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. 2025 Jun 15;14(12):2102.
doi: 10.3390/foods14122102.

Effects of Rumen-Protected Methionine on Meat Quality, Fatty Acid Composition, Volatile Flavor Compounds and Transcriptomics of Longissimus lumborum of Yak (Bos grunniens)

Xia Wu  1   2 , Zizhen Zuo  2 , Jiajia Li  1   2 , Jianhui Fu  2 , Jincheng Zhong  1   2   3 , Hui Wang  1   2   3 , Haitao Shi  1   2   3 , Yanling Huang  1   2   3 , Haibo Wang  1   2   3
Affiliations

Effects of Rumen-Protected Methionine on Meat Quality, Fatty Acid Composition, Volatile Flavor Compounds and Transcriptomics of Longissimus lumborum of Yak (Bos grunniens)

Xia Wu et al. Foods. .

Abstract

Yak (Bos grunniens) meat is popular with a unique flavor and high nutritional value. This study investigated the effects of dietary supplementation with rumen-protected methionine (RPM) on meat quality, fatty acid composition, volatile flavor compounds, and transcriptomics of Longissimus lumborum of yak. Twenty-four male Maiwa yaks were selected and assigned to four groups: basal diet (CON), or supplementation of 5 g/d (RPM5), 10 g/d (RPM10), and 15 g/d (RPM15) RPM. The dose-dependent effects of RPM levels were evaluated through linear or quadratic trend analysis. The results showed that diet supplementation with RPM increased the intramuscular fat contents, improved composition of volatile flavor compounds and the ratio of monounsaturated fatty acids to saturated fatty acids. Compared to the CON group, there were 36, 84 and 23 up-regulated genes, and 85, 94 and 70 down-regulated genes in the RPM5, RPM10 and RPM15 groups, respectively. Gene ontology enrichment analysis revealed significant differentially expressed genes enrichment in biological processes, cellular components, and molecular functions across RPM5, RPM10, and RPM15 groups compared to the CON. KEGG pathway analysis revealed 99, 169, and 104 enriched pathways in RPM5, RPM10, and RPM15 groups, respectively. In summary, the addition of RPM to diets may provide new ideas and methods to improve meat quality of yaks.

Keywords: Longissimus lumborum; fatty acid; meat quality; rumen-protected methionine; transcriptomics; volatile flavor compounds.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests. All authors have reviewed and approved the final version of this manuscript for publication.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Volcano diagram of differential genes. (A) RPM5 vs. CON; (B) RPM10 vs. CON; (C) RPM15 vs. CON).
Figure 2
Figure 2
GO enrichment histogram. ((A) GO enrichment histogram between RPM5 and CON; (B) GO enrichment histogram between RPM10 and CON; (C) GO enrichment histogram between RPM15 and CON; BP, Biological Process; CC, Cellular Component; MF, Molecular Function).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Bubble map of KEGG pathway enrichment. ((A) bubble map of KEGG pathway enrichment between RPM5 and CON; (B) bubble map of KEGG pathway enrichment between RPM10 and CON; (C) bubble map of KEGG pathway enrichment between RPM15 and CON).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Protein synthesis and animal growth and development related genes expression. * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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