• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.428-433
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• 2004

The aim of this study was to investigate the histochemical parameters of muscle fibers, and to estimate the correlation between these histological parameters and carcass traits in pigs. A total of 230 crossbred Duroc$\times$(Yorkshire$\times$Landrace) pigs (149 gilts and 81 castrated male pigs) was evaluated. Carcass traits (carcass weight, backfat thickness, and loin eye area), muscle fiber size (crosssectional area, diameter, and perimeter), muscle fiber number (density of fibers/$mm^2$ and total number of fibers), and fiber type composition (percentages of myofibers and relative areas of each fiber type) were evaluated. Mean cross-sectional area (CSA) and type IIB fiber CSA were positively correlated to carcass weight, backfat thickness and loin eye area. Mean fiber CSA was mostly related to type IIB CSA (r=0.98) as a result of the high percentage of type IIB fibers in the longissimus muscle. Correlations between fiber diameters and perimeters were also high, and showed similar results with CSA. Mean fiber density was negatively correlated to carcass weight (r=-0.24), backfat thickness (r=-0.18) and loin eye area (r=-0.27). To the contrary, total fiber number was positively correlated with carcass weight (r=0.27) and loin eye area (r=0.53). Carcass weight and loin eyZe area were not significantly related to muscle fiber composition. For backfat thickness, there was an opposition between type IIA percentage, which was positively related and type IIB percentage, which was negatively related. Fiber type composition of type I and IIA fibers were negatively correlated to that of type IIB fibers (r=-0.67 to -0.74). In the present study, carcass weight and loin eye area were positively correlated to CSA and negatively correlated to fiber density. But, these relationships were generally low. The fiber density was strongly affected by muscle fiber size and the total fiber number was affected either by CSA of muscle fiber and loin eye area. Fiber type composition was much more related to their numerical abundance than their CSA.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.506-510
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• 1999

A study was made of the effects of genetic and environmental factors on ultrasonic estimates of carcass traits of Japanese Brown cows. The M. longissimus thoracis area (MLTA), Subcutaneous (SFT) and Inter Muscular (IMFT) Fat Thickness, Rib Thickness (RT) and Beef Marbling Score (BMS) were scanned at the $7^th$ rib by ultrasound. Significant differences between sires, raising place, birth year and season were found for all traits. The heritabilities estimates for sire or Maternal Grand Sire (MGS) on ultrasonic estimates of carcass traits ranged from 0.05~0.14. Genetic and phenotypic correlations among the ultrasonic estimates were positive (0.13~0.88 and 0.24~0.75). Raising place effects were significant for all traits and the differences were between $30.8{\sim}33.5cm^2$ for MLTA and 0.46~0.67 for BMS. Cows born in 1988 tended to have high MLTA, SFT, IMFT and RT but low BMS. Cows born in spring tended to have high MLTA. Cows born in winter or autumn tended to have high BMS. The interaction effects of birth year with birth season were significant for both. MLTA and BMS.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.349-355
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• 2012

Thyroglobulin (TG) gene was known to be regulated fat cell growth and differentiation and the endothelial differentiation sphingolipid G-protein-coupled receptor 1 (EDG1) gene involves blood vessel formation and known to be affecting carcass traits in beef cattle. The aim of this study was to identify the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in both TG and EDG1 genes and to analyze the association with carcass traits in Korean cattle (Hanwoo). The T354C SNP in TG gene located at the 3' flanking region and c.-312A>G SNP located at 3'-UTR of EDG1 gene were used for genotyping the animals using PCR-RFLP method. Three genotypes were identified in T354C SNP in TG gene and only two AA and AG genotypes were observed for the c.-312A>G SNP in EDG1 gene. The results indicated that T354C SNP in TG gene was not significantly associated with carcass traits. However, the c.-312A>G SNP in EDG1 gene had significant effects on backfat thickness (BF) and yield index (YI). These results may provide valuable information for further candidate gene studies affecting carcass traits in Korean cattle and may use as marker assisted selection for improving the quality of meat in Hanwoo.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.447-453
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• 2006

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of $Megazone^{(R)}$ (a mineral mix) supplementation on growth performance, nutrients digestibility, blood characteristics, meat quality and carcass traits in weaning-to-finishing pigs. A total of 48 crossbred $(Landrace{\times}Yorkshire{\times}Duroc)$ pigs with initial body weight (BW) of $4.46{\pm}0.18kg$ were used in a 21 wks trial. Pigs were blocked by weight and allotted to two dietary treatments in a completly randomized design. There were 6 pens per treatment. Dietary treatments included: 1) Control (CON: basal diet) and 2) MT (basal diet+0.8% $Megazone^{(R)}$). Through the entire experimental period, there were no effects of dietary $Megazone^{(R)}$ supplementation on growth performance nutrients digestibility, blood characteristics and meat quality traits (p>0.05). Market weight and backfat thickness also had no differences between the two treatments (p>0.05). However, carcass weight and carcass ratio in MT treatment were improved significantly compared with CON treatment (p<0.05). In conclusion, supplmentation of $Megazone^{(R)}$ can increase carcass weight and carcass ratio in weaning-to-finishing pigs, however, it has no effects on growth performance, nutrients digestibility, blood characteristics and meat quality traits.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.525-530
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• 2020

