• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.28 no.8
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• pp.1061-1065
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• 2015

Data collected from 690 purebred Duroc pigs from 2009 to 2012 were used to estimate the heritability, and genetic and phenotypic correlations between production and meat quality traits. Variance components were obtained through the restricted maximum likelihood procedure using Wombat and SAS version 9.0. Animals were raised under the same management in five different breeding farms. The average daily gain, loin muscle area (LMA), backfat thickness (BF), and lean percent (LP) were measured as production traits. Meat quality traits included pH, cooking loss, lightness ($L^*$), redness ($a^*$), yellowness ($b^*$), marbling score (MS), moisture content (MC), water holding capacity (WHC), and shear force. The results showed that the heritability estimates for meat quality traits varied largely from 0.19 to 0.79. Production traits were moderate to highly heritable from 0.41 to 0.73. Genotypically, the BF was positively correlated (p<0.05) with MC (0.786), WHC (0.904), and pH (0.328) but negatively correlated with shear force (-0.533). The results of genetic correlations indicated that selection for less BF could decrease pH, moisture content, and WHC and increase the shear force of meat. Additionally, a significant positive correlation was recorded between average daily gain and WHC, which indicates pork from faster-growing animals has higher WHC. Furthermore, selection for larger LMA and LP could increase MS and lightness color of meat. The meat quality and production traits could be improved simultaneously if desired. Hence, to avoid further deterioration of pork characteristics, appropriate selection of traits should be considered.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.34 no.9
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• pp.1425-1438
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• 2021

Maintaining a high level of beef consumption requires paying attention not only to quantitative traits but also to the quality and dietary properties of meat. Growing consumer demands do not leave producers many options for how animals are selected for breeding and animal keeping. Meat and carcass fatness quality traits, which are influenced by multiple genes, are economically important in beef cattle breeding programs. The recent availability of genome sequencing methods and many previously identified molecular markers offer new opportunities for animal breeding, including the use of molecular information in selection programs. Many gene polymorphisms have thus far been analyzed and evaluated as potential candidates for molecular markers of meat quality traits. Knowledge of these markers can be further applied to breeding programs through marker-assisted selection. In this literature review, we discuss the most promising and well-described candidates and their associations with selected beef production traits.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.744-751
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• 2011

Meat production and quality traits in beef cattle are largely affected by genetic factors. Acetyl-Coenzyme A carboxylase-${\alpha}$ (ACACA) plays a key role in the regulation and metabolism of fatty acid biosynthesis in mammalian animals. The gene encoding ACACA enzyme was chosen as a candidate gene for carcass and meat traits. In this study, we investigated effects of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the ACACA gene on beef carcass and meat traits in Hanwoo (Korean cattle) populations. We have sequenced a fragment of intron I region of the Hanwoo ACACA gene and identified two SNPs. Genotyping of the two SNP markers (g.2344T>C and g.2447C>A) was carried out using PCR-SSCP analysis in 309 Hanwoo steers to evaluate their association with carcass and meat production traits. The g.2344C SNP marker showed a significant increasing effect on LW (p = 0.009) and CW (p = 0.017). Animals with the CC genotype had higher CW and LW compared with TT and TC genotypes (p<0.05). The g.2447A SNP marker was associated with higher MC (p = 0.019). Animals with the AA genotype had higher MC than animals with CC and CA genotypes (p<0.05). Although the degree of linkage disequilibrium (LD) was not strong between g.2344T>C and g.2447C>A in the LD analysis, four major haplotype classes were formed with two SNP information within the ACACA gene. We constructed haplotypes using the HaploView software package program and analyzed association between haplotypes and carcass traits. The haplotype of ACACA gene significantly affected the LW (p = 0.027), CW (p = 0.041) and MC (p = 0.036). The effect of h1 haplotype on LW and CW was larger than that of h3 haplotype. Animals with the h1 haplotype also had greater MC than did animals with h2 haplotype. Consequently, the ACACA gene could be useful as a DNA marker for meat production traits such as carcass yield and meat contents in Hanwoo.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.36 no.8
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• pp.1156-1166
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• 2023

