Article
Food Science & Technology
Runqi Fu, Hengzhi Zhang, Daiwen Chen, Gang Tian, Ping Zheng, Jun He, Jie Yu, Xiangbing Mao, Zhiqing Huang, Junning Pu, Wenwu Yang, Bing Yu
Summary: This study investigated the effects of dietary betaine supplementation on the growth performance, meat quality, and muscle lipid metabolism of growing-finishing pigs. The results showed that betaine supplementation significantly increased average daily gain and tended to improve average daily feed intake and feed intake to gain ratio. Furthermore, betaine supplementation had effects on meat quality, intramuscular fat content, and lipid metabolism in pigs.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Jiayi Chen, Fengming Chen, Xue Lin, Yaodong Wang, Jianhua He, Yurong Zhao
Summary: A diet supplemented with excessive energy promoted IMF deposition by positively changing lipogenic potential while decreasing tenderness by increasing glycolytic muscle fibers, which together affected meat quality. In terms of growth performance and meat quality, the present study suggests that the low-energy diet is suitable for finishing Ningxiang pigs.
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Lingyu Zhang, Fengna Li, Qiuping Guo, Yehui Duan, Wenlong Wang, Yuhuan Yang, Yunju Yin, Saiming Gong, Mengmeng Han, Yulong Yin
Summary: This study investigated the effects of a balanced BCAA-supplemented protein-restricted diet on meat quality, muscle fiber types, and intramuscular fat (IMF) in finishing pigs. The results showed that this diet improved the growth performance, carcass weight, meat tenderness, and juiciness of the pigs. It also had positive effects on the composition of IMF and fatty acid profile, contributing to healthier meat.
JOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE
(2022)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Marcos Henrique Soares, Gustavo de Amorim Rodrigues, Dante Teixeira Valente Junior, Caroline Brito da Silva, Thais Correia Costa, Marcio de Souza Duarte, Alysson Saraiva
Summary: The study aimed to evaluate the performance, carcass and pork quality traits, as well as the mRNA expression of genes related to intramuscular fat deposition in female pigs from different genetic lines. Despite similar performance, Duroc pigs had higher intramuscular fat content compared to hybrid pigs, which was associated with increased mRNA expression of key transcriptional factors and genes related to adipogenesis and lipogenesis.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Jose Manuel Martins, David Silva, Andre Albuquerque, Jose Neves, Rui Charneca, Amadeu Freitas
Summary: The study demonstrates that providing pigs with sufficient physical activity has a positive impact on their metabolism, growth, as well as carcass and meat quality.
Article
Engineering, Multidisciplinary
H. Wachta, K. Tereszkiewicz, L. Kulig
Summary: The study showed that the luminance measurement method is a reliable experimental tool for assessing intramuscular fat content, with results consistent with the Soxhlet chemical method.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Kei Terada, Toshiyuki Ohtani, Shinichiro Ogawa, Hiroyuki Hirooka
Summary: By crossbreeding Jinhua and Duroc pigs, a new composite breed with the beneficial characteristics of both breeds can be developed. Through analyzing the phenotypic data of Jinhua, Duroc, and their crossbred pigs, the crossbreeding parameters and genetic parameters can be estimated. These results can help with genetic improvement to produce a new composite breed with good meat quality and productivity, meeting the requirements of the Japanese market.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL BREEDING AND GENETICS
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Tianqi Duo, Xiaohong Liu, Delin Mo, Yu Bian, Shufang Cai, Min Wang, Ruiqiang Li, Qi Zhu, Xian Tong, Ziyun Liang, Weilun Jiang, Shiyi Chen, Yaosheng Chen, Zuyong He
Summary: This study demonstrates that introducing the IGF2 gene into Chinese indigenous pig breeds can improve both meat production and quality. The researchers also identified the signaling pathways involved in the regulation of intramuscular fat deposition by IGF2. This research provides important insights into the biological functions of IGF2 and highlights the potential for improving porcine economic traits through precise base editing.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCE AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Xueying Zhang, Chongyang Liu, Yuanyuan Kong, Fadi Li, Xiangpeng Yue
Summary: This study systematically explored the effect of intramuscular fat (IMF) content on meat quality in Tan sheep and investigated the genetic regulation mechanism of flavor precursor metabolism and IMF deposition. The results revealed that IMF significantly influenced meat color, total muscle fiber numbers, and muscle fiber types in Tan sheep. Amino acids were found to be the main differential flavor precursors between lambs with different IMF content. Saturated fatty acids and monounsaturated fatty acids were beneficial for IMF deposition. The analysis also identified key genes and regulatory mechanisms that contribute to IMF deposition. These findings provide new insights into understanding IMF differential deposition and improving meat quality in Tan sheep.
