Investigate the role of mitochondria in modulating the rate of postmortem metabolism and pH decline

• Grant number: 24/10057-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 30, 2024
• End date: January 29, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Animal Production
• Principal Investigator: Nara Regina Brandão Cônsolo
• Grantee: Melinda Essoe Sato Rocha
• Supervisor: Sulaiman Matarneh
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Utah State University (USU), United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 23/15998-9 - Characterization of the serum and hepatic metabolome in Japanese quails supplemented with Amazon functional oils, BP.IC

Abstract

The increase in demand and requirements for better quality meat has been observed by a significant portion of the consumer market, and linked to this, there is a need to understand the metabolic and biochemical pathways responsible for providing these characteristics to meat. The metabolic pathways involved in the transformation of muscle into meat are primarily responsible for the final appearance of the product and its organoleptic properties. The role and relevance of mitochondria during the transformation of muscle into meat, as well as their role in organoleptic characteristics, has been widely discussed, it was previously believed that their functionality was instantly interrupted soon after the moment of slaughter, but studies have already revealed that mitochondria continue to act even if less efficiently, for up to 9 hours post-mortem. This is due the fact that muscle oxygen reserves are depleted gradually and not immediately. In this context, a better understanding of the metabolism of muscle mitochondria during the post-mortem period can help scientists decipher the factors that affect and build meat quality, linked to the drop in muscle pH. Therefore, the main objective of this proposal is to improve the student's knowledge about muscle metabolism, through analysis of mitochondrial activity in the transformation of muscle into meat, and how this affects the parameters of meat quality, in order to enrich the development of her academic training and contribute to her field of research in Brazil.