Modified farrowing crates were utilised to reduce maternal contact (MC-). Litters in the HC+ treatment received five minutes of daily positive human interaction (stroking). Treatments ceased at 22 days of age (weaning) and pigs were slaughtered after 21 weeks of age. The m. longissimus thoracis et lumborum pH was higher in HC+ than HC- pigs (P < 0.05) during chilling, from 90 min post slaughter. No HC effects (P > 0.05) were observed for cortisol or haptoglobin concentration, hot carcass weight, P2 backfat, carcass scratches, colour, drip loss, cook loss and shear force. MC+ tended (P < 0.086) to increase carcass weight, P2 and carcass scratch score compared to MC-, but no further impacts were observed. The impact of positive human contact during early life was observed 20+ weeks after treatment with reduced pH decline, potentially indicating a reduction in pre-slaughter stress, however there were no further impacts on pork quality. There is evidence that maternal contact is important for lifetime growth performance of pigs but the impacts on stress resilience are less apparent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katelyn Tomas
- Centre for Animal Science, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia.
| | | | | | | | | | - Kym L Butler
- Animal Welfare Science Centre, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Paul H Hemsworth
- Animal Welfare Science Centre, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Alan J Tilbrook
- Centre for Animal Science, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation and School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton Campus, QLD, Australia
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Liang J, Zeng Y, Hu H, Yin Y, Zhou X. Prevotella copri Improves Selenium Deposition and Meat Quality in the longissimus dorsi Muscle of Fattening Pigs. Probiotics Antimicrob Proteins 2024:10.1007/s12602-024-10340-1. [PMID: 39105886 DOI: 10.1007/s12602-024-10340-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/27/2024] [Indexed: 08/07/2024]
Abstract
Selenium is among the important trace elements that influence the quality of meat. Although it has been established that the gut microbiota is closely associated with selenium metabolism, it has yet to be determined whether these microbes influence the accumulation of selenium in muscles. To identify gut microbiota that potentially influence the deposition of selenium in muscles, we compared the colonic microbial composition of pigs characterized by high and low contents of selenium in the longissimus dorsi muscle and accordingly detected a higher abundance of the bacterium Prevotella copri (P. copri) in pigs with a higher muscle selenium content. To verify the effect of P. copri, 16 pigs weighing approximately 61 kg were fed either a basal diet or a basal diet supplemented with P. copri (1.0 × 1010 CFU/kg feed) for 45 days. The results revealed significant increases in the contents of selenium and selenoprotein in the serum and longissimus dorsi muscle of fattening pigs fed the P. copri-supplemented diet. Moreover, supplementing the feed of pigs with P. copri was observed to promote significant improvement in the antioxidant capacity and quality of meat, including drip loss, pH, and meat color. In conclusion, our findings in this study indicate that P. copri has potential utility as a dietary supplement for improving the selenium status and meat quality in fattening pigs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Liang
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, 410125, China
- College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 101408, China
| | - Yan Zeng
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, 410125, China
- College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 101408, China
| | - Hong Hu
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, 410128, China
| | - Yulong Yin
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, 410125, China.
- College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 101408, China.
| | - Xihong Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, 410125, China.
- College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 101408, China.
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Agricultural Biogenomics, Changsha Medical University, Changsha, 410208, China.
