Genernas påverkan på köttkvaliteten

Abstract: Multiple factors are involved in control of beef sensory quality so great variation can be induced. The perception of meat quality can be affected anywhere in the product chain. Both the environment and the set of genes of the animals have an effect on the final output. A problem facing the beef industry today is the significant variations in meat quality between individual animals, which is reflected in the uneven quality of the meat that reaches the consumer. If the quality of meat in stores varies significantly over time, the consumers’ trust may decrease. Heritage is a contributing factor to the variation in the quality of beef. Research shows that there are single genes with effects on properties such as tenderness and marbling. To carry on the breeding of marker genes for our Swedish beef breeds, it is important to examine the impact genes have on our Swedish animal material. This study mainly includes genes affecting meat tenderness and marbling, which have all been associated with one or several specific mutations in various studies and populations. Beef tenderness is mainly influenced by the genes that control the expression of the proteolytic enzyme calpain and its inhibitor calpastatin. Meat tenderness can also be affected by the protein myostatin and the enzyme lysyl oxidase. The meat marbling can be influenced by enzymes affecting fat metabolism, thyroglobulin, DGAT (acyl CoA: diacylglyceroltransferas) and leptin. This study also includes genes PRKAG1 and DNAJA1. The effects of these genes have only been investigated in few studies.