Identification of regulatory factors on carcass characteristics and meat quality of beef cattle and elucidation of their regulatory mechanisms.

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K05954
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 42010:Animal production science-related
• Research Institution: Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University
• Principal Investigator: SHIBATA Masahiro 日本獣医生命科学大学, 応用生命科学部, 教授 (60370631)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 肉用牛 / 放牧と飼料イネ / 遺伝子発現 / 枝肉成績と肉質 / ビタミン

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this study, we searched and identified factors that affect fattening and carcass characteristics in beef cattle, and analyze their accumulation and expression. We investigated the effects of feeding a large amount of grass hay to steers in the early stage of fattening period and feeding of rice whole crop silage (WCS) after grazing on growth performance, meat and carcass characteristics, and expression of genes involved in skeletal muscle growth of Japanese Black cattle. It was suggested that the Myostatin expression was associated with weight gain and daily gain (DG) in a large amount of grass hay fed steer.　Expression of Myostatin and Atrogin-1 resulted in suppression of skeletal muscle growth, suggesting a decrease in DG in grazing steer.　Vitamin content in blood and skeletal muscle showed a correlation with water-holding capacity and carcass characteristics, suggesting that they are indicators of these.

Free Research Field

家畜栄養飼養

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

昨今の飼料価格の高騰や持続可能な肉牛生産から、これまで行われてきた穀物多給肥育からこれに代わる肥育技術の開発が急務となっている。一方で、肥育技術の開発には膨大な期間を要するため、容易ではない。本研究で得られた成果を活用することで、肥育途中あるいは屠畜直後に肥育方法を検証することが可能となり、肥育技術の開発の加速化につながり、これは社会的にも意義のあることと考える。また、本来は実験動物で行われるこのような試みにおいて、産業動物を対象とすることで、得られた結果を直接的に現場に応用できる点で独創性があると共に、ここで得られた知見は学術的にも意義のあるものと考える。