The National Natural Science Regional Innovation and Development Joint Fund project "Molecular Mechanism and Nutritional Regulation of Excellent Meat Quality Traits of Shaziling Pigs" has made new progress

Pork is an important part of the food supply of our residents and the main source of
animal protein.
In 2021, China's pork output was 52.
96 million tons, accounting for about 60%
of the total domestic meat production.
At present, under the background of the diversification of the "big food concept", in order to meet the people's growing higher demand for the flavor, nutrition and health of pork products, it is urgent to effectively use the local pig germplasm resources with excellent characteristics in China and develop regulatory strategies to improve pork quality
.

Shaziling pigs are native to the Shaziling area on the outskirts of Xiangtan City, and are one of
the most widely distributed and abundant excellent local pig breeds in Hunan Province.
Shaziling pig was included in the "Hunan Livestock and Poultry Breed History" in 1984, as the main group of two black pigs in central China in 1986, and was included in the list of protected breeds of livestock and poultry genetic resources in 2006
.
At present, the research on Shaziling pigs is limited to body shape, production performance and adaptability, and the mechanism of the formation of its excellent meat quality traits is very limited
.

The team of academician Yin Yulong of the Institute of Subtropical Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, with the support of the National Natural Science Regional Innovation and Development Joint Fund project "Molecular Mechanism and Nutritional Regulation of Excellent Meat Traits of Shaziling Pigs", revealed the molecular mechanism of
the formation of excellent meat quality traits of Shaziling pigs 。 The study found that the age of the day had a significant effect on the quality of sand pork, and the best meat quality period was 150~210 days old; The main fatty acids in the longest muscle of the back of Shaziling pigs were C16:0, C16:1, C18:0, C18:1n9c and C18:2n6c, of which C18:2n6c was inversely proportional to n6/n3 polyunsaturated fatty acids.
The metabolism of alanine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, D-glutamine and D-glutamic acid is the main metabolic pathway of Shaziling pork flavor.
The levels of goosecarnosine, C16:0, C16:1, and C18:1n9c in muscle were positively correlated with intramuscular fat and/or pH 24h and negatively correlated
with L* (brightness) and b* (yellow) values.
In conclusion, age can significantly affect the meat quality of Shaziling pigs, and the contents of goosecarnosine, C16:0, C16:1 and C18:1n9c in its muscles can be used as indicators of excellent meat quality
.
This study further enriches the understanding
of the formation mechanism of excellent meat quality traits in local pigs in China.

The results of the study were published in Science China-Life Sciences under the title of Profiles of muscular amino acids, fatty acids, and metabolites in Shaziling pigs of different ages and relation to meat quality 10.
372) magazine
.

Links to papers

Molecular mechanism of the formation of excellent meat quality traits of Shaziling pigs