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Jové-Juncà T, Crespo-Piazuelo D, González-Rodríguez O, Pascual M, Hernández-Banqué C, Reixach J, Quintanilla R, Ballester M. Genomic architecture of carcass and pork traits and their association with immune capacity. Animal 2024; 18:101043. [PMID: 38113634 DOI: 10.1016/j.animal.2023.101043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Revised: 11/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Carcass and pork traits have traditionally been considered of prime importance in pig breeding programmes. However, the changing conditions in modern farming, coupled with antimicrobial resistance issues, are raising the importance of health and robustness-related traits. Here, we explore the genetic architecture of carcass and pork traits and their relationship with immunity phenotypes in a commercial Duroc pig population. A total of nine traits related to fatness, lean content and meat pH were measured at slaughter (∼190 d of age) in 378 pigs previously phenotyped (∼70 d of age) for 36 immunity-related traits, including plasma concentrations of immunoglobulins, acute-phase proteins, leukocytes subpopulations and phagocytosis. Our study showed medium to high heritabilities and strong genetic correlations between fatness, lean content and meat pH at 24 h postmortem. Genetic correlations were found between carcass and pork traits and white blood cells. pH showed strong positive genetic correlations with leukocytes and eosinophils, and strong negative genetic correlations with haemoglobin, haematocrit and cytotoxic T cell proportion. In addition, genome-wide association studies (GWASs) pointed out four significantly associated genomic regions for lean meat percentages in different muscles, ham fat, backfat thickness, and semimembranosus pH at 24 h. The functional annotation of genes located in these regions reported a total of 14 candidate genes, with BGN, DPP10, LEPR, LEPROT, PDE4B and SLC6A8 being the strongest candidates. After performing an expression GWAS for the expression of these genes in muscle, two signals were detected in cis for the BGN and SLC6A8 genes. Our results indicate a genetic relationship between carcass fatness, lean content and meat pH with a variety of immunity-related traits that should be considered to improve immunocompetence without impairing production traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Jové-Juncà
- Animal Breeding and Genetics Program, IRTA, Torre Marimon, 08140 Caldes de Montbui, Barcelona, Spain
| | - D Crespo-Piazuelo
- Animal Breeding and Genetics Program, IRTA, Torre Marimon, 08140 Caldes de Montbui, Barcelona, Spain
| | - O González-Rodríguez
- Animal Breeding and Genetics Program, IRTA, Torre Marimon, 08140 Caldes de Montbui, Barcelona, Spain
| | - M Pascual
- Animal Breeding and Genetics Program, IRTA, Torre Marimon, 08140 Caldes de Montbui, Barcelona, Spain
| | - C Hernández-Banqué
- Animal Breeding and Genetics Program, IRTA, Torre Marimon, 08140 Caldes de Montbui, Barcelona, Spain
| | - J Reixach
- Selección Batallé S.A., Av. dels Segadors s/n, 17421 Riudarenes, Girona, Spain
| | - R Quintanilla
- Animal Breeding and Genetics Program, IRTA, Torre Marimon, 08140 Caldes de Montbui, Barcelona, Spain
| | - M Ballester
- Animal Breeding and Genetics Program, IRTA, Torre Marimon, 08140 Caldes de Montbui, Barcelona, Spain.
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Silva E, Medina-Ramirez E, Pavulraj S, Gladue DP, Borca M, Chowdhury SI. A Triple Gene-Deleted Pseudorabies Virus-Vectored Subunit PCV2b and CSFV Vaccine Protect Pigs against a Virulent CSFV Challenge. Viruses 2023; 15:2143. [PMID: 38005821 PMCID: PMC10674279 DOI: 10.3390/v15112143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2023] [Revised: 10/21/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Classical swine fever (CSF) remains one of the most economically significant viral diseases affecting domestic pigs and wild boars worldwide. To develop a safe and effective vaccine against CSF, we have constructed a triple gene-deleted pseudorabies virus (PRVtmv)-vectored bivalent subunit vaccine against porcine circovirus type 2b (PCV2b) and CSFV (PRVtmv+). In this study, we determined the protective efficacy of the PRVtmv+ against virulent CSFV challenge in pigs. The results revealed that the sham-vaccinated control group pigs developed severe CSFV-specific clinical signs characterized by pyrexia and diarrhea, and became moribund on or before the seventh day post challenge (dpc). However, the PRVtmv+-vaccinated pigs survived until the day of euthanasia at 21 dpc. A few vaccinated pigs showed transient diarrhea but recovered within a day or two. One pig had a low-grade fever for a day but recovered. The sham-vaccinated control group pigs had a high level of viremia, severe lymphocytopenia, and thrombocytopenia. In contrast, the vaccinated pigs had a low-moderate degree of lymphocytopenia and thrombocytopenia on four dpc, but recovered by seven dpc. Based on the gross pathology, none of the vaccinated pigs had any CSFV-specific lesions. Therefore, our results demonstrated that the PRVtmv+ vaccinated pigs are protected against virulent CSFV challenge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ediane Silva
- US Department of Agricultural, ARS, Plum Island Animal Disease Center, Orient, NY 11957, USA; (E.S.); (E.M.-R.); (D.P.G.); (M.B.)
| | - Elizabeth Medina-Ramirez
- US Department of Agricultural, ARS, Plum Island Animal Disease Center, Orient, NY 11957, USA; (E.S.); (E.M.-R.); (D.P.G.); (M.B.)
| | - Selvaraj Pavulraj
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA;
| | - Douglas P. Gladue
- US Department of Agricultural, ARS, Plum Island Animal Disease Center, Orient, NY 11957, USA; (E.S.); (E.M.-R.); (D.P.G.); (M.B.)
| | - Manuel Borca
- US Department of Agricultural, ARS, Plum Island Animal Disease Center, Orient, NY 11957, USA; (E.S.); (E.M.-R.); (D.P.G.); (M.B.)
