Effects of infusing nitric oxide donors and inhibitors on plasma metabolites, muscle lactate production and meat quality in lambs fed a high quality roughage-based diet.
As nitric oxide (NO) is postulated to be a mediator of the effects of pre-slaughter stress on meat quality the aims of this experiment were to investigate the effects of modulating NO pharmacologically on meat quality of sedentary lambs. As pharmacological NO donors are prohibitively expensive to use in the lamb model L-Arginine, the substrate for NO synthase (NOS) was infused into lambs and increased NO production by ~30%. In a 2 × 2 factorial design we infused either L-Arginine (500 mg/kg) or the NOS inhibitor L-N(G) nitroarginine methyl ester hydrochloride (L-NAME, 30 mg/kg) 190 min pre-slaughter and investigated meat quality in the Longissimus thoracis lumborum (LTL) or Semimembranosus (SM). The principal outcome of the experiment was that L-NAME inhibited proteolysis and reduced tenderness in the SM. These data indicate that events pre-slaughter that affect NO synthesis can influence meat tenderness, potentially via altered muscle metabolism or modulation of proteolytic enzymes.
Australian Sheep Industry CRC, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2350, Australia; Agriculture Research, Department of Environment and Primary Industries, Werribee, VIC 3030, Australia; Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Science, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia. Electronic address: jcottrell@unimelb.edu.au.
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JJ
Cottrell
Australian Sheep Industry CRC, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2350, Australia; Agriculture Research, Department of Environment and Primary Industries, Werribee, VIC 3030, Australia; Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Science, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia.
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Ponnampalam
Australian Sheep Industry CRC, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2350, Australia; Agriculture Research, Department of Environment and Primary Industries, Werribee, VIC 3030, Australia; Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Science, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia.
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Dunshea
Australian Sheep Industry CRC, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2350, Australia; Agriculture Research, Department of Environment and Primary Industries, Werribee, VIC 3030, Australia; Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Science, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia.
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Warner
D000818:Animals; D001120:Arginine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000378:metabolism; D001315:Australia; D055598:Chemical Phenomena / Q000187:drug effects; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D003433:Crosses, Genetic; D004032:Diet / Q000662:veterinary; D004043:Dietary Fiber / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D063427:Food Quality; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008460:Meat / Q000032:analysis*; D055595:Mechanical Phenomena / Q000187:drug effects; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism*; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000819:agonists / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism*; D009919:Orchiectomy / Q000662:veterinary; D059748:Proteolysis / Q000187:drug effects; D011897:Random Allocation; D034561:Sheep, Domestic / Q000097:blood / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*
D004043:Dietary Fiber; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D019344:Lactic Acid; D001120:Arginine; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester
Glycogen; Lactate; Lamb; Meat tenderness; Nitric oxide; Plasma glucose; Post-mortem metabolism; Quality