1. EXCELMEAT An International Research Network for the Genetic Improvement of Pigmeat Quality and the Development of Biosensing Technologies as Rapid and Cost-Effective Tools for Meat Quality Evaluation FP7-PEOPLE-2009-IRSES Dr Jules Hernández EXCELMEAT coordinator IRTA Monells, March 2012

2. INDEX 1.What is EXCELMEAT? 2.Pork Quality Views 3.Partners 4.Work Packages 5.Genes and meat quality 6.Workshop 7.Potential EU project?

3. WHAT IS EXCELMEAT? EU funded scientific network It funds travel + accommodation It does not fund research costs Opportunity to establish international collaborations It could lead to a European Project www.bdporc.irta.es/excelmeat/index.html

4. 01.1 QUÈ ÉS? PORK QUALITY: THE CONSUMER

5. 01.1 QUÈ ÉS? PORK QUALITY: THE SCIENTIST

6. 01.1 QUÈ ÉS? ROLE OF GENETICS Halothene Gene

7. 01.1 QUÈ ÉS? ROLE OF GENETICS Acid Meat Gene

8. 01.1 QUÈ ÉS? Genetics gives raw material No environmental change will transform Pietrain into Duroc No simple Mendelian explanation for most complex traits The way: Genetics x Environment ROLE OF GENETICS

9. 01.1 QUÈ ÉS? PARTNERS 1.IRTA 2.Universitat de Lleida (UdL) 3.University of Bologna (UNIBO) 4.University of West England (UWE) 5.Ukranian Institute of Pig Breeding (IPBUA) 6.Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) 7.Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KU Leuven) 8.Iowa State University (ISU)

10. TÍTOL DEL POWER POINT. PRESENTACIÓ WORK PACKAGES 1.Pleiotropic and epigenetic studies of meat quality markers 2.Muscle growth and development 3.Regulation of fat deposition and fatty acid composition 4.Animal welfare and handling as a source of stressors that affect meat quality 5.Development of novel technology for rapid and inexpensive evaluations of meat quality parameters

11. TÍTOL DEL POWER POINT. PRESENTACIÓ PLEIOTROPY AND EPIGENETICS Pleiotropy  One gene affecting 2+ traits  Good genes for meat quality should not be bad for production/survival  Data: >100 traits (fat, growth, sensorial) in Duroc (project LIPEXQ, Dr. Quintanilla) Epigenetics  How DNA methylation controls gene expression?  Data: gene HMGA1 in Ukranian pigs + Duroc WP1

12. TÍTOL DEL POWER POINT. PRESENTACIÓ MUSCLE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT Meat tenderness  Calpain (proteolysis)  Calpastatin (calpain inhibitors)  Cathepsin D (proteolisis)  Cystatins (cathepsin inhibitors)  Myopalladin (Z-line and gene expression regulation)  Myostatin (stops muscle growth)  Titin (muscle assembly, structure, elasticity) Protein profile differences within Duroc: leanest vs. fattest WP2

13. TÍTOL DEL POWER POINT. PRESENTACIÓ GENETIC REGULATION OF FAT DEPOSITION AND COMPOSITION Fat metabolism  Acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACACA)  ATP citrate lyase (ACL)  Fatty acid synthase (FASN)  Stearoyl-CoA-desaturase (SCD)  ∆5 and ∆6 desaturases Lipogenic enzymes in 2D and 3D cell culture Gene networks: PPAR/RXR transcription factors  Adipocite differentiation, lipogenesis WP3

14. TÍTOL DEL POWER POINT. PRESENTACIÓ ANIMAL WELFARE: STRESS & MEAT QUALITY Pre-slaughtering stress  Best non-invasive measure of stress? Genetics of stress tolerance  Gene expression profile differences between stressed and non-stressed pigs WP4

15. TÍTOL DEL POWER POINT. PRESENTACIÓ NEW TECHNOLOGIES FOR MEASURING PORK QUALITY Current methods are slow, expensive, and difficult to implement on-line  Fat composition by gas/liquid chromatography Future methods should be fast, cheap, and easy to implement on-line  Measuring intramuscular and back fat: Magnetic immunosensors Impedance spectroscopy Hormones and stress (cortisol) WP5

16. TÍTOL DEL POWER POINT. PRESENTACIÓ PORK QUALITY BIOSENSORS WORKSHOP Lleida 25 October 2012 From 10 am to 6 pm (2 hours break) Oral (15+5 min.) or posters 18 presentations in 6 hours (3 pres./hr.) Abstract Format (www.bdporc.irta.es/excelmeat/Workshop.html)www.bdporc.irta.es/excelmeat/Workshop.html Audience: EXCELMEAT members, IRTA colleagues, guest researchers, SMEs, Large Companies, Vet College...

17. TÍTOL DEL POWER POINT. PRESENTACIÓ FUTURE PROJECT Objective  What can generate income to SMEs? Focus  Is GxE the way forward? Funding  EU funding research for SMEs  National CDTIs