Objective: Pork belly is a cut of meat with high worldwide demand. However, although the belly is comprised of multiple muscles and fat, unlike the loin muscle, research on their genetic parameters has yet to focus on a representative cut. To use swine breeding, it is necessary to estimate heritability against pork belly traits. Moreover, estimating genetic correlations is needed to identify genetic relationship among the traditional carcass and meat quality traits. This study sought to estimate the heritability of the carcass, belly, and their component traits, as well as the genetic correlations among them, to confirm whether these traits can be improved. Methods: A total of 543 Yorkshire pigs (406 castrated males and 137 females) from 49 sires and 244 dam were used in this study. To estimate genetic parameters, a total of 12 traits such as lean meat production ability, meat quality and pork belly traits were chosen. The heritabilities were estimated by using genome-wide efficient mixed model association software. The statistical model was selected so that farm, carcass weight, sex, and slaughter season were fixed effects. In addition, its genetic parameters were calculated via MTG2 software. Results: The heritability estimates for the 7th belly slice along the whole plate and its components were low to moderate (0.07±0.07 to 0.33±0.07). Moreover, the genetic correlations among the carcass and belly traits were moderate to high (0.28±0.20 to 0.99±0.31). Particularly, the rectus abdominis muscle exhibited a high absolute genetic correlation with the belly and meat quality (0.73±52 to 0.93±0.43). Conclusion: A moderate to high correlation coefficient was obtained based on the genetic parameters. The belly could be genetically improved to contain a larger proportion of muscle regardless of lean meat production ability.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.21 no.10
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• pp.1529-1534
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• 2008

The aim of this study was directed at exploring the possible use of muscle fiber characteristics as new selection traits for improving both porcine lean meat production and quality. A total of 174 (114 Yorkshire, 30 Landrace, and 30 Meishan) pigs were used for this study, and lean meat production ability was estimated by backfat thickness and loin eye area. The Longissimus dorsi muscle was taken in order to measure meat quality and muscle fiber characteristics. Due to the high correlations between total muscle fiber number and most of the performance traits, all pigs were classified into three groups (low, intermediate, or high) by total muscle fiber number using cluster analysis. The high group had the highest loin eye area (p<0.001). The meat quality traits were within normal ranges as reddish pink, firm, and nonexudative (RFN) pork, but the groups classified as intermediate and high had relatively large drip loss percentages (p<0.05), produced more than twice the amount of pale, soft, and exudative (PSE) pork as compared to the low group. The group with a high total muscle fiber number was further classified, based on type 2b fiber percentage, into low or high groups by cluster analysis. The results showed that the low type 2b fiber group had good loin eye area (p<0.05), small drip loss (p<0.05), and did not produce PSE pork. For these reasons, a high total muscle fiber number, with a low percentage of type 2b fibers, may be suitable in selecting for improvements in both lean meat production and meat quality.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.303-309
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• 2014

The increasing importance of meat quality has implications for animal breeding programs. Research has revealed much about the genetic background of pigs, and many studies have revealed the importance of various genetic factors. Since meat quality is a complex trait which is affected by many factors, consideration of the overall phenotype is very useful to study meat quality. For integrating the phenotypes, we used principle component analysis (PCA). The significant SNPs refer to results of the GRAMMAR method against PC1, PC2 and PC3 of 14 meat quality traits of 181 Duroc pigs. The Genome-wide association study (GWAS) found 26 potential SNPs affecting various meat quality traits. The loci identified are located in or near 23 genes. The SNPs associated with meat quality are in or near five genes (ANK1, BMP6, SHH, PIP4K2A, and FOXN2) and have been reported previously. Twenty-five of the significant SNPs also located in meat quality-related QTL regions, these result supported the QTL effect indirectly. Each single gene typically affects multiple traits. Therefore, it is a useful approach to use integrated traits for the various traits at the same time. This innovative approach using integrated traits could be applied on other GWAS of complex-traits including meat-quality, and the results will contribute to improving meat-quality of pork.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2007

Leptin is the hormone product of the obese gene and is synthesized and secreted predominantly by white adipocytes and relates to the feedback system that regulates long-term body fat weight and composition. Therefore, the leptin gene could be an excellent candidate gene controlling fat deposition, carcass traits and meat quality in beef cattle. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association of 3 SNPs (A1127T and C1180T in exon 2 and C3100T in exon 3) in the bovine leptin gene with carcass and meat quality traits in Korean cattle. The C1180T SNP was associated with backfat thickness (BF) and marbling score (MS) (p<0.05). Animals with the genotype CC had higher BF than animals with TT genotype and higher MS compared with CT and TT genotypes. No significant associations were observed between the C3100T SNP and any carcass and meat quality traits analyzed. The effect of the A1127T SNP was not analyzed because the TT genotype was not detected and the AT genotype showed only 1.0% frequency. These results suggest that the C1180T SNP of the leptin gene may be useful as a genetic marker for carcass and meat quality traits in Korean cattle.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.28 no.10
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• pp.1388-1393
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• 2015

