Phenotyping of the Visceral Adipose Tissue Using Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) in Pigs

Abstract

<jats:p>The objective of this study was to phenotype visceral adipose tissue (VAT) in pigs. In this context, the ability to detect VAT by using the DXA CoreScan mode within the enCORE software, version 17 (GE Healthcare) was evaluated in comparison with MRI measurements (Siemens Magnetom C!) of the same body region. A number of 120 crossbred pigs of the F1 and F2 generation, with the parental breeds Large White, Landrace, Piétrain, and Duroc, were examined at an age of 150 days. A whole-body scan in two different modes (“thick”, “standard”) was carried out by a GE Lunar iDXA scanner. Very strong relationships (R2 = 0.95, RMSE = 175cm3) were found for VAT between the two DXA modes. The comparison of VAT measured by MRI and DXA shows high linear relationships (“thick”: R2 = 0.76, RMSE = 399.25cm3/“standard”: R2 = 0.71, RMSE = 443.42cm3), but is biased, according to the Bland–Altman analysis. A variance analysis of VAT shows significant differences for both DXA modes and for MRI between male and female pigs, as well as between F1 and F2. In conclusion, DXA “CoreScan” has the ability to estimate VAT in pigs with a close relationship to MRI but needs bias correction.</jats:p>

Non-Destructive Imaging and Spectroscopic Techniques for Assessment of Carcass and Meat Quality in Sheep and Goats: A Review

“…This technique has several attributes that are not observed in the other image techniques previously described. MRI allows the provision of complete contrast among or within the various tissues and organs in the lean-tissue category, which makes it possible to measure volumes very precisely [ 57 , 58 ].…”

“…MRI is widely available for clinical purposes in humans, but its application in animals, and particularly to meat science, is limited, which is undoubtedly linked to the significant constraints that this technique presents. These constraints are related to the high cost, the extended scanning time, the high operating costs, including temperature control and general maintenance, and the need for a Faraday cage around the device [ 58 ]. A directory of MRI facilities available in 2015 in Europe [ 33 ] shows that only three institutions conducting MRI research in meat species (Institut National de Recherche en Sciences et Technologies pour Environnement et Agriculture—IRSTEA, Rennes, France; Livestock Center of the Ludwig—LMU, Munich, Germany, and Institute of Diagnostic Imaging and Radiation Oncology, Kaposvár, Hungary).…”

“…For goats, no work with MRI was identified after consulting the Web of Science. Given MRI’s precision, this technique is considered a reliable alternative to dissection [ 59 ] or can be seen as the reference method for other techniques [ 58 ].…”

Accuracy of predicting chemical body composition of growing pigs using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry

“…Fat tissue mass was 24% lower (P < 0.05) than lipid content in the EB but comparable (P > 0.05) in the carcass. The fat content of the gastrointestinal tract, the organs and the visceral adipose tissue (see Weigand et al, 2020) may have caused this discrepancy. (Table 3) even though model diagnostics were not optimal (see…”

Tracing the Inside of Pigs Non-Invasively: Recent Developments

“…To date, MRI in pigs is mainly being used for research purposes-and not for classical performance testing [39][40][41][42][43][44]. A few studies exist, however, where MRI (+DXA) helped to verify or to develop new performance test equations related to fattening of intact boars [45] or to test relationships between male phenotypes and carcass and meat quality [46,47], as was also done by using CT [48].…”