Global warming-induced heat stress causes oxidative imbalance and reduced productivity in livestock. This study investigated the effects of dietary supplementation with Piper sarmentosum Roxb. extract (PSE) on antioxidant capacity, lipid metabolism, and flavor formation in goats under heat stress. Thirty-six healthy 3-month-old male Hainan black goat kids were fed a basal diet supplemented with 0, 200, 400, or 600 mg/kg PSE (dry-matter basis) for 105 days. Specifically, PSE significantly enhanced antioxidant capacity, as indicated by increased total antioxidant capacity and glutathione peroxidase activity, along with reduced malondialdehyde levels (p < 0.05). These changes were accompanied by a decrease in n-6 polyunsaturated free fatty acids and a relative increase in saturated fatty acids (p < 0.05), suggesting a potential improvement in lipid oxidative stability. Further flavoromics analysis revealed a marked shift in meat volatile profiles, characterized by increased esters associated with fruity and waxy notes and decreased aldehydes and alcohols contributing to green and herbal odors. Muscle transcriptomic results further indicated enrichment of redox-related pathways, including oxidoreductase activity and reactive oxygen species metabolism. Overall, PSE, particularly at 600 mg/kg, enhanced antioxidant capacity and regulated redox status and lipid metabolism under heat stress, potentially contributing to improved meat oxidative stability and altered flavor compound formation.

To address the limitations in near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) for lamb meat quality (LMQ) assessment, specifically incomplete index coverage, constrained model accuracy, and the lack of a multi-index-based evaluation method, this study presents a comprehensive method for quantitative and qualitative assessment of LMQ. By combining NIRS features with multi-model optimization and fusion, the proposed method enables precise LMQ control, supports targeted marketing, and promotes maximized economic value. Quantitative models for key quality indices (KQIs) were constructed using a multi-model optimization fusion algorithm based on a convolutional neural network, the Rime-ice-based optimizer, and least squares support vector machine (CNN-RIME-LSSVM). Building on this, this study constructed a KQIs-based LMQ grading method using a multi-method approach integrating Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), Entropy Weighting Method (EWM), membership function, Ward's hierarchical clustering, and K-means. The grading information obtained from this grading method is associated with NIRS features to develop a qualitative model for quality grades. This qualitative model was developed using a composite algorithm, namely the Generalized Regression Neural Network optimized by the Caterpillar Fungus Optimizer (CFO-GRNN), thereby achieving rapid and intelligent grading of LMQ. Both the quantitative model (with R2P = 0.9792-0.9932 and RMSEP = 0.0155-0.0283) and the qualitative model (with Accuracy = 99.75% and Macro F1-score = 99.84%) demonstrated excellent performance. SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) explains the prediction behavior of the quantitative and qualitative models, enhancing transparency and interpretability of the decision-making mechanism. This study provides a new approach for on-line quality detection and intelligent grading of LMQ.

Perilla frutescens seeds (PFS) are gaining recognition as a natural alternative to antibiotics in livestock, supporting sustainable farming and animal health. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms through which PFS influence host immune function and antioxidant capacity, especially via the gut-liver-muscle axis, remain largely unknown. This study employed an integrative multi-omics approach to elucidate how PFS supplementation modulates the microbiota-gut-liver-muscle axis and enhances immune and antioxidant functions in lambs. PFS supplementation markedly improved immune and antioxidant profiles, demonstrated by elevated serum levels of IL-10, IgM, IgG, GSH-PX, and SOD, and reductions in IL-1β, TNF-α, and MDA. Microbial analysis revealed elevated abundances of ruminal and intestinal taxa commonly associated with gut homeostasis and metabolic health (Christensenellaceae_R-7_group) and reduced levels of species with pathogenic or pro-inflammatory potential (Bacillus cereus and Clostridioides) in the ileum. Transcriptomic and metabolomic profiling of liver tissue indicated modulation of key inflammatory and bile acid signaling pathways, including the downregulation of TLR4, NLRP3, ATF3, CYP2J2, and LXR-α. PFS also increased hepatic concentrations of anti-inflammatory metabolites such as chlorquinaldol and indole-3-carboxaldehyde, while reducing levels of LysoPC(20:4) and phosphatidic acid. Correlation and mediation analyses revealed strong interconnections among gut microbiota, hepatic gene expression, lipid metabolites in liver and muscle, and systemic immune-antioxidant markers. These findings highlight the microbiota-gut-liver-muscle axis as a central mechanism through which PFS enhances immune function and antioxidant capacity in lambs. PFS supplementation represents a promising nutritional strategy to improve healthy lamb production, supporting the development of antibiotic-free and sustainable livestock systems.

