Carcass and meat characteristics of sheep with an additional growth hormone gene

2006 ◽  
Vol 57 (12) ◽  
pp. 1321 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. R. Adams ◽  
J. R. Briegel ◽  
D. W. Pethick ◽  
M. A. Cake

Effects of high growth hormone (GH) activity on body composition and some aspects of meat quality were examined in sheep transgenic for an additional copy of the ovine GH gene, as a tool to explore the biological importance of the GH axis in sheep selected commercially for meat production. Carcasses of 16 GH and 25 control mixed-sex sheep aged 45 months, and 6 GH and 6 control ewes aged 20 months, were measured. The dressing percentage was lower in the GH sheep (P < 0.001). The GH sheep had similar muscle mass to controls, but the weight of their fat depots was reduced (P < 0.001) to approximately 40% of controls, whereas limb-bone mass was 43% greater (P < 0.001) than controls. Fore and hind limbs were equally affected. Skin and most internal organs were heavier, particularly the pancreas, kidney, alimentary canal, and the liver. The concentration of intramuscular fat in the GH sheep was only 27% that of controls (P < 0.001), whereas the average pH of muscle 24 h after slaughter and the melting point of subcutaneous fat were both increased (P < 0.05). Similar changes in organ weights and body composition have been observed in sheep selectively bred to enhance lamb growth rate or to decrease fatness, suggesting that relative GH activity contributed to the outcomes of those experiments. This study indicates the importance of a multi-trait breeding objective to ensure that mechanisms associated with GH do not impair meat quality.

1985 ◽  
Vol 104 (3) ◽  
pp. 519-528 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. W. Butler-Hogg ◽  
J. D. Wood ◽  
J. A. Bines

SummaryThe influence of physiological state (pregnant, lactating, dry) on body composition and fat partitioning in Friesian cows has been examined. A total of 20 cows, four per physiological state, were slaughtered and their left half carcasses dissected into individual muscles, bones and fat depots. All body parts, including the internal organs and fat depots, were weighed at slaughter.Muscle tissue and the internal organs showed some weight changes, consistent with a redistribution of tissue towards the udder and gut, and mobilization of muscle, but the major changes in weight associated with changing physiological state occurred in total body fat.Intermuscular fat made the greatest absolute contribution to changing fat weight, but subcutaneous fat showed the greatest proportional change with changing physiological state. The order of depletion of fat depots during fat loss was approximately the reverse of the order of development found during developmental growth.The distribution of subcutaneous fat between seven defined regions of the carcass was not affected by differences in total fatness in different physiological states. This, and the high correlation found between fat depth and total body fatness, confirms the view that measures of subcutaneous fat depth, e.g. by ultrasonics, should be useful predictors of the energy status of cows in varying physiological states.


Aquaculture ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 138 (1-4) ◽  
pp. 99-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Chatakondi ◽  
R.T. Lovell ◽  
P.L. Duncan ◽  
M. Hayat ◽  
T.T. Chen ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Mohamed Afifi ◽  
Tamer S. Abdelmoneim ◽  
Peter H. Brooks ◽  
Ayman Abdel-Aziz Swelum

This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between growth hormone (GH) gene polymorphism and estimated body weight in Harri sheep. One hundred Harri sheep lambs were used to determine the birth weight (BW) and weight at 120 days of age. The daily live-weight gain (DLWG) 0-120 days (g) was calculated. The complete CDS of the Harri sheep GH gene is 2117pb in length (GenBank acc. no. KU255857). Three novel SNPs were detected by comparing with GenBanke acc. no. X12546_1. The G871A SNP in intron II, G1383A in exon IV that resulted in conversion of the amino acid arginine number 121 to lysine (R121K) and the A1509G in intron IV. Each SNP was found on both alleles the mutant homozygote was more common (48, 56 and 50%) than the heterozygote (30, 18 and 20%) for G871A, G1383A and A1509G respectively.A positive significant (P is less than 0.05) correlation between growth traits (BW, 120 day body weight and DLWG) and SNP and a highly significant correlation with the genotype were detected. The regression analysis indicated the positive effect of genotype and SNPs on the growth traits. Individuals carrying homozygote mutant alleles had the heaviest body weight and the highest DLWG. Consequently, these SNP may be useful indicators in the selection of lambs for higher growth rate and meat production


