Lipidomic and Metabolomic Profiling of Breast Muscle Between Squabs and Adult White King Pigeons

This study systematically investigated age-related variations in meat quality traits, lipidomic profiles, and metabolomic profiles of breast muscle from White King pigeons, comparing 28-day-old squabs (D28) and 12-month-old adult pigeons (M12). Six biological replicates were used per group (n = 6). Physicochemical analyses and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry were employed to characterize these differences. Results showed significant disparities in meat quality between the two age groups: D28 pigeons exhibited significantly higher lightness (L*), redness (a*), and yellowness (b*) values at 24-h postslaughter, along with higher water-loss rate alongside lower shear force (p < 0.05), reflecting more tender muscle texture despite weaker water retention capacity. In contrast, M12 pigeons had higher springiness but lower cohesiveness and gumminess (p < 0.05). Lipidomic analysis identified 553 lipid molecules, with 174 differential lipids categorized into six classes. D28 pigeons had significantly higher levels of glycerolipids (GLs) and fatty acyls (FAs), while M12 pigeons showed elevated saccharolipids (SLs) and prenol lipids (PRs). Metabolomic profiling detected 19,019 metabolites, among which 984 were differentially abundant (screening criteria: variable importance in projection (VIP) ≥ 1, fold change (FC) > 1.2 or FC < 0.83, FDR-adjusted p < 0.05), predominantly enriched in amino acid metabolism. Correlation analysis revealed that acylcarnitines (AcCa) and phosphatidylinositol (PI) were positively correlated with water-loss rate and L24 values (r > 0.8, p < 0.05), whereas lysophosphatidylethanolamines (LPEs), L-threonic acid, and β-glycerophosphoric acid showed positive associations with shear force and cooking loss (r > 0.8, p < 0.05). These findings reveal statistical associations between lipid/metabolite profiles and age-driven differences in pigeon breast meat quality, and identify potential candidate lipid and metabolite biomarkers correlated with pigeon meat quality phenotypes. These results identify candidate biomarkers associated with breast meat quality in male White King pigeons at two ages and offer preliminary exploratory omics data for subsequent pigeon meat research, rather than universal guidance for breeding and production.