New Biology as a Tool for Control of Pork Quality (module V)

Status quo: 30 October, 2008
Co-ordinated by Niels Oksbjerg, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Dept. of Food Science, University of Aarhus, Blichers Allé 20, 8830 Tjele, Denmark.

Objectives

Overall to develop and apply new and appropriate molecular control tools in the production of pork

• Establish a muscle and fat tissue sample libraries from two animal experiments and various commercial and regional porkchains.
• Analyse samples from the established libraries for meat quality traits and 'omics' biomarkers.
• On the basis of 'omics' results, develop new tools to predict meat quality. New biomarkers will be identified, verfied and become available for further development.
• Collect meat samples from different pig production systems, processing techniques and from commercial pork chains. These samples will be used to validate biomarkers (see above).
• Because it is expected that several genes with unknown effect on meat quality and muscle growth will be differentially expressed, identify genes with relate muscle- and fat biology to meat quality and test the effect of some genes in cell culture by use of small interference RNA or antisense simulating gene knockout. This will improve our understanding of the regulation of tissue characteristics and meat quality.
  
  

Main results obtained to far

The samples of the commercial porkchains and experimental pork chains (a Danish experiment on stress induced deterioration of meat quality and a French experiment on the effect of breed and production systems) are at present being analysed for proteomics and transcriptomics (micro-array analyses) and associations among meat quality traits and proteins and genes expression have/or are being performed in various chains. In the Danish experiment all meat quality traits have been analysed and published at the ICoMST 2007 and 2008. Also many of the meat quality traits to be measured in the French experiment have been performed and 'Omics' analyses are under way. Some porkchains have been sampled and are ready for validation of markers. A carrier for antisense has been identified.