Intramuscular fat formation in fetuses and the effect of increased protein intake during pregnancy in Hanwoo cattle

Understanding adipocyte development in fetus during bovine pregnancy is important for strengthening fattening technology. Additionally, nutritional level of dams during pregnancy has the potential to improve offspring growth and fat development. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the intramuscular adipocyte development and expression level of related genes in bovine fetus, and the effect of increased crude protein (CP) intake during pregnancy on the growth performance and carcass characteristics of male offspring. Eighty six pregnant Hanwoo cows (average body weight, 551.5 ± 51.3 kg, age 5.29 ± 0.61 y) were used. Fetuses were collected at 90, 180 and 270 d of gestation from 18 pregnant Hanwoo cows. The remaining 68 pregnant cows were randomly assigned to 2 feeding groups. The control (CON) group was provided the standard protein diet (n = 34), and treatment (TRT) group was provided a diet with a 5% increase in CP intake (n = 34). Male offspring were divided into two groups according to protein treatment of the pregnant cows: CON male offspring (CON-O) and TRT male offspring (TRT-O). Intramuscular adipocytes were found in the fetal skeletal muscle after 180 days of gestation. Male calf’s birth weight increased in the TRT group compared to that in the CON group (p < 0.002). The final body weight (p < 0.003) and average daily gain (p < 0.019) of male offspring were significantly higher in TRT-O than in CON-O. The feed conversion ratio was also improved by 10.5% in TRT-O compared to that in CON-O (p < 0.026). Carcass weight was significantly higher in the TRT-O group than that in the CON-O group (p < 0.003), and back fat was thicker in the TRT-O group (p = 0.07). The gross receipts and net income were higher in TRT-O than in CON-O (p < 0.04). Thus, fetal intramuscular fat can be formed from the mid-gestation period, and increased CP intake during pregnancy can increase net income by improving the growth and carcass weight of male offspring rather than intramuscular fat

Targeted Inactivation of p12Cdk2ap1, CDK2 Associating Protein 1, Leads to Early Embryonic Lethality

Targeted disruption of murine Cdk2ap1, an inhibitor of CDK2 function and hence G1/S transition, results in the embryonic lethality with a high penetration rate. Detailed timed pregnancy analysis of embryos showed that the lethality occurred between embryonic day 3.5 pc and 5.5 pc, a period of implantation and early development of implanted embryos. Two homozygous knockout mice that survived to term showed identical craniofacial defect, including a short snout and a round forehead. Examination of craniofacial morphology by measuring Snout Length (SL) vs. Face Width (FW) showed that the Cdk2ap1+/− mice were born with a reduced SL/FW ratio compared to the Cdk2ap1+/+ and the reduction was more pronounced in Cdk2ap1−/− mice. A transgenic rescue of the lethality was attempted by crossing Cdk2ap1+/− animals with K14-Cdk2ap1 transgenic mice. Resulting Cdk2ap1+/−:K14-Cdk2ap1 transgenic mice showed an improved incidence of full term animals (16.7% from 0.5%) on a Cdk2ap1−/− background. Transgenic expression of Cdk2ap1 in Cdk2ap1−/−:K14-Cdk2ap1 animals restored SL/FW ratio to the level of Cdk2ap1+/−:K14-Cdk2ap1 mice, but not to that of the Cdk2ap1+/+:K14-Cdk2ap1 mice. Teratoma formation analysis using mESCs showed an abrogated in vivo pluripotency of Cdk2ap1−/− mESCs towards a restricted mesoderm lineage specification. This study demonstrates that Cdk2ap1 plays an essential role in the early stage of embryogenesis and has a potential role during craniofacial morphogenesis

Current situation and future prospects for beef production in South Korea — A review

Hanwoo cattle are an important food source in Korea and their supply can have a major impact on meat availability for Korean consumers. The Hanwoo population was 1.8 million head in 2005 and gradually increased to 2.6 million in 2015. Per capita beef consumption has also increased, to 11.6 kg per year in 2015, and is expected to continue to increase. Because intramuscular fat percentage is a critical contributor to meat quality, Hanwoo cattle are fed a high-energy corn-based diet for long fattening periods. Long fed diet causes significant alterations in fat percentage in the loin muscle and other areas of the carcass. However, these long feeding periods increase feeding costs and beef prices. Recently, there has been increased Korean consumer demand for lean beef which has less fat, but is tender and priced more reasonably. These consumer demands on the Korean beef industry are driving differing beef production systems and also changes to the beef grading methodology. Korean government has made a significant investment to select bulls with favorable production traits using progeny testing. Progeny tested bull semen has been disseminated to all Hanwoo farmers. A beef traceability system has been employed for all cattle breeds in Korea since 2009. Hanwoo cattle are ear-marked with a 12-digit identification number from birth to slaughter. This number allows traceability of the management history of individual cattle, and also provides information to consumers. Traceability including management information such as herd, farm, year of birth, and carcass data can determine estimated breeding values of Hanwoo. For a sustainable Hanwoo industry, research scientists in Korea have attempted to develop feeds for efficient fattening periods and precision feeding systems based on genetic information for Hanwoo cattle. These initiatives aim to Korean consumer demands for beef and provide more precision management in beef production in Korea

