Variation of Meat Quality and Relationship to Gut Microbiota Among Different Pig Breeds

Meat production is of great importance to the world's food supply and economic development, and meat quality determines the purchasing desire of consumers. Recent studies show intestinal microorganisms are involved in several physiological functions of the host and therefore are likely to regulate meat quality. This study aimed to compare the carcass performance, meat quality traits and serum parameters of three different pig breeds, Jinhua (JH) pigs (n = 8), Duroc × Berkshire × Jiaxinghei (DBJ) pigs (n = 8), Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire (DLY) pigs (n = 8) and to investigate a possible relationship between gut microbiota composition and these traits. Meat quality results showed that compared with DLY pigs, JH pigs had lower water loss and shear force in the longissimus dorsi muscle, and higher intramuscular fat content and inosine monophosphate content were observed in JH pigs. Serum biochemical indicators showed the content of nonesterified fatty acid in JH pigs was lowest. Furthermore, the gut microbiota analysis indicated that JH pigs harboured more abundant Lachnospiraceae, Prevotellaceae NK3B31 and Marvinbryantia. Spearman correlation analysis showed that unidentified genus of family Lachnospiraceae, genus Prevotella and genus Alloprevotella were positively correlated with IMF content and marbling score in the longissimus dorsi muscle of pigs. In conclusion, our results indicated the quality of JH pork was superior to DBJ and DLY pigs, and the difference in meat qualities was related to the abundance of fibre-degrading bacteria. Our study provides insight into further understanding of the relationship between microbiota and meat quality, nutrient metabolism and fat deposition, which is critical to the pork industry and swine intestinal health.