EXCELMEAT An International Research Network for the Genetic Improvement of Pigmeat Quality and the Development of Biosensing Technologies as Rapid and.

EXCELMEATAn International Research Network for the Genetic Improvement of Pigmeat Quality and the Development of Biosensing Technologies as Rapid and Cost-Effective Tools for Meat Quality Evaluation

FP7-PEOPLE-2009-IRSES

Dr Jules HernándezEXCELMEAT coordinatorIRTA Monells, March 2012

INDEX

1. What is EXCELMEAT?

2. Pork Quality Views

3. Partners

4. Work Packages

5. Genes and meat quality

6. Workshop

7. Potential EU project?

WHAT IS EXCELMEAT?

• EU funded scientific network

• It funds travel + accommodation

• It does not fund research costs

• Opportunity to establish international

collaborations

• It could lead to a European Project

• www.bdporc.irta.es/excelmeat/index.

html

01.1 QUÈ ÉS?

PORK QUALITY:THE CONSUMER

01.1 QUÈ ÉS?

PORK QUALITY:THE SCIENTIST

01.1 QUÈ ÉS?

ROLE OF GENETICS

Halothene Gene

01.1 QUÈ ÉS?

ROLE OF GENETICS

Acid Meat Gene

01.1 QUÈ ÉS?• Genetics gives raw material

• No environmental change will

transform Pietrain into Duroc

• No simple Mendelian explanation

for most complex traits

• The way: Genetics x Environment

ROLE OF GENETICS

01.1 QUÈ ÉS?PARTNERS

1. IRTA

2. Universitat de Lleida (UdL)

3. University of Bologna (UNIBO)

4. University of West England (UWE)

5. Ukranian Institute of Pig Breeding (IPBUA)

6. Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS)

7. Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KU Leuven)

8. Iowa State University (ISU)

TÍTOL DEL POWER POINT. PRESENTACIÓ

WORK PACKAGES

1. Pleiotropic and epigenetic studies of meat quality markers

2. Muscle growth and development

3. Regulation of fat deposition and fatty acid composition

4. Animal welfare and handling as a source of stressors that

affect meat quality

5. Development of novel technology for rapid and

inexpensive evaluations of meat quality parameters

TÍTOL DEL POWER POINT. PRESENTACIÓ

PLEIOTROPY AND EPIGENETICS

• Pleiotropy

One gene affecting 2+ traits

Good genes for meat quality should not be bad for

production/survival

Data: >100 traits (fat, growth, sensorial) in Duroc (project

LIPEXQ, Dr. Quintanilla)

• Epigenetics

How DNA methylation controls gene expression?

Data: gene HMGA1 in Ukranian pigs + Duroc

WP1

TÍTOL DEL POWER POINT. PRESENTACIÓ

MUSCLE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT

• Meat tenderness

Calpain (proteolysis)

Calpastatin (calpain inhibitors)

Cathepsin D (proteolisis)

Cystatins (cathepsin inhibitors)

Myopalladin (Z-line and gene expression regulation)

Myostatin (stops muscle growth)

Titin (muscle assembly, structure, elasticity)

• Protein profile differences within Duroc: leanest vs. fattest

WP2

TÍTOL DEL POWER POINT. PRESENTACIÓ GENETIC REGULATION OF FAT

DEPOSITION AND COMPOSITION

• Fat metabolism

Acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACACA)

ATP citrate lyase (ACL)

Fatty acid synthase (FASN)

Stearoyl-CoA-desaturase (SCD)

∆5 and ∆6 desaturases

• Lipogenic enzymes in 2D and 3D cell culture

• Gene networks: PPAR/RXR transcription factors

Adipocite differentiation, lipogenesis

WP3

TÍTOL DEL POWER POINT. PRESENTACIÓ ANIMAL WELFARE:

STRESS & MEAT QUALITY

• Pre-slaughtering stress

Best non-invasive measure of stress?

• Genetics of stress tolerance

Gene expression profile differences between

stressed and non-stressed pigs

WP4

TÍTOL DEL POWER POINT. PRESENTACIÓ NEW TECHNOLOGIES FOR MEASURING

PORK QUALITY

• Current methods are slow, expensive, and difficult to

implement on-line

Fat composition by gas/liquid chromatography

• Future methods should be fast, cheap, and easy to

implement on-line

Measuring intramuscular and back fat:

• Magnetic immunosensors

• Impedance spectroscopy

• Hormones and stress (cortisol)

WP5

TÍTOL DEL POWER POINT. PRESENTACIÓ PORK QUALITY BIOSENSORS WORKSHOP

Lleida 25 October 2012

• From 10 am to 6 pm (2 hours break)

• Oral (15+5 min.) or posters

• 18 presentations in 6 hours (3 pres./hr.)

• Abstract Format (

www.bdporc.irta.es/excelmeat/Workshop.html)

• Audience: EXCELMEAT members, IRTA colleagues, guest

researchers, SMEs, Large Companies, Vet College...

TÍTOL DEL POWER POINT. PRESENTACIÓ

FUTURE PROJECT

• Objective

What can generate income to SMEs?

• Focus

Is GxE the way forward?

• Funding

EU funding research for SMEs

National CDTIs