Animals (Jul 2024)

Identification of Metabolites in Muscles of Lueyang Black-Bone Chickens: A Comparative Analysis of Caged and Cage-Free Rearing Modes Using Untargeted Metabolomic Techniques

  • Ling Wang,
  • Jie Gao,
  • Guojin Li,
  • Jia Cheng,
  • Guoqiang Yuan,
  • Tao Zhang,
  • Wenxian Zeng,
  • Hongzhao Lu

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14142041
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 14, no. 14
p. 2041

Abstract

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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.

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