Rumen bacteria and meat fatty acid composition of Sunit sheep reared under different feeding regimens in China

Abstract

BACKGROUNDRumen bacteria play a critical role in feed degradation and productivity. This study evaluated the impact of feeding regimen on the rumen microbial populations and fatty acid composition of the meat of sheep. Twenty‐four Sunit sheep were raised on a grass pasture from birth to 9 months of age, at which time they were randomly divided into two feeding groups: pasture feeding (PF) and barn feeding (BF). Sheep in the PF group were allowed to graze freely on wild grassland for 3 months. Sheep in the BF group were confined for 3 months to a dry barn, in which they roamed freely with corn straw and corn.RESULTSSheep in the PF group had greater rumen bacteria diversity. The relative abundances of the genera Butyrivibrio_2, Saccharofermentans and Succiniclasticum were increased, and that of the genus RC9_gut_group was decreased, in the PF compared to the BF sheep. The n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acid contents were greater in meat from PF sheep than from BF sheep. In addition, the α‐linolenic acid (C18:3 n‐3, ALA) and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) contents were positively correlated with the abundance of Butyrivibrio_2.CONCLUSIONGrazing may improve the diversity of rumen bacteria and increase the proportion of ALA and CLA in sheep meat. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry

Untargeted and Targeted Metabolomics Profiling of Muscle Reveals Enhanced Meat Quality in Artificial Pasture Grazing Tan Lambs via Rescheduling the Rumen Bacterial Community

“…We found the increased abundance of ruminal Butyrivibrio_2 in the G group lambs compared to the F group, and we found that the ruminal Butyrivibrio_2 was highly correlated with meat acetylcarnitine. It was reported that the meat C18:3n3 and conjugated linoleic acid contents were positively correlated with the abundance of ruminal Butyrivibrio_2 . Besides, Anaerovorax may also be involved in the ruminal response in biohydrogenation .…”

“…Tan lamb, high-quality meat with lower “off-flavor” and “mutton smell,” is mainly distributed in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region of China, which previously grazed a lot but now is raised with different production strategies . Feeding regimes with pasture feeding or barn feeding showed remarkable differences in the meat FA profiles of Sunit sheep . It was found that grazing systems are very profitable for lamb meat quality, have lower cost concerning inputs, and are more sustainable, but they usually have poor production performances .…”

“…6 Feeding regimes with pasture feeding or barn feeding showed remarkable differences in the meat FA profiles of Sunit sheep. 7 It was found that grazing systems are very profitable for lamb meat quality, have lower cost concerning inputs, and are more sustainable, but they usually have poor production performances. 8 In recent years, there has been renewed interest in incorporating forage legumes within livestock systems or in combination grazing with stall dietary feeding to reduce the reliance on concentrate feed and to meet consumer demands for a healthy product produced in a natural way.…”

“…It was reported that the meat C18:3n3 and conjugated linoleic acid contents were positively correlated with the abundance of ruminal Butyrivibrio_2. 7 Besides, Anaerovorax may also be involved in the ruminal response in biohydrogenation. 46 The decreased Anaerovorax in G group lambs was negatively correlated with C20:5 n3.…”

Different Swine Production Systems Can Shape Slurry Resistome at Mechanism and Class Levels Based on Swine Manure Evaluation

“…In the same way, a larger ellipse that we could notice for family farming practices indicates a greater variability found in the resistome from the extensive method that is applied to those animals. Therefore, the type of regimen seems to be directly involved with the construction of the resistome, as the loss of diversity and uniformity in microbial communities are already widely discussed when confinement is practiced ( Wang et al., 2021 ). However, it is known that in family farming environments, there are several interactions between different animal species, which can be another collaborative factor for the greater heterogeneity between samples in this group.…”