Transcriptome analysis reveals the mechanism of chronic heat stress on meat quality of broilers

Abstract

Background Chronic heat stress has a negative impact on poultry meat quality. Although this has been extensively investigated, previous studies have primarily focused on metabolic alterations and oxidative stress in the pectoralis major (PM) muscle under chronic heat stress, and not all of the underlying molecular mechanisms are completely understood. Methods A total of 144 male Arbor Acres broilers (28 d old) were randomly allocated into 3 treatment groups: (1) the normal control (NC) group, with broilers raised at 22 °C and fed a basal diet; (2) the heat stress (HS) group, with birds raised at 32 °C and fed a basal diet; and (3) the pair-fed (PF) group, with birds raised at 22 °C and fed the amount of feed equal to the feed consumed on the previous day by the HS group. The experiment lasted for 14 d. Results Chronic heat stress decreased the average daily feed intake and average daily gain, increased feed:gain ratio (P < 0.05); and increased drip loss, cooking loss, shear force, hardness, and decreased pH, redness (a*); and springiness of PM muscle (P < 0.05). Furthermore, chronic heat stress decreased muscle fiber density, increased connective tissue, and led to intracellular vacuolation. The transcriptome analyses indicated that the effect of chronic heat stress on meat quality was not only related to metabolism and oxidative stress, but also to signal transduction, immune system, transport and catabolism, cell growth and death, and muscle structure. Conclusions Chronic heat stress has a negative impact on the growth performance, meat quality, and the PM muscle structure of broilers. Transcriptome analysis revealed a comprehensive understanding of the mechanism of the chronic heat stress-induced deterioration of broiler meat quality at the transcriptional level.

Betaine and nano-emulsified vegetable oil supplementation for improving carcass and meat quality characteristics of broiler chickens under heat stress conditions

“…Because of their thermoregulatory system (covered feathers and lack of sweat glands), broilers are more susceptible to unwanted high temperatures, and global warming makes broilers especially vulnerable to HS ( 44 ). Several studies have demonstrated that chronic HS increased L * values, cooking loss, drip loss, shear force, and hardness values, decreasing the springiness and pH24h and a * values of the PM muscle ( 3 , 41 ). The presence of water within muscle cells is crucial, as water loss can reduce the weight and thus the cost-effective value of the final meat product.…”

“…The eight treatment groups were as follows: group 1, TN + CON; group 2, TN + 1 g/L drinking water MAGO; group 3, TN + 1 g/L drinking water BET; group 4, TN + 1 g/L drinking water MAGOBET combination; group 5, HS + CON; group 6, HS + 1 g/L drinking water MAGO; group 7, HS + 1 g/L drinking water BET; and group 8, HS + 1 g/L drinking water MAGOBET combination. The presence of HS has a negative impact on the slaughter weight, carcass weight, internal organ weights, and quality of poultry meat ( 3 ). Therefore, in the current study, half of the broilers were exposed to the HS challenge during the finisher period, while the other half were not (20–35 days).…”

“…However, heat stress is a major concern in the poultry industry, affecting broiler chickens' mass gain and immunity ( 2 ). In addition, chronic heat stress has a negative impact on the quality of poultry meat ( 3 ). Supplementing Magic oil and probiotics is recommended for the optimal growth of broilers in poultry programs, particularly for male birds, during the period of 0 to 30 days of age ( 4 ).…”

Physicochemical Properties, Antioxidant Markers, and Meat Quality as Affected by Heat Stress: A Review

“…Consequently, PSE conditions are developed [61]. PSE meat is poorly processed meat, more dry and brittle, and has a poor texture, higher lightness, and lower sensory score [50,52,62] due to its hindered WHC and protein extractability [63,64]. In ruminants, increased pHu values under heat stress conditions negatively affect the shrinkage of the myofilament lattice leading to darker meat color.…”

Selenomethionine alleviates chronic heat stress-induced breast muscle injury and poor meat quality in broilers via relieving mitochondrial dysfunction and endoplasmic reticulum stress

“…The global average surface temperature continues to rise in recent years ( Ma et al., 2022a ), thus the poultry industry, with high-density intensive production, is exposed to the enormous challenge of HS. HS induced-poor growth performance of broilers is generally accompanied by skeletal muscle growth retardation and poor meat quality ( Liu et al., 2022 ; Ma et al., 2018 ; Wen et al., 2019 ). Current evidence shows that HS causes mitochondrial stress, suppresses the activity of the mitochondrial respiratory chain, and increases the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which ultimately induces oxidative damage ( Tan et al., 2010 ).…”