Department of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Agro-Animal Genomics and Molecular Breeding, and Key Lab of Chicken Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affair, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China.
State Key Laboratory of Livestock and Poultry Breeding, and Lingnan Guangdong Laboratory of Agriculture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China; Department of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Agro-Animal Genomics and Molecular Breeding, and Key Lab of Chicken Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affair, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China.
Poult Sci. 2024 Jun;103(6):103740. doi: 10.1016/j.psj.2024.103740. Epub 2024 Apr 5.
Meat quality traits are essential for producing high-quality broilers, but the genetic improvement has been limited by the complexity of measurement methods and the numerous traits involved. To systematically understand the meat quality characteristics of different broiler breeds, this study collected data on slaughter performance, skin color, fat deposition, and meat quality traits of 434 broilers from 12 different breeds in South China. The results showed that there was no significant difference in the live weight and slaughter weight of various broiler breeds at their respective market ages. Commercial broiler breeds such as Xiaobai and Huangma chickens had higher breast muscle and leg muscle rates. The skin and abdominal fat of Huangma chickens cultivated in the consumer market in South China exhibited significantly higher levels of yellowness compared to other varieties. Concerning fat traits, we observed that Wenchang chickens exhibited a strong ability to fat deposition, while the younger breeds showed lower fat deposition. Additionally, there were significant positive correlations found among different traits, including traits related to weight, traits related to fat, and skin color of different parts. Hierarchical clustering analysis revealed that fast-growing and large broiler Xiaobai chickens formed a distinct cluster based on carcass characteristics, skin color, and meat quality traits. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to extract multiple principal components as substitutes for complex meat quality indicators, establishing a chicken meat quality evaluation model to differentiate between different breeds of chickens. At the same time, we identified 46, 22, and 20 SNP loci and their adjacent genes that were significantly associated with muscle mass traits, fat deposition, and skin color through genome-wide association studies (GWAS). The above results are helpful for systematically understanding the differences and characteristics of meat quality traits among different breeds.
肉品质特性对于生产高质量肉鸡至关重要，但由于测量方法的复杂性和涉及的众多特性，遗传改良受到限制。为了系统地了解不同肉鸡品种的肉质特性，本研究收集了来自华南 12 个不同品种的 434 只肉鸡的屠宰性能、皮肤颜色、脂肪沉积和肉质特性数据。结果表明，不同肉鸡品种在各自的市场年龄时，活重和屠宰重没有显著差异。商用肉鸡品种如小白鸡和黄鸡的胸肌和腿肌比例较高。华南消费者市场培育的黄鸡的皮肤和腹部脂肪的黄色度明显高于其他品种。就脂肪特性而言，我们观察到文昌鸡具有很强的脂肪沉积能力，而年轻品种的脂肪沉积较低。此外，不同性状之间存在显著的正相关，包括体重相关性状、脂肪相关性状和不同部位的皮肤颜色。层次聚类分析表明，快速生长和体型较大的肉鸡小白鸡根据胴体特征、皮肤颜色和肉质特性形成了一个独特的聚类。主成分分析（PCA）用于提取多个主成分作为复杂肉质指标的替代物，建立了一个鸡肉质评价模型，以区分不同品种的鸡。同时，我们通过全基因组关联研究（GWAS）鉴定了 46、22 和 20 个 SNP 位点及其相邻基因，这些 SNP 位点及其相邻基因与肌肉量性状、脂肪沉积和皮肤颜色显著相关。上述结果有助于系统地了解不同品种肉质特性的差异和特点。
