A. B. Freitas

Effect of long‐term betaine supplementation on chemical and physical characteristics of three muscles from the Alentejano pig

BACKGROUND The use of betaine as a dietary supplement to reduce fat deposition and increase lean muscle mass in pigs is increasing. However, there is no available information on its effect on the physical and chemical (i.e. fatty acid (FA) profile) characteristics of pork. RESULTS The effects of long-term betaine intake (1 g betaine kg(-1) diet for 20 weeks) on the chemical and physical characteristics of Musculus longissimus dorsi, M. biceps femoris and M. semimembranosus from the Alentejano pig were investigated. The contents of total protein, intramuscular lipids (neutral and polar), myoglobin and total collagen as well as the water-holding capacity, physical colour characteristics and FA profile of the three muscles were determined. With the exception of a significant increase in the intramuscular lipid content of M. longissimus dorsi and M. biceps femoris, betaine supplementation did not influence muscle chemical and colour characteristics or body fat deposition. CONCLUSION These data suggest that long-term betaine supplementation selectively increases intramuscular lipid deposition (a trait related to meat quality) while not affecting other chemical (including the atheroprotective FA profile) and physical characteristics of the Alentejano pig muscles studied.

Long term betaine supplementation regulates genes involved in lipid and cholesterol metabolism of two muscles from an obese pig breed

This study evaluates the effects of betaine supplementation (1gkg-1 for 20weeks) on the regulation of genes involved in lipid and cholesterol metabolism of Longissimus lumborum and Biceps femoris from obese Alentejano pigs. Betaine supplementation led to an increase in total cholesterol in both muscles, complementing results previously published indicating a significant increase on the intramuscular lipid content. The expression of twelve genes involved in lipogenesis, lipolysis/FA oxidation, FA transport, and cholesterol metabolism, as well as two transcription factors were also evaluated. Genes related to lipid and cholesterol synthesis plus FA transport were consistently up-regulated in both muscles of betaine fed pigs. On the other hand, genes related to lipolysis/FA oxidation were not affected or down-regulated by betaine supplementation. Our data suggest that the underlying mechanism regulating IMF and cholesterol accumulation in Alentejano pigs supplemented with betaine is associated with the up-regulation of genes involved in lipid synthesis, FA transport, and cholesterol synthesis.

The Ribatejano Pig: A Cross Based On A Fatty Pig

The Ribatejano (RI) pig productive performance, resulting from a cross between Alentejano (AL) and Bisaro (BI) breeds, was assessed within the framework of the TREASURE* project. Nine castrated male pigs from each genotype (AL, BI, ALxBI and BIxAL) were studied. Animals were raised in traditional free-range system, individually fed with commercial diets ad libitum, and slaughtered at ~150 kg live weight (LW). No significant (P>0.05) differences were observed between genotypes on the average daily gain. Overall, carcass length, and head and bone cuts percentages (P leaner (BI) genotypes. These trends were already observed in a previous work where these genotypes were slaughtered at ~65 kg LW (Martins et al. 2017). Therefore, this cross can be an alternative to the use of other breeds for crossing, and increase the income of local pig producers in a sustainable way, mitigate the exodus of rural population, and also preserve the pure breed pig populations, contributing to animal biodiversity.