Alpine Meadow Habitat Is Associated with Characteristic Flavor Formation in Bayinbuluke Sheep Meat Through Metabolic...

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Metabolomics
• Proteomics

Background:

• Extreme high-altitude environments present unique challenges influencing animal physiology and meat quality.
• Understanding the biochemical basis of meat flavor variation is crucial for agricultural and food science.

Purpose of the Study:

• To elucidate the biochemical mechanisms behind the altered skeletal muscle flavor profile in high-altitude sheep.
• To identify key metabolic pathways and molecular players responsible for the unique aroma of plateau meat.

Main Methods:

• Integrated multi-omics approaches including volatilomics, metabolomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics.
• Comparative analysis of sheep from high-altitude (Bayinbuluke) and low-altitude (Turpan Black) environments.
• Odor activity value analysis and correlation network construction to link molecular changes to sensory attributes.

Main Results:

• High-altitude meat showed suppressed off-flavors (e.g., p-cresol) and increased fruity esters.
• Metabolic reprogramming included enrichment of polyunsaturated fatty acids, L-cysteine, and rhamnose.
• Downregulation of GPAT3 and APOC3, and upregulation of CTH gene were linked to lipid and L-cysteine accumulation, respectively.

Conclusions:

• Extreme ecological stress (cold, hypoxia) induces convergent metabolic reprogramming in sheep.
• This reprogramming reconstructs the flavor precursor pool, altering the characteristic lipid aroma of plateau meat.
• Proposed mechanisms require further functional and sensory validation.