Molecular regulatory mechanisms of dietary supplementation with Allium mongolicum Regel powder to improve muscle development and meat quality in Angus calves.

Objective: Supplementing animal feed with Allium mongolicum Regel powder (AMRP) additives can promote muscle production and improve meat quality. Here, we explored the effects of dietary AMRP supplementation on the performance, meat quality, and muscle transcriptome profile of Angus calves.

Methods: Twelve healthy black Angus calves (female, average body weight = 280.4 ± 15.74 kg, average age = 14 ± 0.6 months) of the same genetic background were randomly assigned to two feed groups: control (CON), basal diet without any supplementation, and AMRP, basal diet supplemented with 20 g of AMRP per calf per day.

Results: In general, compared with the control group, dietary AMRP supplementation significantly increased the longissimus thoracis muscle area (p=0.027) and pH24h (p= 0.027) but significantly reduced Warner-Bratzler shear force (p=0.009) and cooking loss (p<0.001). Moreover, 1,284 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in AMRP-supplemented Angus calves. Pathway analysis revealed that the DEGs were involved in multiple pathways related to muscle development and fat deposition, such as the focal adhesion and MAPK pathways.

Conclusion: Dietary supplementation of AMRP improved muscle growth and development in Angus beef cattle, as well as significantly modulated meat quality, and this modulation may affect signaling pathways by influencing the expression of key genes. Our results provide new insights into the development of the meat industry and, most importantly, analyze the mechanism by which AMRP regulates muscle development and improves meat quality at the molecular level.