Carnosine content in the porcine longissimus thoracis muscle and its association with meat quality attributes and carnosine-related gene expression

Carnosine is a remarkable health-beneficial molecule, naturally occurring in meat, poultry and some fish but not in foods of plant origin. Carnosine is found in various tissues, including brain and skeletal muscle where it has a wide range of protective biochemical properties. Because of its pH-buffering and antioxidant properties, higher carnosine level may bring to pork advantages in terms of meat quality. In this study, we hypothesized that greater muscle carnosine content would result in better pork meat quality and that carnosine-related gene expression in the pig muscle would be associated with muscle carnosine content. A total of 85 Duroc, 92 Landrace and 105 Yorkshire pigs from 16 breeding herds across Canada were raised at the Deschambault test station, in Quebec. Pigs were slaughtered at 120 ± 4.5 kg and muscles were sampled on the dressing line for gene expression and after 24 h for meat quality measurements. Large differences were found in muscle carnosine content between breeds and also between pigs, thus showing potential for increasing pork carnosine content through genetic improvement. Moreover, pigs with high muscle carnosine content had improved pork meat quality. Results from this study open new possibilities for increasing muscle carnosine content and may help the pork industry to differentiate (e.g. health-beneficial attribute) and reach increased market share.