Objective: The purpose of this study was i) to identify the characteristics of carcass traits in Chikso by gender, region, age at slaughter, and coat color using the carcass data collected from the nationwide pedigree information and coat color investigation, and ii) to estimate genetic parameters for breed improvement. Methods: A linear model was used to analyze the environmental effects on the carcass traits and to estimate genetic parameters. Analysis of variance was performed using TYPE III sum of squares for the unbalanced data provided by the general linear model procedure. Variance components for genetic parameters was estimated using REMLF90 of the BLUPF90 family programs. Results: Phenotypic performance of carcass weight (CW), eye muscle area (EMA), and backfat thickness (BF) in Chikso were lower than those of Hanwoo. This is a natural outcome because Hanwoo have undergone significant efforts for improvement at the national level, a phenomenon not observed in Chikso. Another factor influencing the above outcome was the smaller population size of Chikso compared to that of Hanwoo's. The heritabilities of CW, EMA, BF, and marbling score in Chikso were estimated as 0.50, 0.37, 0.35, and 0.53, respectively, which were was higher than those of Hanwoo. Conclusion: Based on the genetic parameters that were estimated in this study, it is expected that the carcass traits will improve when the livestock research institutes at each province conduct small-scale performance tests and the semen is provided to farmers after selecting proven bulls using the state-of-art selection technique such as genomic selection.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.514-521
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• 2018

Objective: This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of crude glycerin from waste vegetable oil (CGWVO) on performance, carcass traits, meat quality, and muscle chemical composition. Methods: Twenty-four crossbred (Thai Native${\times}$Anglo Nubian) uncastrated male goats ($16.8{\pm}0.46kg$ body weight [BW]) were assigned to a completely randomized design and subjected to four experimental diets containing 0%, 2%, 4%, and 6% of CGWVO (63.42% of glycerol and 47.78% of crude fat) on a dry matter (DM) basis. The diets were offered ad libitum as total mixed rations twice daily. The feed intake, feeding behavior, growth performance, carcass and meat traits, and muscle chemical composition were evaluated. Results: Based on this experiment, there were significant differences (p>0.05) among groups regarding DM intake, growth performance, and carcass traits where goats receiving 6% of CGWVO had lower daily DM intake, growth performance, and carcass traits than those fed on 0%, 2%, and 4% of CGWVO. There were no effects of CGWVO on carcass length, carcass width, Longissimus muscle (LM) area, Warner-Bratzler shear force, pH and color of LM at 45 min after slaughter, as well as on other carcass cut and muscle chemical composition. Conclusion: In conclusion, the addition of up to 4% of DM in the diets for crossbred finishing goats seems to be the most interesting strategy, since it promotes greatest animal performance. Moreover, this study was a suitable approach to exploit the use of biodiesel production from waste vegetable oil for goat production.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.33 no.7
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• pp.1057-1067
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• 2020

Objective: This study evaluated the effect of pedigree errors (PEs) on the accuracy of estimated breeding value (EBV) and genetic gain for carcass traits in Korean Hanwoo cattle. Methods: The raw data set was based on the pedigree records of Korean Hanwoo cattle. The animals' information was obtained using Hanwoo registration records from Korean animal improvement association database. The record comprised of 46,704 animals, where the number of the sires used was 1,298 and the dams were 38,366 animals. The traits considered were carcass weight (CWT), eye muscle area (EMA), back fat thickness (BFT), and marbling score (MS). Errors were introduced in the pedigree dataset through randomly assigning sires to all progenies. The error rates substituted were 5%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, and 80%, respectively. A simulation was performed to produce a population of 1,650 animals from the pedigree data. A restricted maximum likelihood based animal model was applied to estimate the EBV, accuracy of the EBV, expected genetic gain, variance components, and heritability (h²) estimates for carcass traits. Correlation of the simulated data under PEs was also estimated using Pearson's method. Results: The results showed that the carcass traits per slaughter year were not consistent. The average CWT, EMA, BFT, and MS were 342.60 kg, 78.76 ㎠, 8.63 mm, and 3.31, respectively. When errors were introduced in the pedigree, the accuracy of EBV, genetic gain and h² of carcass traits was reduced in this study. In addition, the correlation of the simulation was slightly affected under PEs. Conclusion: This study reveals the effect of PEs on the accuracy of EBV and genetic parameters for carcass traits, which provides valuable information for further study in Korean Hanwoo cattle.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.37 no.7
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• pp.1213-1224
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• 2024

