The influence of maternal energy status during midgestation on beef offspring carcass characteristics and meat quality1

Abstract

Research has suggested that maternal undernutrition may cause the development of a thrifty phenotype in the offspring, potentially resulting in greater adiposity and reduced muscle mass. These alterations in adipose and muscle development could have lasting impacts on offspring growth, carcass characteristics, and meat quality. However, limited research exists evaluating the impact of maternal energy status on these economically important traits of the offspring. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the influence of maternal energy status during midgestation on offspring carcass characteristics and meat quality. To alter maternal energy status, cows either grazed dormant, winter range (positive energy status [PES]) or were fed in a drylot at 80% of the energy requirements for BW maintenance (negative energy status [NES]) during a mean period of 102 ± 10.9 to 193 ± 10.9 d of gestation. Changes in BCS, BW, LM area (LMA), and 12th rib backfat were measured throughout midgestation. At the end of midgestation, cows in the NES group had a reduction (P ≤ 0.05) in BCS, BW, LMA, and 12th rib backfat when compared with PES dams. Cows and calves were managed similarly after midgestation through weaning and calves were managed and fed a common diet through the receiving, backgrounding, and finishing phases in the feedlot. Calves were harvested after 208 d in the feedlot, carcass characteristics were recorded, and strip loins were recovered for analysis of objective color and Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF). Maternal energy status had no influence on offspring HCW, dressing percent, LMA, percent KPH, marbling score, percent intramuscular fat, objective color, or WBSF (P > 0.10). Progeny of NES cows tended to have improvements in 12th rib backfat and USDA yield grade (P < 0.10). Greater ratio of marbling score to 12th rib fat thickness and ratio of percent intramuscular fat to 12th rib fat thickness (P < 0.05) were discovered in progeny from cows experiencing a NES during midgestation. These results suggest that maternal energy status during midgestation may impact fat deposition in intramuscular and subcutaneous fat depots without impacting muscle mass.

Does maternal size, nutrition and metabolic status affect offspring production traits in domestic species?

“…In beef cattle, feeding cows at 80% requirements between 3 and 6 months of gestation reduced subcutaneous rib fat thickness and increased the intra-to inter-muscular fat ratio in 7 months old calves (Mohrhauser et al, 2015). The birthweight of calves born to Angus cross-bred cows fed 60% of their requirements between 30 and 85 days or between 30 and 140 days of gestation was the same as offspring born to cows fed 100% of requirements but their liver was heavier (Prezotto et al, 2016).…”

Primer Seminario Técnico de Programación Fetal

“…Además, se ha observado que la restricción de nutrientes durante la gestación en vacas Angus cruza afecta los metabolitos maternos y el crecimiento fetal (Taylor et al, 2018). Sin embargo, la restricción de nutrientes no alteró el peso del útero, el peso de los placentomas o el peso de las carúnculas, pero aumentó el peso del cotiledón y el área total de la superficie de los placentomas en vacas con restricción de nutrientes en gestación temprana o media (Taylor et al, 2015). Debido a que la gestación temprana es un período crítico del desarrollo de tejidos y órganos fetales, se ha observado que la nutrición materna induce RCIU durante este período.…”

“…Lo que refuerza aún más la idea de que los miARN funcionales son necesarios para el desarrollo fetal adecuado. Recientemente, los perfiles de miARN de placentomas de vacas con restricción de nutrientes durante la gestación temprana presentaron una mayor alteración en la abundancia de miARN y vías enriquecidas asociadas con la guía de axones, endocitosis, interacción ligando-receptor neuroactivo y vía de señalización MAPK (Taylor et al, 2015). Esto se vio respaldado por los perfiles de miARN circulantes en los que las vacas con restricción de nutrientes durante la gestación temprana y media presentaron abundancia de alteraciones de miARN independientemente del momento en que se indujo la carencia nutricional, así como el enriquecimiento de la vía de genes objetivos como: vías en el cáncer, AMPc señalización, adhesión focal, señalización Ras, proteoglicanos en cáncer y vías de señalización MAPK (McCarty et al, 2019).…”

“…Además, el extracto de etéreo y la humedad del músculo Longissimus fue similar entre los novillos BP y AP (P> 0,10; Cuadro 4). Estos resultados respaldan estudios previos en vacas que fueron restringidas durante la gestación tardía (Underwood et al, 2010;Mulliniks et al, 2016;Stalker et al, 2006;Shoup et al, 2015), gestación media (Mohrhauser et al, 2015) o gestación temprana (Long et al, 2010). Se ha planteado la hipótesis de que la etapa fetal es el período de desarrollo más eficiente para aumentar el marmoleo en la carne de la descendencia (Du et al, 2010).…”

Identification and co-expression analysis of long noncoding RNAs and mRNAs involved in the deposition of intramuscular fat in Aohan fine-wool sheep

“…Currently, evaluations of the meat quality of livestock have revealed that the content of intramuscular fat (IMF) is lower in carcass fats, yet IMF has a critically 4 important influence on the edibility and flavor of muscle meat [1]. Indeed, the quantity of IMF has become one of the most critical parameters in meat quality indicators, as it is considered to be positively related to meat quality and texture [2,3]. When a certain amount of fat is deposited between the muscle bundles and muscle fibers, the marbled section of the meat has a high score, and the meat is fresh and juicy, which is often considered ideal [4, 5].…”