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Licentiate thesis, 2012

Candidate gene effects on beef quality

Ekerljung, Marie

Abstract

The contribution of five candidate genes to the variation in meat tenderness, pH, colour, marbling and water holding capacity (WHC) was analysed in muscle samples from 243 young bulls of Angus, Charolais, Hereford, Limousin, or Simmental breed, raised in Swedish commercial herds. The animals were genotyped for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the genes encoding calpain 1 (CAPN1:c.947G>C), calpastatin, (CAST:c.155C>T), diacylglycerol O-acyltransferase 1 (DGAT1), leptin (UASMS2C>T) and stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 (SCD1). The CAPN1:c.947G>C SNP showed associations with marbling and meat colour, and to some extent also tenderness. The CAST:c.155C>T T allele, which was the most common allele, showed a favourable association with Warner Bratzler shear force (WBSF) and compression tests. The K232A polymorphism at the DGAT1 gene was associated with level of beef marbling. An association was observed between UASMS2C>T and compression tests and meat colour. The SCD1 SNP was associated with variation in meat colour traits after 6 days with access to oxygen. There was no association of the tested SNPs with WHC traits and pH value. Our results show that gene effects are of importance for quality of meat from Swedish young bull of beef breed and Swedish beef can therefore be improved by including beef quality and DNA-tests in the breeding program. The CAST:c.155C>T SNP proved to be a good marker for tenderness in Swedish beef.

Keywords

Nötköttskvalitet; kandidatgener; genetiska markörer; marmorering; mörhet; färgstabilitet

Published in

Rapport / SLU, Institutionen för husdjursgenetik
2012, number: 148
ISBN: 978-91-576-9101-9
Publisher: Instutitionen för husdjursgenetik, Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet

    UKÄ Subject classification

    Animal and Dairy Science
    Food Science
    Genetics and Breeding

    Permanent link to this page (URI)

    https://res.slu.se/id/publ/79121