The behavioural characteristics of Hu sheep are closely linked to their health status. This study focuses on Hu sheep at various fattening stages to explore the role of machine learning in the recognition of multidimensional motion signals and links to sheep behaviour. Multidimensional motion sensors were employed to collect movement data, such as acceleration and angular position from the necks of sheep. Independent sample t-tests were conducted to analyse the temporal distribution differences in sheep behaviours, whilst one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was utilised to compare motion data across different behaviours. Factor Analysis (FA) was employed as a dimensionality reduction method whilst retaining relevant motion data and features. An artificial neural network model based on the whale optimisation algorithm (WOA) was established using both the raw and feature dataset, and its performance was compared with other models. The t-test results demonstrated significant differences in the temporal distribution of sheep behaviours at different fattening stages (p < 0.05), while ANOVA revealed significant distinctions among the majority of behavioural data (p < 0.05). The motion data and feature retained through FA effectively preserved key information regarding sheep movement, reducing dimensional redundancy while ensuring the classification efficacy of the model. The integration of WOA with the feature dataset addressed the issue of overfitting and achieved an accuracy of 95.52 %, which is an improvement of 19.04 % compared to traditional models. This research provides a high-precision and high-stability behavioural recognition model for Hu sheep, offering a methodological framework for achieving precise health assessments.

Grassland resources are the foundation of the sheep industry, and the development of artificial pastures provides a solution for alleviating the livestock-carrying pressure on natural grasslands. Based on the impact of lipid metabolism on muscle fatty acid composition, studying the differences in rumen and liver lipid metabolism between grazing and indoor feeding lambs helps to analyze the causes of high-quality grazing lamb meat and to improve the productivity of artificial pasture-based grazing systems. A total of 22 weaned lambs with similar weight were assigned to two groups; fed pellets and hay in separate pens (AF) or grazed exclusively on artificial pasture (AG) for 90 days. The results showed a significantly higher value in serum glucose and triglyceride concentrations and a significantly lower value in serum lipase in the AF vs AG group (P < 0.05). The metabolome revealed that crucial differential metabolites (DFMs) participating in lipid metabolism, oleic acid and palmitic acid, were down-regulated in the rumen of the AG group. In the liver, oleic acid, α-linolenic acid, and stearic acid were down-regulated in the AG group, while linoleic acid was up-regulated. Meanwhile, rumen hydroxypropanoate and liver succinic acid, enriched in propionate metabolism processes, were down-regulated in grazing lambs. Subsequently, liver transcriptome sequencing revealed that grazing inhibited fatty acid oxidation and lipid synthesis by down-regulating ME1, FABP1, HADHA, PLIN2, and ACAA2. The significant correlation between CYP4A6 and propionate metabolites suggested a potential regulatory role of propionate metabolism in liver lipid metabolism. Moreover, oleic acid, palmitic acid and stearic acids in muscle, rumen and liver were also closely correlated, revealing an essential contribution of rumen and liver lipid metabolism to muscle fatty acid deposition. Through the multi-omics assessment of the rumen and liver, our research systematically revealed the lipid metabolism mechanisms in lambs under different feeding patterns, which were caused by comprehensive factors such as diet and environment. It has made contributions to the goals of high-quality grazing lamb production and efficient grassland productivity.

Of all the forms of vitamin E, α-tocopherol is distinguished as the primary ligand for the α-tocopherol transport protein (α-TTP), a pivotal factor in its secretion into the bloodstream and subsequent systemic distribution. Nevertheless, the intricate molecular mechanisms governing the transport of α-tocopherol via α-TTP have yet to be fully elucidated. In this research, Co-Immunoprecipitation (Co-IP)/LC-MS and His-pull-down assays were utilized to identify proteins interacting with α-TTP. Immunofluorescence staining and Co-IP/Western blotting further confirmed these interactions. Meanwhile, RNA-seq was utilized to discover α-tocopherol-related genes. Genes knockdown was conducted to examine the influence of related genes on vitamin E transport. The concentrations of intracellular and extracellular vitamin E were quantified using LC-MS and specific assay kits. Immunofluorescence staining showed colocalization of Rab8a, SNX3, SNX5, SNX17, and SNX27 with α-TTP, whereas Co-IP/Western blot analysis indicated a specific interaction among Vps35, Rab8a and α-TTP. Notably, the knockdown of Rab8a, SNX5, SNX17, and SNX27 individually influenced the vitamin E content both intracellularly and extracellularly, whereas knockdown of SNX3 did not show such effects in hepatocytes. This research highlights the crucial roles of Rab8a and Vps35 in α-tocopherol's intracellular transport probably by direct interaction with α-TTP, and their association with Retromer-SNX27, Commander-SNX17, and ESCPE1 complexes.

