Animal board invited review: advances in proteomics for animal and food sciences

Abstract

Animal production and health (APH) is an important sector in the world economy, representing a large proportion of the budget of all member states in the European Union and in other continents. APH is a highly competitive sector with a strong emphasis on innovation and, albeit with country to country variations, on scientific research. Proteomics (the study of all proteins present in a given tissue or fluid – i.e. the proteome) has an enormous potential when applied to APH. Nevertheless, for a variety of reasons and in contrast to disciplines such as plant sciences or human biomedicine, such potential is only now being tapped. To counter such limited usage, 6 years ago we created a consortium dedicated to the applications of Proteomics to APH, specifically in the form of a Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Action, termed FA1002 – Proteomics in Farm Animals: . In 4 years, the consortium quickly enlarged to a total of 31 countries in Europe, as well as Israel, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand. This article has a triple purpose. First, we aim to provide clear examples on the applications and benefits of the use of proteomics in all aspects related to APH. Second, we provide insights and possibilities on the new trends and objectives for APH proteomics applications and technologies for the years to come. Finally, we provide an overview and balance of the major activities and accomplishments of the COST Action on Farm Animal Proteomics. These include activities such as the organization of seminars, workshops and major scientific conferences, organization of summer schools, financing Short-Term Scientific Missions (STSMs) and the generation of scientific literature. Overall, the Action has attained all of the proposed objectives and has made considerable difference by putting proteomics on the global map for animal and veterinary researchers in general and by contributing significantly to reduce the East–West and North–South gaps existing in the European farm animal research. Future activities of significance in the field of scientific research, involving members of the action, as well as others, will likely be established in the future.

Application of proteomics to characterize and improve color and oxidative stability of muscle foods

“…Widely utilized in medical/pharmaceutical research, proteomic approach is relatively new to muscle food production and quality, with the past few years documenting a rapid growth in research publications related to proteomics of animal derived proteins. Early reviews by Bendixen (2005) and Mullen, Stapleton, Corcoran, Hamill, and White (2006) outlined the possibilities and utilization of proteomics tools in meat science, while the recent reviews by Paredi et al (2013), D'Alessandro and Zolla (2013), and Almeida et al (2015) summarized the research updates on proteomics of muscle food applications with reference to various meat species, including beef, pig, chicken, and fish. Furthermore, Ouali et al (2013) focused on tenderness as a major meat quality attribute and published a comprehensive review on proteomic approach for exploring the mechanisms of beef tenderness.…”

Application of post-genomic techniques in dog cancer research

“…12 Studies in companion animals mostly focus on pathogenesis and diagnostics of infectious diseases and cancer. 11,13 To date, few databases are made available for the dog species.…”

Foodomics in microbiological investigations

“…In particular, proteomics has the ability to generate proteome profiles, and thus a detailed view on overall gene expression on given conditions for microbes in food. Proteome profiles provided the resolution of total protein abundance for many beneficial or pathogenic food microbes and also the comparison of protein expression under different stress or growth conditions such as in milk and synthetic media [37 ].…”