Pork meat is closely related to physicochemical alterations during growth and development, resulting in differences in nutritional value and meat flavor. It is known to us that indigenous pigs have better meat quality than hybrid pigs. The Shaziling pig is such an indigenous pig with excellent meat quality. However, limited information is available on the meat quality traits of Shaziling pigs.

Recently, a team of researchers from China Agricultural University and the Institute of Subtropical Agriculture (ISA) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences conducted a study to evaluate the composition of amino acids, fatty acids, and metabolic profiles in the longissimus thoracis (LM) muscle sample from Shaziling pigs aged 30, 90, 150, 210, and 300 days, with the aim of investigating the effects of age on the abovementioned parameters and of identifying what can reflect Shaziling pigs’ meat quality traits.

They found that the predominant fatty acids identified in the LM of Shaziling pigs were C16:0, C16:1, C18:0, C18:1n9c, and C18:2n6c. An opposite correlation was observed for C18:2n6c and n6/n3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Alanine, aspartate, glutamate, D-glutamine, and D-glutamate metabolism were the main metabolic pathways for the Shaziling pig meat flavor. Moreover, the correlation coefficients revealed that the contents of anserine, C16:0, C16:1, and C18:1n9c were positively correlated with intramuscular fat and/or pH24h and were negatively correlated with the values of L* (lightness) and b* (yellowness).

In conclusion, age greatly affected the meat quality of Shaziling pigs, and the contents of muscular anserine, C16:0, C16:1, and C18:1n9c might be promising indicators for better meat quality.

The study entitled Profiles of muscular amino acids, fatty acids, and metabolites in Shaziling pigs of different ages and relation to meat quality was published in Science China-Life Sciences(https://doi.org/10.1007/s11427-022-2227-6).

Contact: Yehui Duan

Mail: duanyehui@isa.ac.cn

Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences