Identifying the Rumen Bacteria that Improve Beef Production and Carcass Quality
Project Title
Identification of Bacterial Enzymes Associated with Beef Production Efficiency and Carcass Quality
Researchers
Dr. Antonio Ruzzini - University of Saskatchewan antonio.ruzzini@usask.ca
Dr. Gregory Penner, University of Saskatchewan
| Status | Project Code |
|---|---|
| In progress. Results expected in November, 2024 | POC.34.23 |
Background
The past decade of research has shown that bile acids can play a key role in influencing an animal’s body which can result in positive health effects. This includes changing the composition of the microbiome in the digestive system and stimulating the immune system. In the case of cattle, this could have the potential to influence carcass quality.
Specifically, cholic acid, a bile acid produced in the liver from cholesterol, while not toxic itself, it causes gut bacteria to transform into toxic metabolites like deoxy- and lithocholic acid. This is not a unique phenomenon with gut bacteria producing many secondary bile acids which have modified steroid rings which have toxic and other unknown activities. Other cholic acid metabolites can be used as biomarkers like 3-oxo-4,6-choladienoic acids which vary slightly in structures but can have a positive or negative impact on average daily gain in cattle. Additionally, ursodeoxycholic acid which was found to increase meat quality and marbling without effecting dressing percent, fat thickness or rib eye area.
However, there’s still a lot we don’t understand about these bile acid-related substances and how they affect the quality of beef. Identifying and understanding more about these substances and how they relate to the quality of meat could fill an important gap in our knowledge about animal health and meat quality.
Objectives
- Catalogue secondary bile acids in beef cattle
- Identify bacteria and bacterial enzymes involved in their production.
What they will do
The Ruzzini and Penner labs are teaming up to make a comprehensive list of bile acid metabolites found in fecal samples from several feedlot studies. Because of the variety of studies, they will be able to evaluate cattle of different breeds, ages, and stage of feeding. This study will go beyond what’s been done before by looking at a broader range of these bile acid using advanced tools like mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy.
Bacteria will be isolated from cattle feces based on their ability to tolerate and/or modify deoxycholic acid (DCA). First, the team will isolate bacteria that can grow even when exposed to DCA. Then, these bacteria will be tested further to confirm if they’re modifying this harmful bile acid. From this, three types of bacteria are likely to emerge (i) ones that can survive but don’t change DCA, (ii) ones that consume DCA, and (iii) ones that can tolerate and modify DCA, but don’t consume it. The team assumes the bacteria in the third group might be the most promising in influencing cattle health and beef quality through bile acid metabolism.
Implications
Bile acid transformation is a complex multigene process that could impact the uniformity and profitability of feedlot cattle. Understanding how the microbiome plays a role should be taken into consideration as the presence, or abundance of some metabolites may shine a key light on some production limitations. Results from this study will be important to design other cattle feeding trials and further understand the relationship between bile acids and carcass quality.