Effects of Nicotinamide Riboside Supplementation on Postmortem Mitochondrial Functionality and Apoptotic Activation

Area of Science:

• Mitochondrial biochemistry
• Apoptosis research
• Meat science

Background:

• Postmortem mitochondrial function and apoptosis significantly impact meat quality development.
• Nicotinamide riboside (NR) supplementation is known to improve pork color stability, but the underlying mechanisms require elucidation.
• Understanding NR's effects on early postmortem muscle physiology is crucial for optimizing meat quality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of NR supplementation on early postmortem mitochondrial functionality in porcine skeletal muscle.
• To evaluate the effect of NR on apoptotic activation markers in postmortem muscle tissue.
• To elucidate the mechanism by which NR supplementation influences meat quality traits.

Main Methods:

• Pigs were fed either a control or NR-supplemented diet for 10 days prior to harvest.
• Longissimus dorsi muscle samples were collected at 45 minutes and 24 hours postmortem.
• Mitochondrial respiration, mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization (MOMP), and apoptotic protein abundance (BAX, AIF, CASP3) were analyzed.

Main Results:

• NR supplementation reduced proton leak-associated respiration and slowed the accumulation of MOMP and loss of mitochondrial function.
• NR decreased Bcl-2-associated X (BAX) abundance at 45 min postmortem.
• NR increased mature apoptotic inducing factor (AIF) abundance at 24 h postmortem.

Conclusions:

• NR supplementation protects mitochondrial integral function in early postmortem porcine muscle.
• NR supplementation alleviates apoptotic activation, potentially enhancing meat color stability.
• These findings suggest NR as a viable strategy to improve pork quality during retail display.