1996 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 389-394 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Teixeira ◽  
R. Delfa ◽  
T. Treacher

AbstractThe main purpose of this work was to compare two breeds of improved rams (Suffolk and Merino Precoce) with the local Galego Bragangano breed for the production of crossbred slaughter lambs and to evaluate which cross was more adapted for meat production from the local breed in locations in the north-east of Portugal. The experiment was carried out over a 4-year period in three locations: (1) a farm with an intensive management; (2) an upland farm (400 to 600 m); and (3) a hill farm (above 800 m). Within each flock with 90 Galego Bragangano ewes, two rams of each of the sire breeds were used: Galego Bragangano, Suffolk and Merino Precoce. The lambs were slaughtered at 20 and 40kg, to obtain the carcass weight range of 8 to 14kg. The left sides of 151 carcasses were dissected into muscle, subcutaneous fat, intermuscular fat and bone. The lambs from location 1 had the highest carcass muscle proportion and the lowest carcass intermuscular fat proportion; their differences over locations 2 and 3 were 13 and 16 g/kgfor muscle proportion and 11 and 19 g/kgfor intermuscular fat proportion, respectively. The differences between breeds were relatively small and not significant. However the Suffolk crosses had less kidney, knob and channel fat than the other genotypes (5 and Uglkg less than Merino crosses and Bragangano, respectively). The Suffolk crosses tended to have less body fat.


1998 ◽  
Vol 67 (3) ◽  
pp. 549-558 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. M. Francis ◽  
N. B. Jopson ◽  
R. P. Littlejohn ◽  
S. K. Stuart ◽  
B. A. Veenvliet ◽  
...  

AbstractCoopworth sheep selected for low (lean) or high (fat) backfat have large differences in plasma GH profiles. Fat genotype ram lambs (5 months old) were treated with growth hormone (GH) to simulate the plasma GH profiles of lean sheep and investigate whether exogenous GH could modify carcass fatness. For 77 days, bovine GH was administered at 25 Uglkg live weight per day either as a single, daily subcutaneous bolus (fat bolus) or via portable pulsatile infusion pumps (fat pump) which delivered GH solution at 90-min intervals into a jugular catheter. Measurements of body composition were made by computed tomography (CT) and ultrasonic scanning during the trial, with linear carcass measurements and proximate analysis undertaken at the end of the experiment.Before treatments began, mean plasma GH levels were lower (P < 0·01) in fat control (0·34 ugll) than in lean lambs (1·1 μg/l). Several weeks after the start of the trial, mean plasma GH had increased in both fat bolus (1·2 μg/l) and fat pump (0·45 μg/l) treatment lambs with major changes in the pulsatility relative to the fat control lambs. Although these changes were maintained in the fat bolus lambs, by the end of the trial there was no significant difference in mean plasma GH between fat pump and fat control sheep. Throughout the trial, plasma 1GF-1 levels were higher in fat bolus, fat pump and lean lambs than in fat control lambs. Analysis of body composition data over the GH treatment period revealed that the slope of the allometric equation for total fat relative to empty body weight was lower in the fat bolus lambs (1·07) than in the lean lambs (1·50) with fat control and fat pump treatment lambs intermediate (1·30 and 1·36, respectively). Subcutaneous fat was later maturing in lean lambs than in fat control and bolus treatment lambs when regressed against total fat, with the fat pump treatment lambs being intermediate. Linear carcass measurements revealed changes due to GH administration in the distribution of subcutaneous fat and eye muscle dimensions.It is concluded that sheep from the fat genotype show physiological responses to exogenous GH. Increasing plasma GH levels of fat sheep increased plasma IGF-1 and had variable effects on carcass fatness. The change in body composition may be affected by the mode of administration of exogenous GH.


2007 ◽  
Vol 2007 ◽  
pp. 141-141
Author(s):  
S. R. Silva ◽  
A. Lourenço ◽  
V. Santos ◽  
E. Mena ◽  
C. M. Guedes ◽  
...  