Evaluation of sensory attributes of Hanwoo Longssimus dorsi muscle and its relationships with intramuscular fat, shear force and environmental factors

We examined the relationship of Hanwoo (Bos taurus coreana) beef sensory attributes with intramuscular fat (IMF), Warner–Bratzler shear force (WBSF), and other environmental factors. Samples of 458 beef carcasses including 32 cows, 34 steers, and 392 bulls were analyzed for IMF percentage, WBSF, and important sensory attributes (tenderness, juiciness, and flavour-likeness). Results revealed that steer beef had significantly higher scores for all three sensory attributes than beef from cows and bulls. While juiciness and flavour-likeness differed (p < 0.05) among bulls and cows, they were not associated an effect on tenderness. All sensory attributes and WBSF were correlated (p < 0.001) with IMF; the highest correlation coefficient was for tenderness (0.55) while a negative coefficient (−0.39) was found for WBSF. The influence of IMF level on all three sensory attributes of bull beef significantly increased with IMF level. All sensory attributes of steer and bull beef showed negative relationship (p < 0.01) with WBSF, where highest correlation coefficient (−0.8) found for steer beef tenderness. Furthermore, tenderness and flavour-likeness showed lower ranks for meats slaughtered during the winter season; however, juiciness did not differ (p < 0.05) among seasons.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author

Comparison of bacterial communities in leachate from decomposing bovine carcasses

Objective Burial is associated with environmental effects such as the contamination of ground or surface water with biological materials generated during the decomposition process. Therefore, bacterial communities in leachates originating from the decomposing bovine carcasses were investigated. Methods To understand the process of bovine (Hanwoo) carcass decomposition, we simulated burial using a lab-scale reactor with a volume of 5.15 m3. Leachate samples from 3 carcasses were collected using a peristaltic pump once a month for a period of 5 months, and bacterial communities in samples were identified by pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. Results We obtained a total of 110,442 reads from the triplicate samples of various sampling time points (total of 15 samples), and found that the phylum Firmicutes was dominant at most sampling times. Differences in the bacterial communities at the various time points were observed among the triplicate samples. The bacterial communities sampled at 4 months showed the most different compositions. The genera Pseudomonas and Psychrobacter in the phylum Proteobacteria were dominant in all of the samples obtained after 3 months. Bacillaceae, Clostridium, and Clostridiales were found to be predominant after 4 months in the leachate from one carcass, whereas Planococcaceae was found to be a dominant in samples obtained at the first and second months from the other two carcasses. The results showed that potentially pathogenic microbes such as Clostridium derived from bovine leachate could dominate the soil environment of a burial site. Conclusion Our results indicated that the composition of bacterial communities in leachates of a decomposing bovine shifted continuously during the experimental period, with significant changes detected after 4 months of burial

Effect of Rumen Protected Methionine and α-Tocopherol on Growth Performance, Carcass Characteristics, and Meat Composition of Late Fattening Hanwoo Steer in High-Temperature Seasons

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of rumen-protected methionine and &alpha;-tocopherol (RPMT) on growth performance, carcass characteristics, and meat composition of late fattening Hanwoo steers in high-temperature seasons. Fourteen steers were randomly assigned to one of two diets; control (commercial concentrate) and treatment (commercial concentrate + 20 g of RPMT). Average daily gain was 34% higher in the treatment group than in the control group; however, there was no significant difference due to the small number under investigation. Feed conversion ratio was lower in the treatment group than in the control group (p &lt; 0.05). Supplementation of RPMT had little effect on the fatty acid composition of longissimus muscle. Metmyoglobin in the longissimus muscle was significantly lower in treatment group compared to the control group at the ninth day of storage (p &lt; 0.05). The redness of the longissimus muscle was higher in the treatment group than in the control group on day 9 of storage (p &lt; 0.01). Thus, the results suggest that RPMT have positive effects on growth performance, and Commission Internationale de l&rsquo;Eclairage color stability in the longissimus muscle of late fattening Hanwoo steers in high-temperature seasons

Effects of Catechins and Wheat Bran on the Beef Color in the Late Fattening Period of Hanwoo Steers

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation of catechins and wheat bran on growth performance, carcass characteristics and meat color using forty-eight Hanwoo steers. Each steer was randomly assigned to one of four treatments. Treatments were as follows: control, catechins, wheat bran, and catechins+wheat bran (CW). At the end of the feeding trial, blood samples were collected for analysis of hemoglobin and iron concentration, and then steers were slaughtered at a commercial abattoir. Catechins, wheat bran, and CW had no effect on growth performance and carcass characteristics. Percentage of myoglobin in M. longissimus dorsi was not affected by treatments. Percentage of oxymyoglobin was increased (p<0.05) by CW and maintained at the highest level (p<0.05) for CW during meat display time up to 24 h. Percentage of metmyoglobin was the lowest (p<0.05) for CW between 5 and 24 h during display time. Although blood iron concentration was not affected by treatments, total concentration of muscle iron was the lowest (p<0.05) for CW compared with that of other treatments. Therefore, the results of the present study suggest that CW may provide good protection against oxidation of myoglobin, and might be an effective dietary supplement for improving meat color in the late fattening period of Hanwoo steers