FRONTIERS IN NUTRITION
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Leticia Perez-Ciria, Francisco Javier Miana-Mena, Maria Carmen Lopez-Mendoza, Javier Alvarez-Rodriguez, Maria Angeles Latorre
Summary: The translation highlights the importance of fat cover in the dry-curing process of Teruel dry-cured hams and explores the impacts of immunocastration and diets on meat and fat quality in gilts and males intended for dry-cured ham production. It suggests that immunocastration is beneficial for gilts but may have negative effects on pork chemical composition in males, which can be mitigated by specific diets. The study also emphasizes the potential of immunocastration in avoiding boar taint in males.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Dong Chen, Pingxian Wu, Kai Wang, Shujie Wang, Xiang Ji, Qi Shen, Yang Yu, Xiaotian Qiu, Xu Xu, Yihui Liu, Guoqing Tang
Summary: This study presents a method for estimating the quality of pork using computer vision technology and meat quality traits. The results showed correlations between IMF%, IIMF%, marbling score, backfat thickness, percentage of moisture, and pH value. The developed models achieved high accuracy and can be used for quick estimation of pork quality.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Pramir Maharjan, Amin Rahimi, Kari L. Harding, Thien Chuong Vu, Edgar O. Oviedo-Rondon, Rouf Mian, Michael Joseph, Lisa Dean, Kenneth E. Anderson, Ondulla Toomer
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the effects of including full fat high-oleic soybean meal in layer hen diets on nutrient digestibility and added nutritional value in eggs. The study found that the digestibility of crude fat and crude protein in different treatment diets were not significantly different. There were no significant differences in tibia strength or egg quality parameters between the treatment diets, except for yolk color. However, the percentage of oleic acid in eggs and tissue was significantly higher in hens fed the high-oleic full-fat soybean meal diet.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Z. C. Peppmeier, J. T. Howard, M. T. Knauer, S. M. Leonard
Summary: This study developed an equation-based model for the estimation of swine backfat depth, loin depth, and intramuscular fat percentage using longitudinal ultrasound images. The model utilized image gradient analysis to segment the images and achieved high correlations between the estimated and measured values for backfat depth, loin depth, and intramuscular fat percentage.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Duo Yao, Rina Su, Yue Zhang, Bohui Wang, Yanru Hou, Yulong Luo, Lina Sun, Yueying Guo, Ye Jin
Summary: This study investigated the effects of dietary Lactobacillus supplementation on meat quality of Sunit sheep. The results showed that Lactobacillus supplementation increased intramuscular fat deposition, altered fatty acids composition, and changed lipid metabolism pathways in the sheep. These changes improved the edible quality and nutritional value of the meat.
JOURNAL OF FOOD BIOCHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Abi Thampi, Sam Hitchman, Stephane Coen, Frederique Vanholsbeeck
Summary: OCT imaging is used to predict meat quality and estimate fat content, with PCA extracting relevant information from high-resolution images and SVR model accurately predicting IMF content. The study opens the door for automated, contact-less, non-destructive, real-time classification of meat quality.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Emma Sole, Rayner Gonzalez-Prendes, Yelyzaveta Oliinychenko, Marc Tor, Roger Ros-Freixedes, Joan Estany, Ramona N. Pena
Summary: Restricting dietary vitamin A during the fattening period did not improve intramuscular fat content, but there was an interaction between vitamin A and SCD genotype on the desaturation of fatty acids in muscle.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Emma Sole, Roger Ros-Freixedes, Sofia Gol, Lluis Bosch, Marc Tor, Ramona N. Pena, Josep Reixach, Joan Estany
Summary: Genetic markers associated with meat quality, such as SNP in the SCD and LEPR genes, have shown effects on reproduction performance and milk traits in pigs. The SCD-T allele may negatively impact piglet weight in primiparous sows.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Houda Laghouaouta, Ramona N. Pena, Roger Ros-Freixedes, Josep Reixach, Marta Diaz, Joan Estany, Ramon Armengol, Anna Bassols, Lorenzo Fraile
Summary: There is increasing concern about the genetic determinism of resilience and its implementation in breeding programs. This study aimed to develop novel resilience indicators in pigs, using deviation from expected growth curve and increment of the acute-phase protein haptoglobin (HP) after vaccination as indicators. Results show that deviation from expected body weight and increment of HP can be used as resilience indicators in pigs, they are easy to measure and genetically controlled.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Laura Sarri, Joaquim Balcells, Ahmad Reza Seradj, Ramona N. Pena, Gustavo A. Ramirez, Marc Tor, Gabriel de la Fuente
Summary: Fat metabolism is an important process in meat production companies, which affects the quality of meat. The source and incorporation rate of fat differ in different growth phases. The liver plays a critical role in fat metabolism during the fattening phase. Leaner pigs rely more on dietary fatty acids for fat deposition compared to fatter pigs. The activity of stearoyl-CoA desaturase is higher in the fattening phase.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Eduard Molinero, Ramona N. Pena, Joan Estany, Roger Ros-Freixedes
Summary: In this study, a missense polymorphism in the AGPAT5 gene was found to be significantly associated with fat content and composition traits in pigs. The variant showed positive effects on intramuscular fat content and fatty acid composition. The impact of the variant on fat content was more pronounced in fatter pigs and it interacts with other genes that affect overall fatness.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Rafael Suarez-Mesa, Roger Ros-Freixedes, Houda Laghouaouta, Ramona N. Pena, Byron Hernandez-Ortiz, Iang Rondon-Barragan, Joan Estany
Summary: Dissecting genetic variation is important for conservation success. This study investigated the genomic variation of Colombian Creole pigs and identified breed-specific variants in genes related to adaptive and economic traits. The findings suggest that Colombian Creole pigs are not exempt from selective introgression of other breeds and provide insights for effective breeding and conservation.