In sheep production the ability of the animal to retain and mobilize body fat reserves is of considerable importance in determining the sheep productivity or even its survival. The most common way to predict body fat reserves is the body condition score. On the other hand, it is accepted that breeds have a different fat distribution within the body (Taylor et al., 1989). In general, ewes breed for milk production tend to deposit more fat in internal depots and those breed for meat production deposit more fat in the carcass depot (Frutos et al., 1997). This kind of fat distribution can explain the use of an objective and more precise way to predict the internal fat in ewes of the Churra breed, in which the internal fat depots plays an important role. Thus, it is reasonable hypothesize that the internal fat depots are related with muscle and subcutaneous fat measurements. As a result, the study herein reported was undertaken to achieve the relationship between real time ultrasound measurements obtain over thoracic, lumbar and sternum regions to predict the internal fat depots of Churra da Terra Quente (CTQ) milk breed.


1998 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 175-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Sañudo ◽  
I. Sierra ◽  
J. L. Olleta ◽  
L. Martin ◽  
M. M. Campo ◽  
...  

AbstractThis study investigated the effects of weaning and sex on various aspects of production and quality characteristics in 22 male and 18 female lambs of the Rasa Aragonesa local meat breed. Half the lambs were weaned (W) at 38 to 40 days and half were left unwearied (UW). Both groups were given ad libitum concentrates and cereal straw. Average farm weight was 22·1 kg at 78·3 days. Live-weight gain was significantly different between sexes but not between W and UW lambs. Dressing proportion was higher in UW lambs. Significant differences in fatness were found between W and UW lambs and between sex of lambs. Among the meat quality traits, W lambs had redder and UW lambs paler meat judged by colour a* and haem pigment concentration. No statistical differences were found in the other traits except flavour intensity, which was higher in UW (66·8) than in W (63·6) lambs on a 1 to 100 scale. All other eating quality aspects, in grilled m. longissimus lumborum slices, tended to be higher in UW lambs. The fatty acid composition of subcutaneous and intramuscular fat depots differed significantly (intramuscular fat was more unsaturated and polyunsaturated). There were also differences between W and UW lambs in subcutaneous fat (higher unsaturated in W lambs). However in intramuscular fat composition only differences in polyunsaturated fatty acids (higher in UW lambs), but not in total unsaturated or saturated, were observed. Tatty acids of less than C16 chain length were higher, in both fat depots, in UW lambs than in W lambs reflecting greater incorporation of milk fatty acids. Palatability characteristics were not closely associated with fatty acid composition except that flavour intensity was correlated with total saturated fatty acids.


2021 ◽  
pp. 6-6
Author(s):  
Katarina Nenadovic ◽  
Nikola Cobanovic ◽  
Marijana Vucinic ◽  
Dejan Bugarski ◽  
Tomislav Mikus ◽  
...  

Recently, in many parts of the world, greater importance has been given to lamb meat as well as to the intensive production of lamb and sheep, due to demand for this type of meat at affordable prices. In Serbia, similar to most European countries, the structure of total sheep meat production comprises about 70% lamb meat and 30% sheep meat. This study assessed resource-based measures on 11 dairy sheep farms and investigated, in a total of 30 lambs, the effects of sex, the presence of bruises and pneumonia in carcasses, and carcass and meat quality. Carcass (carcass length, thigh length, croup width, subcutaneous fat thickness, presence of bruises) and meat quality (pH, temperature, drip, thawing and cooking losses, color, and meat quality classes) traits were measured post mortem. The most common deficiencies on farms were high stocking density, poor hygienic conditions, dirty drinkers, and lack of outdoor access. Regarding sex differences, higher prevalences of carcass bruises and severe pneumonia were recorded in male lambs. Meat pH (pH45min), sensory color score, and prevalence of dark, firm and dry (DFD) meat were higher in lambs with carcass bruises. The occurrence of quality defects (DFD meat) was higher in lambs with severe pneumonia. It can be concluded that it is necessary to improve the welfare conditions on the lamb farms and pre-slaughter conditions in order to achieve better lamb meat quality.


Author(s):  
García Moreno Rosa María ◽  
Ramírez Paola Parra ◽  
Saiz Gonzalo Baonza ◽  
Rojas-Marcos Patricia Martin ◽  
Beatriz Lecumberri ◽  
...  

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