Genetic parameters of Berkshire pigs for reproduction, carcass and meat quality traits were estimated using the records from a breeding farm in Korea. For reproduction traits, 2,457 records of the total number of piglets born (TNB) and the number of piglets born alive (NBA) from 781 sows and 53 sires were used. For two carcass traits which are carcass weight (CW) and backfat thickness (BF) and for 10 meat quality traits which are pH value after 45 minutes (pH45m), pH value after 24 hours (pH24h), lightness in meat color (LMC), redness in meat color (RMC), yellowness in meat color (YMC), moisture holding capacity (MHC), drip loss (DL), cooking loss (CL), fat content (FC), and shear force value (SH), 1,942 pig records were used to estimate genetic parameters. The genetic parameters for each trait were estimated using VCE program with animal model. Heritability estimates for reproduction traits TNB and NBA were 0.07 and 0.06, respectively, for carcass traits CW and BF were 0.37 and 0.57, respectively and for meat traits pH45m, pH24h, LMC, RMC, YMC, MHC, DL, CL, FC, and SH were 0.48, 0.15, 0.19, 0.36, 0.28, 0.21, 0.33, 0.45, 0.43, and 0.39, respectively. The estimate for genetic correlation coefficient between CW and BF was 0.27. The Genetic correlation between pH24h and meat color traits were in the range of -0.51 to -0.33 and between pH24h and DL and SH were -0.41 and -0.32, respectively. The estimates for genetic correlation coefficients between reproductive and meat quality traits were very low or zero. However, the estimates for genetic correlation coefficients between reproductive traits and drip and cooking loss were in the range of 0.12 to 0.17 and -0.14 to -0.12, respectively. As the estimated heritability of meat quality traits showed medium to high heritability, these traits may be applicable for the genetic improvement by continuous measurement. However, since some of the meat quality traits showed negative genetic correlations with carcass traits, an appropriate breeding scheme is required that carefully considers the complexity of genetic parameters and applicability of data.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.22 no.11
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• pp.1594-1608
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• 2009

Research on barley as an animal feed started some decades ago but its utilization in animal production has been limited to countries that grow the crop extensively. Corn has been the most popular energy feed in cattle rations, but the high price of corn and the decreased supply of the grain in the international market have shifted the focus of the animal industry to other cereal crops like barley. Studies have indicated that growth performance of cattle fed barley-based diets has been generally comparable with that of those fed corn-based diets, while results for cattle fed whole-crop barley silage have been more variable. Beef from cattle fed barley-based diets has proved to be as tender and as acceptable for taste as that from animals fed other finishing diets when compared at similar growth rates and degree of finish. The barley crop contains good amounts of antioxidants like 2"O-GIV isovitexin, so from the meat science point of view, a desirable influence of these components on meat quality traits such as meat color, oxidative stability and sensory characteristics might be expected. Furthermore, the effect of the distinctive fatty acid profile of beef fed from whole-crop barley silage on sensory traits is also an important subject to be elucidated. A lot of studies have been made over past decades on the effect of barley, and especially whole crop barley, on beef cattle production and meat quality, but these data have not been collectively documented in a review. The current review re-visits previous literature to underline the effects of barley in the diet on beef quality traits and to identify areas for further studies.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.272-280
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• 2022

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of ageing and feeding strategies on the calpain protease system and meat quality traits in Braford steers. Methods: Thirty Braford steers were employed; 15 animals were supplemented with corn silage during finishing and 15 were kept only on pasture. Meat quality traits and calpain system protein activity were evaluated in longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LTL) steaks aged for 2, 7, 14, and 21 days. Results: Aged meat showed higher pH and calcium content, while Warner Bratzler shear force (WBSF) decreased to day 21. No interaction between ageing and diet was seen for quality traits. Steers finished with corn silage showed higher values of water holding capacity, WBSF and free calcium, and lower values of pH and cooking loss. Calpain and calpastatin activities decreased with ageing. Finishing steers on pasture produced higher values of calpains and lower values of calpastatin activities. The higher values of calpain 1 activity were observed in muscles aged 2 days from pasture finished animals, and the lower activity of the inhibitor in the 21 days aged samples of the same group. Conclusion: These results suggest a diet by ageing interaction in calpains and calpastatin and this interaction impact in Warner Bratzler Shear Force in Braford LTL muscle.