Effect of Long-Acting Selenium Preparation on Health and Productivity of Sheep

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of long-acting selenium (Se) preparation in sheep. The experimental material comprised Skudda ewes and their lambs. The animals were divided into two equal groups: C-control, and E-experimental. Between days 70 and 80 of pregnancy, group E ewes were injected with Se preparation (Barium Selenate Injection, BVP Animal Care, Ireland) at f 1 mL/50 kg body weight. Hematological, biochemical and immunological blood parameters as well as Se levels were analyzed in ewes. The growth rate of lambs, the dimensions of the musculus longissimus dorsi (MLD) cross-section, and fat thickness over the loin-eye area were also determined. It was found that barium selenate stimulated the mechanisms of humoral and cellular immunity. The injection was an effective form of Se supply, which was confirmed by its increased concentration in the blood serum of lactating ewes. The offspring of the experimental ewes were characterized by a faster growth rate, and they achieved significantly higher body weight (p ≤ 0.05) at 100 days of age. The lambs also had significantly higher parameters of MLD (p ≤ 0.05) at similar carcass fat content.

Teknik pengekangan sapi bali dan pola sonogram jaringan untuk pendugaan kualitas karkas hidup secara ultrasonografi

Pengekangan merupakan langkah awal dan utama dalam menentukan keberhasilan untuk pemeriksaan hewan, seperti pada pencitraan ultrasonografi. Tulisan ini mendeskripsikan beberapa metode pengekangan sapi bali untuk pencitraan ultrasonografi di kandang penampungan dan pola sonogram yang didapatkan. Sapi bali jantan dewasa sebanyak 101 ekor dilakukan pendugaan kualitas karkas sebelum dipotong. Pengekangan fisik dilakukan dengan pilihan yaitu: mengikat sapi pada kandang komunal, mengikat sapi kandang dengan pembatas dinding, dan menempatkan sapi pada kandang jepit. Proses pengekangan berlangsung ±5-10 menit atau lebih lama tergantung temperamen sapi. Sedangkan proses pencitraan ultrasonografi berlangsung ±30-60 detik pada sudut pandang transversal dan longitudinal. Citra ultrasonografi punggung daerah rusuk 12-13 tampak ekogenitas lapisan jaringan penyusun berupa kulit, lemak subkutan, otot dan tulang punggung yang terbedakan dengan baik. Pola marbling pada sonogram otot longissimus dorsi sudut pandang transversal terlihat seperti ranting, sarang lebah, bercak-bercak, dan tanpa pola. Sedangkan citra pada sudut pandang longitudinal terlihat garis diagonal dan tanpa garis.

Commercial meat cuts hardness of dual-purpose cattle from Cundinamarca (Colombia) high tropics zone

Este estudio tuvo como objetivo determinar el efecto del biotipo, la edad al sacrificio, la condición sexual y el sistema de alimentación sobre la dureza de cuatro cortes comerciales: Lomo (Longissimus dorsi), Bota (Biceps femoris), Muchacho (Semitendinosus) y Paletero (Infraspinatus), provenientes de 50 bovinos pertenecientes a sistemas de doble propósito del trópico alto en el departamento de Cundinamarca, Colombia. Para la obtención de los valores en este atributo se emplearon los métodos de medición instrumental de fuerza de corte con cuchilla de Warner-Bratzler y la evaluación sensorial, cuya correlación fue del 71%. Esto permitió la elaboración de una escala de dureza en la cual los cortes Lomo y Paletero se ubicaron en la categoría de “suave” (blando) y se comportaron estadísticamente igual en ambos métodos de medición, mientras que los cortes Bota y Muchacho se ubicaron en la categoría de “medio” y tuvieron diferencias estadísticas de acuerdo con la percepción dada por el panel sensorial. Así mismo, los resultados obtenidos mostraron diferencias significativas entre los cortes, destacando al Paletero por su menor valor de dureza y comportamiento similar al Lomo. Efectos significativos sobre la dureza de la carne fueron encontrados para todos los factores a excepción de la edad, lo cual muestra la influencia que tienen estos y su manejo en finca sobre la calidad de la carne.

Circular RNA, microRNA and Protein Profiles of the Longissimus Dorsi of Germany ZIKA and Sichuan White Rabbits

Due to the dietetic properties and remarkable nutritive value of rabbit meat, its industry is increasing rapidly. However, the association between circular RNAs, microRNAs, and proteins and muscle fiber type, and meat quality of rabbit is still unknown. Here, using deep sequencing and iTRAQ proteomics technologies we first identified 3159 circRNAs, 356 miRNAs, and 755 proteins in the longissimus dorsi tissues from Sichuan white (SCWrabs) and Germany great line ZIKA rabbits (ZIKArabs). Next, we identified 267 circRNAs, 3 miRNAs, and 29 proteins differentially expressed in the muscle tissues of SCWrabs and ZIKArabs. Interaction network analysis revealed some key regulation relationships between noncoding RNAs and proteins that might be associated with the muscle fiber type and meat quality of rabbit. Further, miRNA isoforms and gene variants identified in SCWrabs and ZIKArabs revealed some pathways and biological processes related to the muscle development. This is the first study of noncoding RNA and protein profiles for the two rabbit breeds. It provides a valuable resource for future studies in rabbits and will improve our understanding of the molecular regulation mechanisms in the muscle development of livestock. More importantly, the output of our study will benefit the researchers and producers in the rabbit breeding program.

