Genetic diversity and relationship among indigenous Turkish Karayaka sheep subpopulations

The Karayaka is the most populous sheep breed in the Black Sea region of Turkey. In the present study, we investigated the intra- and inter-population genetic relationships among indigenous Karayaka sheep subpopulations. Nine microsatellites were genotyped for 64 individuals from Samsun, Ordu, Giresun and Tokat provinces. The average number of alleles (N-a), allelic richness (A(r)), observed heterozygosity (H-o), expected heterozygosity (H-e), polymorphism information content (PIC) and inbreeding coefficient (F-IS) for all subpopulations were estimated as N-a = 16.44, A(r) = 9.887, H-o = 0.303, H-e = 0.886, PIC = 0.866 and F-IS = 0.630, respectively. The observed and expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.171 (Giresun) to 0.376 (Ordu) and 0.757 (Samsun) to 0.845 (Ordu), respectively. It was determined that a 10.5 % of total genetic variation (F-IT = 66.9 %) in Karayaka sheep corresponded to genetic differences among subpopulations (F-ST), whereas 63.0 % was explained by genetic difference among individuals (F-IS). This study gives the first evidence about genetic relationships of Karayaka subpopulations. The results show that Karayaka sheep subpopulations are genetically different from each other. These findings revealed that the Karayaka breed has discrete subpopulations and should be taken into consideration when preparing conservation programs and future breeding strategies

Fatty acid profile and sensory properties of lamb meat from males of five indigenous breeds

The objective of this study was to determine meat quality characteristics, fatty acid profiles, and sensory characteristics of 50 single-birth male lambs from five breeds: Artli (n = 10), Cepni (n = 10), Hemsin (n = 10), Karayaka (n = 10), and Of (n = 10). At the beginning of the experiment, the average age and weight of the lambs were 120 +/- 5 d and 30.7 +/- 0.68 kg respectively. After 60 d of intensive fattening, the average live weight before slaughter was 40.96 kg +/- 0.76 kg. All evaluations were performed on samples from the longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LTL) muscle. There was no difference between breeds in terms of the pH values of the hot carcasses, whereas the cold carcass pH values were higher (P<0.001) in Hemsin animals than in the other breeds. Meat chemical properties (such as organic matter; dry matter; and fat, measured as the ether extract), physical properties (such as cooking loss; drip loss; and water-holding capacity, WHC), and instrumental values (such as colour, L* and b* values, chewiness, hardness, and resilience) were significantly affected by breed differences. Additionally, the differences between breeds were found to be significant in terms of the fatty acid composition and the evaluation of organoleptic properties, such as sensory characteristics, flavour, and juiciness of cooked (boiled or roasted) meat. The results show that lamb meat's physical, chemical, and sensory properties vary by breed. The differences found in the composition and presence of meat fatty acids between and within breeds can be used as a source of variation for future genetic improvement strategies