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Review
. 2022 Aug 23:13:951726.
doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.951726. eCollection 2022.

Gut microbiota and meat quality

Binlong Chen  1 , Diyan Li  2 , Dong Leng  3 , Hua Kui  3 , Xue Bai  3 , Tao Wang  2
Affiliations
Review

Gut microbiota and meat quality

Binlong Chen et al. Front Microbiol. .

Abstract

Sustainable meat production is important to providing safe and quality protein sources for humans worldwide. Intensive artificial selection and high energy input into the diet of many commercial animals for the last decade has significantly increased the daily gain of body weight and shortened the raising period, but unexpectedly decreased the meat quality. The gastrointestinal tract of animals harbors a diverse and complex microbial community that plays a vital role in the digestion and absorption of nutrients, immune system development, pathogen exclusion, and meat quality. Fatty acid composition and oxidative stress in adipose and muscle tissue influences meat quality in livestock and poultry. Recent studies showed that nutraceuticals are receiving increased attention, which could alter the intestinal microbiota and regulate the fat deposition and immunity of hosts to improve their meat quality. Understanding the microbiota composition, the functions of key bacteria, and the host-microbiota interaction is crucial for the development of knowledge-based strategies to improve both animal meat quality and host health. This paper reviews the microorganisms that affect the meat quality of livestock and poultry. A greater understanding of microbial changes that accompany beneficial dietary changes will lead to novel strategies to improve livestock and poultry meat product quality.

Keywords: antioxidant capacity; fatty acid composition; gut microbiota; livestock; meat quality; poultry.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Function of gut microbiota.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Gut microorganisms related to intramuscular fat accumulation. The yellow dots are lipid droplets and the bacterial genera related to intramuscular fat (IMF) content are listed. The genes and pathways are also listed.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Metabolism of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) from dietary fiber to systemic circulation. MCT1, monocarboxylate transporter 1; SMCT1, sodium-dependent monocarboxylate transporter 1; GLP-1, glucagon-like peptide-1; GLUT-4, activated glucose trans-porter protein-4; PYY, peptide YY. Figure based on the study of Dalile et al. (2019).
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Antioxidants affect the composition of the gut microbiota and meat quality.
FIGURE 5
FIGURE 5
Gut microbiota and meat quality.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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