| | - Shafiqul I. Chowdhury
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA;
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Prevalence of carcass lesions and their effects on welfare, carcass composition and meat quality in slaughtered pigs. ANNALS OF ANIMAL SCIENCE 2023. [DOI: 10.2478/aoas-2022-0093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/10/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of carcass lesions in slaughtered pigs and to quantify their relationships with different animal characteristics, pre-slaughter factors, blood measurements, performance indices, carcass composition and meat quality traits. Data was recorded for 30 journeys referring to 1080 market-weight pigs that originated from 15 commercial small-scale finishing farms. Carcass lesions were visually assessed on the slaughterline in different parts of the carcass, i.e., anterior, middle and posterior, using a three-point scale. Complete blood count was investigated. The following performance indices and carcass composition traits were measured: average lifetime daily weight gain, live, hot and cold carcass weights, cooler shrinkage, dressing percentage, backfat thickness and meatiness. Meat pH and temperature were measured 45 minutes postmortem. Of the 1080 pigs slaughtered in 30 batches, 70.28% displayed some degree of lesions on the carcass (moderate – 30.00%; severe – 40.28%). The carcass lesions were the most prevalent (50.20%) in the posterior part of the pig carcass. RYR1 genotype, live weight, loading density, lairage time, lairage density and slaughter season affected the carcass lesion prevalence. The presence of carcass lesions, irrespective of severity, was associated with alterations in blood measurements in slaughtered pigs, indicating compromised animal welfare. The presence of severe carcass lesions in slaughtered pigs was significantly associated with increased meat pH45min, which led to the highest occurrence of dark, firm and dry pork. In contrast, there was strong evidence of association between the presence of moderate carcass lesions in slaughtered pigs and both decreased meat pH45min and increased meat T45min, which led to the highest occurrence of pale, soft and exudative pork among the carcass lesion groups. In conclusion, this study showed a high prevalence of carcass lesions in slaughtered pigs, whereby the risk of their occurrence was affected by both animal characteristics and pre-slaughter conditions. Also, the presence of carcass lesions in slaughtered pigs, irrespective of severity, was significantly associated with alterations in the blood measurements and pork quality.
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P. Pinto R, Martin L, Ramos A, Conceição M, R. da Costa R, Vaz-Velho M. Feeding and housing boars after puberty without castration allows
for good performance and low boar taint. JOURNAL OF ANIMAL AND FEED SCIENCES 2022. [DOI: 10.22358/jafs/148234/2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
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Luo L, van der Zande LE, van Marwijk MA, Knol EF, Rodenburg TB, Bolhuis JE, Parois SP. Impact of Enrichment and Repeated Mixing on Resilience in Pigs. Front Vet Sci 2022; 9:829060. [PMID: 35400108 PMCID: PMC8988148 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2022.829060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Resilience, the capacity of animals to be minimally affected by a disturbance or to rapidly bounce back to the state before the challenge, may be improved by enrichment, but negatively impacted by a high allostatic load from stressful management procedures in pigs. We investigated the combined effects of diverging environmental conditions from weaning and repeated mixing to create high allostatic load on resilience of pigs. Pigs were either exposed to barren housing conditions (B) from weaning onwards or provided with sawdust, extra toys, regular access to a “play arena” and daily positive human contact (E). Half of the pigs were exposed to repeated mixing (RM) and the other half to one mixing only at weaning (minimal mixing, MM). To assess their resilience, the response to and recovery from a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) sickness challenge and a Frustration challenge were studied. In addition, potential long-term resilience indicators, i.e. natural antibodies, hair cortisol and growth were measured. Some indications of more favorable responses to the challenges in E pigs were found, such as lower serum reactive oxygen metabolite (dROM) concentrations and a smaller area under the curve of dROM after LPS injection. In the Frustration challenge, E pigs showed less standing alert, escape behaviors and other negative behaviors, a tendency for a smaller area under the curve of salivary cortisol and a lower plasma cortisol level at 1 h after the challenge. Aggression did not decrease over mixings in RM pigs and was higher in B pigs than in E pigs. Repeated mixing did not seem to reduce resilience. Contrary to expectations, RM pigs showed a higher relative growth than MM pigs during the experiment, especially in the week of the challenges. Barren RM pigs showed a lower plasma cortisol concentration than barren MM pigs after the LPS challenge, which may suggest that those RM pigs responded less detrimentally than MM pigs. Enriched RM pigs showed a higher level of IgM antibodies binding keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) than enriched MM and barren RM pigs, and RM pigs showed a sharper decline in IgG antibodies binding Bovine Serum Albumin (PC-BSA) over time than MM pigs. Hair cortisol concentrations were not affected by enrichment or mixing. To conclude, enrichment did not enhance the speed of recovery from challenges in pigs, although there were indications of reduced stress. Repeated as opposed to single mixing did not seem to aggravate the negative effects of barren housing on resilience and for some parameters even seemed to reduce the negative effects of barren housing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Luo
