Multi-omics data integration at the lipidome, proteome and metabolome level to evaluate the effects of electrical stimulation of the carcass on the mechanisms related to fresh beef color and tenderness development in Nellore cattle

• Grant number: 23/04273-3
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Duration: September 01, 2023 - August 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Animal Production
• Principal Investigator: Júlio Cesar de Carvalho Balieiro
• Grantee: Júlio Cesar de Carvalho Balieiro
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Alessandra Fernandes Rosa ; Christina Ramires Ferreira ; Daniel Silva Antonelo ; Mirele Daiana Poleti ; Ricardo Vieira Ventura ; Victoria Rizzato Paschoal

Abstract

The global beef chain has been directed to meet the beef quality demands of the consumer market. Color and tenderness are generally considered the most important quality traits that impact consumer acceptability of fresh beef, which characterize two of the great meat quality limitations intrinsic to the Brazilian production system: dark-cutting and less tender beef. As a result, carcasses and beef cuts are discounted in value, leading to economic losses for the beef sector. Electrical stimulation (EE) of the carcass during the slaughter process emerged as an alternative to reduce the incidence of dark cuts, as well as to help in the process of tenderizing the meat. In this sense, a thorough identification and characterization of the effects of EE of the carcass on the mechanisms related to the color and tenderness development of fresh meat is necessary to better understand the great discrepancy in these characteristics since these are only partially understood, which leaves a gap for some highly accurate predictive tools such as multi-omics. Therefore, the main aim of this proposal is to investigate the effects of the EE of the carcass on the mechanisms related to fresh beef color and tenderness development in Nellore cattle, through multi-omics data integration at the muscle proteome, metabolome and lipidome level. For this, 100 non-castrated males Nellore cattle, will be divided into two groups: EE) the right half carcasses will be stimulated by electric current, according to the slaughterhouse protocol (n = 100); NE) the left half carcasses will not be electrically stimulated (n = 100). Samples (~ 30 g) will be excised from the longissimus thoracis (LT) muscle at the 12nd and 13th rib level immediately after skinning (approximately 30 min postmortem) and at 3, 6 and 24 h postmortem for further muscle proteome, metabolome and lipidome analyses. At 24 h of carcass chilling (0 to 2 °C), pH will be measured in the LT muscle at the 12nd and 13th rib level using a portable digital pHmeter and only animals with pH between 5.5 and 5.8 (normal) will be part of this study. Then, two 2.5 cm thick LT samples from each selected carcass (n = 15 per treatment) will be collected between the 12nd and 13th ribs, vacuum packed and stored (0 to 2 °C) for further instrumental analysis. Six carcasses from each treatment will be randomly selected for multi-omics analysis. Finally, all the data will be integrated to identify the effects of the EE of the carcass on the biological mechanisms related to fresh beef color and tenderness development in Nellore cattle. The results of this study will improve our understanding of how the EE of the carcass modifies the animal biological system and contributes to the fresh beef color and tenderness development in Nellore cattle through a multi-omics data integration at the muscle proteome, metabolome and lipidome level associated with the phenotypes (beef quality traits). This is the first study that will perform a multi-omics data integration analysis to decipher the effects of EE of the carcass on the fresh beef color and tenderness development in Nellore cattle. New insights provided by this project are unique and present an opportunity to create management schemes to mitigate limitations in the most complex systems in beef quality. (AU)