Wang Ling, Gao Jie, Li Guojin, Cheng Jia, Yuan Guoqiang, Zhang Tao, Zeng Wenxian, Lu Hongzhao
School of Biological Science and Engineering, Shaanxi University of Technology, Hanzhong 723001, China.
Shaanxi University Engineering Research Center of Quality Improvement and Safety Control of Qinba Special Meat Products, Hanzhong 723001, China.
Animals (Basel). 2024 Jul 12;14(14):2041. doi: 10.3390/ani14142041.
The Lueyang black-bone chicken is a specific native chicken strain in China. This study aimed to investigate the effects of different rearing systems on the meat quality of Lueyang black-bone chickens. Six hundred Lueyang black-bone hens were randomly divided into two groups at 7 weeks of age and raised in cage and cage-free systems for 20 weeks. The carcass yield, meat quality, and total metabolites were measured in both the leg and breast muscles. By comparison, the carcass yield of hens in the cage-free (CF) group (1.26 ± 0.09 kg) was significantly lower than that in the caged rearing (CR) group (1.52 ± 0.15 kg). However, the shear force of leg muscles in the CF group (27.98 ± 2.43 N) was significantly greater than that in the CR group (24.15 ± 1.93 N). In addition, six samples from each group were randomly selected and their metabolites were detected by the non-targeted metabolomics technique. Among these metabolites, 408 and 354 significantly differentially abundant metabolites were identified in breast and leg muscles, which were mainly involved in glycerophospholipid metabolism, unsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis, arginine and proline metabolism, and nucleotide metabolism. We found that the levels of 19 phospholipids, mainly phosphatidylcholines and lysophosphatidylcholines, were significantly greater in the CF group than in the CR group. Additionally, the contents of eight unsaturated fatty acids, linoleic acid, and linolenic acid were dramatically greater in the CF group than in the caged group. The accumulation of 4-hydroxy-proline, glutamate, and adenosine 3'-monophosphate (AMP) was enhanced in the CF group. Moreover, many more volatile organic compounds were identified in the muscles of the cage-free group, enhancing the flavor of the chicken meat. In conclusion, the cage-free rearing mode facilitates the accumulation of nutrients and flavor substances in the chicken meat and is a better rearing system for Lueyang black-bone chickens.
略阳乌鸡是中国特有的地方鸡种。本研究旨在探讨不同饲养方式对略阳乌鸡鸡肉品质的影响。600只略阳乌鸡母鸡在7周龄时随机分为两组，分别采用笼养和放养方式饲养20周。测定了腿部和胸部肌肉的胴体产量、肉质和总代谢产物。结果表明，放养（CF）组母鸡的胴体产量（1.26±0.09千克）显著低于笼养（CR）组（1.52±0.15千克）。然而，CF组腿部肌肉的剪切力（27.98±2.43牛）显著高于CR组（24.15±1.93牛）。此外，每组随机选取6个样本，采用非靶向代谢组学技术检测其代谢产物。在这些代谢产物中，胸部和腿部肌肉分别鉴定出408种和354种显著差异丰富的代谢产物，主要涉及甘油磷脂代谢、不饱和脂肪酸生物合成、精氨酸和脯氨酸代谢以及核苷酸代谢。我们发现，CF组中19种磷脂（主要是磷脂酰胆碱和溶血磷脂酰胆碱）的含量显著高于CR组。此外，CF组中8种不饱和脂肪酸（亚油酸和亚麻酸）的含量显著高于笼养组。CF组中4-羟基脯氨酸、谷氨酸和3'-单磷酸腺苷（AMP）的积累增加。此外，放养组肌肉中鉴定出的挥发性有机化合物更多，增强了鸡肉的风味。综上所述，放养饲养模式有利于鸡肉中营养物质和风味物质的积累，是略阳乌鸡较好的饲养方式。
