THEME: "Innovating for a Healthier Tomorrow: Pioneering Advances in Food Science and Nutrition"
Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, China
Title: Effects of lactic acid bacteria on protein metabolism of Sunit lamb
Zhai Maoqin, female, member of the Communist Party of China, doctoral student, School of Food Science and Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University. 2018-2022, undergraduate, majoring in food quality and safety of Inner Mongolia Agricultural University ; since 2022, he has studied for a master 's degree and a doctor 's degree in food science and engineering, meat science and technology team of Inner Mongolia Agricultural University. It mainly studies mutton quality, mutton protein metabolism, fat metabolism and so on. In 2023, it was approved by the scientific research and innovation project of graduate students in Inner Mongolia Agricultural University. In 2022-2023 and 2023-2024, they received academic scholarships from the autonomous region. In 2024, he won the school-level bronze award of the college students ' innovation competition project ( project leader ) of Inner Mongolia Agricultural University. In 2024, he published an article on Effects of lactic acid bacteria on protein metabolism of Sunit lamb in “Journal of Food Composition and Analysis”.
As a vital source of agricultural products, animal husbandry plays a crucial role in the development of the Chinese agricultural economy. Sunit lambs are a superior breed of meat lambs in the Inner Mongolia region of China, appreciated by the public for their richness in essential fatty acids, amino acids, and other characteristics, as well as their tasty meat. To investigate the effect of adding lactic acid bacteria (LAB) to Sunit lambs’ diet on their protein metabolism, 18 3-month-old Sunit sheep were randomly divided into two groups (Group C (non-feeding of LAB) and Group L (feeding of LAB)) for a 90 d feeding trial. After the animals were slaughtered, we used real-time fluorescence quantitative methods to measure key indicators such as basic indicators, amino acid composition, protein metabolic enzyme activity, and protein metabolism-related gene expression. There were nine replications of each group. Supplementing with dietary LAB had a positive impact on the serum and muscle amino acid content, as well as the protein metabolic enzyme activity. It also stimulated the expression of various proteins involved in the mTOR protein synthesis pathway, including insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF-1), PI3K, Akt1, mTOR, P70S6K1, eIF4E, and 4E BP1. Additionally, it reduced the expression of proteins involved in the catabolic pathway, including atrogin-1, MuRF1, FoxO1, and FoxO3, resulting in a beneficial effect on protein anabolism. Furthermore, it has been found that feeding LAB to Sunit sheep can increase their IMF content. This phenomenon may be linked to the sheep’s intestinal flora, but additional research is required to confirm this relationship. Overall, the addition of LAB to the diet can regulate protein metabolism in Sunit lambs, resulting in improved meat quality. This provides a new method and theoretical basis for dietary regulation to improve meat quality in housed lambs.