- Adaptation Physiology Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Lisette E. van der Zande
- Adaptation Physiology Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Manon A. van Marwijk
- Adaptation Physiology Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | | | - T. Bas Rodenburg
- Adaptation Physiology Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
- Animals in Science and Society, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - J. Elizabeth Bolhuis
- Adaptation Physiology Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
- *Correspondence: J. Elizabeth Bolhuis
| | - Severine P. Parois
- Adaptation Physiology Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
- PEGASE, INRAE, Institut Agro, Saint-Gilles, France
- Epidemiology Health and Welfare Research Unit, Ploufragan-Plouzané-Niort Laboratory, French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES), Ploufragan, France
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Čobanović N, Stanković SD, Dimitrijević M, Suvajdžić B, Grković N, Vasilev D, Karabasil N. Identifying Physiological Stress Biomarkers for Prediction of Pork Quality Variation. Animals (Basel) 2020; 10:ani10040614. [PMID: 32252489 PMCID: PMC7222799 DOI: 10.3390/ani10040614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2020] [Revised: 03/27/2020] [Accepted: 03/31/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Prediction of technological and sensory pork quality—during a pig’s life or quickly after slaughter—is increasingly required by the pork industry in order to classify carcasses or primary cuts of carcasses for different production lines. Therefore, there is increasing demand for the development of accurate, reliable, time-efficient, non-invasive, real-time tools for predicting pork and carcass quality characteristics. Based on this, the aim of this study was to assess the potential use of various physiological stress biomarkers as indicators of carcass and meat quality traits in slaughter pigs subjected to the standard marketing conditions and to minimal stressful preslaughter handling. According to the results of this investigation, lactate dehydrogenase can be considered as a useful predictor of pork quality, while cortisol, alanine amino transferase, and albumin could be useful in prediction of carcass quality. Abstract This study assessed the potential use of various physiological stress biomarkers as indicators of carcass and meat quality traits in 240 pigs subjected to the standard marketing conditions and minimal stressful antemortem handling using Pearson correlations. The most important pork quality traits (pH and temperature, water holding capacity, and color) had limited correlations with stress metabolites (lactate, glucose), stress hormones (cortisol, adrenocorticotropic hormone), stress enzymes (creatine kinase, aspartate amino transferase, alanine amino transferase), electrolytes (sodium, chloride), and acute-phase proteins (haptoglobin, C-reactive protein, albumin), indicating poor reliability in predicting pork quality. Albumin level was moderately positively correlated with live weight, hot carcass weight, cold carcass weight, and back fat thickness. Alanine amino transferase level was moderately positively correlated with live weight, hot carcass weight, and cold carcass weight. Cortisol level was moderately positively correlated with live weight, hot carcass weight, cold carcass weight, and back fat thickness, and moderately negatively correlated with the lean carcass content. Increased lactate dehydrogenase level was moderately correlated with decreased drip and cooking loss. In conclusion, lactate dehydrogenase could help pork producers predict pork quality variation, while cortisol, alanine amino transferase, and albumin could be useful in prediction of carcass quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikola Čobanović
- Department of Food Hygiene and Technology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Belgrade, Bulevar oslobodjenja 18, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia; (M.D.); (B.S.); (N.G.); (D.V.); (N.K.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +381-695419491
| | - Sanja Dj Stanković
- Clinical Center of Serbia, Center for Medical Biochemistry, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia;
| | - Mirjana Dimitrijević
- Department of Food Hygiene and Technology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Belgrade, Bulevar oslobodjenja 18, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia; (M.D.); (B.S.); (N.G.); (D.V.); (N.K.)
| | - Branko Suvajdžić
- Department of Food Hygiene and Technology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Belgrade, Bulevar oslobodjenja 18, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia; (M.D.); (B.S.); (N.G.); (D.V.); (N.K.)
| | - Nevena Grković
- Department of Food Hygiene and Technology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Belgrade, Bulevar oslobodjenja 18, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia; (M.D.); (B.S.); (N.G.); (D.V.); (N.K.)
| | - Dragan Vasilev
- Department of Food Hygiene and Technology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Belgrade, Bulevar oslobodjenja 18, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia; (M.D.); (B.S.); (N.G.); (D.V.); (N.K.)
| | - Nedjeljko Karabasil
- Department of Food Hygiene and Technology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Belgrade, Bulevar oslobodjenja 18, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia; (M.D.); (B.S.); (N.G.); (D.V.); (N.K.)
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