Objective: Enterotypes (ETs) are the clustering of gut microbial community structures, which could serve as indicators of growth performance and carcass traits. However, ETs have been sparsely investigated in waterfowl. The objective of this study was to identify the ileal ETs and explore the correlation of the ETs with growth performance and carcass traits in Muscovy ducks. Methods: A total of 200 Muscovy ducks were randomly selected from a population of 5,000 ducks at 70-day old, weighed and slaughtered. The growth performance and carcass traits, including body weight, dressed weight and evidenced weight, dressed percentage, percentage of apparent yield, breast muscle weight, leg muscle weight, percentage of leg muscle and percentage of breast muscle, were determined. The contents of ileum were collected for the isolation of DNA and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The ETs were identified based on the 16S rRNA gene sequencing data and the correlation of the ETs with growth performance and carcass traits was performed by Spearman correlation analysis. Results: Three ETs (ET1, ET2, and ET3) were observed in the ileal microbiota of Muscovy ducks with significant differences in number of features and α-diversity among these ETs (p<0.05). Streptococcus, Candida Arthritis, and Bacteroidetes were the presentative genus in ET1 to ET3, respectively. Correlation analysis revealed that Lactococcus and Bradyrhizobium were significantly correlated with percentage of eviscerated yield and leg muscle weight (p<0.05) while ETs were found to have a close association with percentage of eviscerated yield, leg muscle weight, and percentage of leg muscle in Muscovy ducks. However, the growth performance of ducks with different ETs did not show significant difference (p>0.05). Lactococcus were found to be significantly correlated with leg muscle weight, dressed weight, and percentage of eviscerated yield. Conclusion: Our findings revealed a substantial variation in carcass traits associated with ETs in Muscovy ducks. It is implied that ETs might have the potential to serve as a valuable biomarker for assessing duck carcass traits. It would provide novel insights into the interaction of gut microbiota with growth performance and carcass traits of ducks.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.537-542
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• 2011

Biological or physiological genes that regulate metabolism and energy partitioning have the potential to influence economically important traits such as carcass and meat quality traits in beef cattle. The neuropeptide Y (NPY) functions as a central appetite stimulator and plays a major role in feed intake and energy-balance control. Therefore, the NPY gene is an excellent biological and physiological candidate gene for body weight, feeding, fatness or growth related traits in beef cattle. The objective of this study was to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the NPY gene and to evaluate the association of NPY SNP markers with carcass and meat quality traits in Korean cattle. The genomic region (711 bp) including intron 2 of NPY gene was amplified and sequenced, and five SNPs, g.4389 Del(C), g.4371Del(C), g.4271T>C, g.1899A>G and g.1517A>C, were identified. The PCR-RFLP method was then developed to genotype the individuals examined. The g.4271T>C SNP was significantly associated with M. Longissimus dori area (LDA) value (p<0.027). Animals with the TT ($78.144{\pm}0.950\;cm^2$) genotype had higher LDA than those with the CC ($72.266{\pm}2.039\;cm^2$), and animals with TC genotype showed intermediate value. This SNP genotype also showed a highly significant additive genetic effect for the LDA (p<0.01). No significant associations, however, was detected between any of the SNP genotype and other carcass traits measured in this study. In conclusion, SNP genotype of the NPY gene may be used as DNA markers to select animals that have a higher meat yield.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.15 no.12
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• pp.1776-1783
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• 2002

A population segregating for the naked neck (Na) gene was used to evaluate its effect on fast growing broilers at heat stress. An experimental stock comparable to those of modern broilers was established by backcrossing to colour synthetic male and female lines. Matings between heterozygous (Na/na) males and females produced normally feathered (na/na), heterozygous (Na/na) and homozygous (Na/Na) chicks for the present study. Day old to seven week old coloured broilers of three genotypes viz. normally feathered (na/na), heterozygous naked neck (Na/na) and homozygous naked neck (Na/Na) were compared for heat dissipation, growth performance, body conformation traits, blood biochemical parameters and carcass traits in tropical climate. In hot climate, naked neck broilers had significantly less body temperature and better heat dissipation capabilities as compared to normal broilers. The naked neck broilers had significantly higher body weight and better feed conversion ratio than na/na broilers. The Na/Na or Na/na broilers exhibited higher giblet yield, blood loss and lower feather mass compared to na/na broilers. The results indicated that the reduction in feather coverage in Na/Na and Na/na broilers facilitates better heat dissipation with lower body temperature, more body weight gain, better FCR and carcass traits compared to normal broilers.