The Effect of Dietary Dry Distilled Rose Petals or Dihydroquercetin Supplementation on the Oxidative Stability and Quality of Lamb Muscles and Fat

The study's objective was to determine the changes in oxidative stability of m. Longissimus dorsi, m. Semimembranosus and perirenal adipose tissue from lambs fed a diet supplemented by 7.5 mg dihydroquercetin/kg life wight/d or 545 mg dry distilled rose petals (DDRP)/kg life wight/d.The experiments were performed with 30 male lambs aged 65 days. They were divided into three groups of 10 animals fed 50 days ad libitum: the control group (with ground alfalfa + granulated compound feed) and two experimental ones (with the same diet + phytonutrients). Samples stored 7 days at 0-4°C were examined. After 7 d of storage in both muscles, the addition of 545 mg DDRP/kg life wight/d contributed to the reduction of α-aminoacidic nitrogen with approximately 0.5 mg Leu/g and the FFA with 0.5-2%. The addition of 7.5 mg dihydroquercetin contributed to the reduction of TBARS with 0.14-0.21 mg MDA/kg, the total color difference, and a slight increase in the share of the MUFA more pronounced in m. Longissimus dorsi. The reduction of aerobic plate count and total yeasts and molds count were determined too. Further studies with higher doses of phytonutrient’s supplementation are needed to determine if it will provoke a more pronounced oxidative stability.

Prediction and Experimental Verification of a Hierarchical Transcription Factor Regulatory Network of Porcine Myoglobin (Mb)

Myoglobin is a key chemical component that determines meat’s color and affects consumers’ purchase intentions. In this work, we firstly identified the promoter sequence of the Mb gene from the primary assembly of high-throughput genome sequencing in pigs, and predicted its potential transcription factors by LASAGNA. Through the data mining of the mRNA expression profile of longissimus dorsi muscle of different pig breeds, we constructed a hierarchical interplay network of Mb-TFs (Myoglobin-Transcription Factors), consisting of 16 adaptive transcription factors and 23 secondary transcription factors. The verification of gene expression in longissimus dorsi muscle showed that the Mb mRNA and encoded protein were significantly (p < 0.05) more abundant in Bama pigs than Yorkshire pigs. The qRT-PCR (Real-Time Quantitative Reverse Transcription PCR) validation on genes of the Mb-TFs network showed that FOS, STAT3, STAT1, NEFL21, NFE2L2 and MAFB were significant positive regulatory core transcription factors of Mb-TFs network in Bama pigs, whereas ATF3 was the secondary transcription factor most responsible for the activation of the above transcription factors. Our study provides a new strategy to unravel the mechanism of pork color formation, based on public transcriptome and genome data analysis.

Utjecaj dodatka pripravka plemenite pečurke u hranidbi na kemijski i masnokiselinski sastav mesa janjadi

Cilj istraživanja bio je utvrditi osnovni kemijski i masnokiselinski sastav te udio kolesterola m. longissimus dorsi janjadi hranjene voluminoznom krmom i koncentratom, kojima je u različitim omjerima dodavan suhi pripravak plemenite pečurke odnosno usitnjena svježa pečurka. Istraživanjem je bilo obuhvaćeno ukupno 30 klaonički obrađenih trupova janjadi podijeljeno u tri skupine. U svrhu utvrđivanja kvalitete, nakon klanja s trupova uzeti su uzorci (m. longissimus dorsi) za senzornu ocjenu mesa janjadi te određivanje kemijskog i masnokiselinskog sastava te kolesterola.

Comprehensive Analysis of mRNA, lncRNA, circRNA, and miRNA Expression Profiles and Their ceRNA Networks in the Longissimus Dorsi Muscle of Cattle-Yak and Yak

Cattle-yak, as the hybrid offspring of cattle (Bos taurus) and yak (Bos grunniens), demonstrates obvious heterosis in production performance. Male hybrid sterility has been focused on for a long time; however, the mRNAs and non-coding RNAs related to muscle development as well as their regulatory networks remain unclear. The phenotypic data showed that the production performance (i.e., body weight, withers height, body length, and chest girth) of cattle-yak was significantly better than that of the yak, and the economic benefits of the cattle-yak were higher under the same feeding conditions. Then, we detected the expression profiles of the longissimus dorsi muscle of cattle-yak and yak to systematically reveal the molecular basis using the high-throughput sequencing technology. Here, 7,126 mRNAs, 791 lncRNAs, and 1,057 circRNAs were identified to be differentially expressed between cattle-yaks and yaks in the longissimus dorsi muscle. These mRNAs, lncRNA targeted genes, and circRNA host genes were significantly enriched in myoblast differentiation and some signaling pathways related to muscle development (such as HIF-1 signaling pathway and PI3K-Akt signaling pathway). We constructed a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network and found that some non-coding RNAs differentially expressed may be involved in the regulation of muscle traits. Taken together, this study may be used as a reference tool to provide the molecular basis for studying muscle development.