TROPICAL ANIMAL HEALTH AND PRODUCTION
(2023)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Sungbong Jang, Roger Ros-Freixedes, John M. Hickey, Ching-Yi Chen, William O. Herring, Justin Holl, Ignacy Misztal, Daniela Lourenco
Summary: This study investigated the strategies to combine large-scale data from different terminal pig lines in the multi-line genomic evaluation (MLE) using single-step GBLUP models. The use of unknown parent groups (UPG) and metafounders (MF) improved compatibility between pedigree and genomic relationships. Preselected sequence variants did not significantly improve multi-line genomic predictions, and weights from BayesR did not enhance the performance of ssGBLUP.
FRONTIERS IN GENETICS
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Sungbong Jang, Roger Ros-Freixedes, John M. Hickey, Ching-Yi Chen, Justin Holl, William O. Herring, Ignacy Misztal, Daniela Lourenco
Summary: This study investigated the impact of using preselected variants from whole-genome sequence (WGS) data on single-step genomic predictions in maternal and terminal pig lines. The results showed that using preselected SNP sets improved prediction accuracy in maternal lines but resulted in a decrease in accuracy in terminal lines. Therefore, the benefit of using WGS data depends on the line and the method of preselecting variants.
GENETICS SELECTION EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Suzanne Desire, Martin Johnsson, Roger Ros-Freixedes, Ching-Yi Chen, Justin W. W. Holl, William O. O. Herring, Gregor Gorjanc, Richard J. J. Mellanby, John M. M. Hickey, Melissa K. K. Jungnickel
Summary: This study aimed to identify genomic regions associated with loin depth and muscle pH in pigs using GWAS and pCADD scores, and found two novel and one previously known associated regions. The study also showed mixed evidence for the utility of pCADD in fine-mapping. The next step is to perform more sophisticated fine-mapping and eQTL analysis, and validate candidate variants through perturbation-CRISPR assays.
GENETICS SELECTION EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Roger Ros-Freixedes, Martin Johnsson, Andrew Whalen, Ching-Yi Chen, Bruno D. Valente, William O. Herring, Gregor Gorjanc, John M. Hickey
Summary: This study examined the use of whole-genome sequence data (WGS) for genomic prediction in pig lines and found that WGS did not significantly improve prediction accuracy compared to commercial marker arrays. However, larger training sets and optimized pipelines may lead to greater improvements in accuracy.
GENETICS SELECTION EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Houda Laghouaouta, Lorenzo Fraile, Rafael Suarez-Mesa, Roger Ros-Freixedes, Joan Estany, Ramona Natacha Pena
Summary: This study provides new insights into the genetic make-up of resilience in growing pigs by identifying genomic regions and candidate genes associated with resilience indicators. The findings suggest that there are novel genomic regions associated with two resilience indicators (increment BW and increment HP) in pigs, which harbour potential candidate genes involved in immune response and growth pathways, highlighting the strong relationship between resilience and immune response.
GENETICS SELECTION EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Roger Ros-Freixedes, Bruno D. Valente, Ching-Yi Chen, William O. Herring, Gregor Gorjanc, John M. Hickey, Martin Johnsson
Summary: In this study, whole-genome sequencing of commercial pig populations revealed that low-prevalence variants have low allele frequencies and limited contributions to phenotypic variance of production traits. Considering these low-prevalence variants is unlikely to significantly benefit across-breed genomic prediction.
GENETICS SELECTION EVOLUTION
(2022)