The center of sustainable development of grassland husbandry is the balance between forage intake and growth characteristics of animals, and one of the keys to restricting the conversion efficiency of forage intake is the digestibility of forage produced by rumen microorganisms. Thus, the interaction between grass intake and rumen microbial fermentation is a key driver of both ruminant productivity and grassland ecosystem health. However, interactions between grass species, supplementary feeding, rumen microbiome, and rumen epithelium function, remain poorly understood. We employed metagenomic and metatranscriptomic analyses, coupled with single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) of rumen wall and serum metabolomics, to investigate how the rumen microbiome regulates grass intake and host metabolism. In a two-factor (grazing intensity and concentrate supplementation) experiment with 72 lambs, supplementary feeding under moderate grazing increased dry matter intake but decreased grass consumption of Artemisia tanacetifolia. These shifts correlated with contrasting trends between metagenomic and metatranscriptomic profiles of Lachnospiraceae. scRNA-seq revealed an increased abundance of basal cells (BCs), terminally differentiated keratinocytes (TDKs), and differentiated keratinocytes (DKs) in the supplemented group, with solute carrier genes (e.g., SLC16A1) involved in short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) transport enriched in basal cells. We also identified interactions between the rumen microbiome and host epithelial cells, influencing gene expression and localization, which in turn mediated the animal serum nutrient metabolism, particularly in B vitamin, bile acids, and amino acids. Our study identified key microbiome and epithelial cell subtypes involved in grass digestion and SCFAs metabolism in the rumen. This novel link between ruminal microbial function, epithelial cell cluster-based genes, and host metabolism provides critical insights into mechanisms underlying the interaction between grass intake and supplementary feeding for optimizing ruminant management strategies in sustainable grazing systems.

Adipose tissue is a key factor in regulating meat quality. In this study, lipidomics was used to investigate differentially expressed lipids (DELs) associated with fat deposition and flavour in subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) of lambs under different grazing intensities (moderate grazing (MG) and heavy grazing (HG)) with different supplementary feeding levels (No supplementary (NS), low supplementary (LS) and high supplementary (HS)). The results revealed that carcass quality and economic bennefits under moderate grazing or supplementary feeding conditions were superior to those under heavy grazing or non-supplementation regimes. Compared with MG-NS, HG-NS maintained SAT deposition through increased cardiolipin (CL) levels, but compromised lipid quality through accumulation of sphingolipids (e.g., sphingomyelin), posing potential health concerns. Under HG conditions, supplementation unexpectedly reduced flavor precursor phospholipids such as phosphatidylglycerol. In contrast, moderate grazing provided a healthier source of lamb meat, with supplementary feeding further improving SAT deposition and flavor precursors through coordinated increases in CL and phosphatidylserine, elevated unsaturated fatty acids. These findings demonstrate that moderate grazing combined with strategic supplementation synergistically enhances meat quality and economic benefits, while revealing critical linkages between grassland utilization practices, lipidome-driven meat attributes and human dietary health.

The increasing emphasis on meat quality within tropical goat breeding initiatives has led to the recognition of its defining attributes as intricate outcomes of breed-specific interactions. This investigation aimed to identify specific genes, metabolites, and signaling pathways correlated with meat quality traits in two tropical goat breeds, namely Nubian Black (NB) and Hainan Black (HN). To delve into the factors influencing goat meat quality, extensive transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses were carried out on Longissimus thoracis muscle tissue. Moreover, we conducted a meticulous comparative evaluation of muscle fiber structure, chemical composition, and pivotal meat quality traits between NB and HN breeds. The findings revealed that HN goats had markedly lower slaughter weight, hot and cold carcass weights, collagen content, Warner-Bratzler shear force, muscle fiber diameter, area, perimeter, perimysium thickness, and proportion of Type IIB fibers relative to NB goats (all P < 0.05). In contrast, crude fat content, intramuscular fat, muscle fiber density, and the proportion of type I and IIA fibers were higher in HN goats than in NB goats (all P < 0.05). Additionally, NB goats displayed elevated serum catalase activity (P < 0.05). Transcriptomic analysis identified over two thousand differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between HN and NB goats. Functional enrichment analysis indicated that these DEGs were predominantly engaged in various biological processes, including lipid metabolism regulation, thermogenesis, and muscular system development. Metabolomic profiling revealed 185 significantly altered metabolites (SCMs). Pathway enrichment analysis highlighted significant associations between these SCMs and crucial metabolic pathways, such as fatty acid biosynthesis; aspartate, glutamate, and alanine metabolism; and linoleic acid metabolism. An integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis pinpointed 17 key genes enriched within four overlapping KEGG pathways. Overall, the integration of traditional meat quality phenotyping with multi-omics investigations elucidated novel molecular mechanisms underlying the breed-specific variations in meat quality in tropical goats.

DNA barcoding approaches have been successfully applied for estimating diet composition. However, an accurate quantification in the diets of herbivores remains to be achieved. In the current study, we present a novel methodology that reveals the relationship between the actual proportions (by mass) of each herbage species in the diets and the relative proportions of the ITS2 gene sequences obtained from faecal samples to evaluate the diet composition of sheep in a meadow steppe. Nine common and 12 rare species of plants were employed for formulating 6 diets, along with the addition of feed supplements for improving the growth performance of sheep. Faecal samples were collected for DNA analysis over the period spanning days 7-12. A significant positive correlation (Spearman's rho = 0.389) was obtained between the actual proportions (by mass) of the herbage in the diet provided and the relative abundance of ITS2 sequences obtained from the faecal samples. A significant regression coefficient was found between the relative abundance of all common species and their respective herbage mass proportions. The accuracy of the relation equations, evaluated by utilizing the similarity coefficient, showed 84.69% similarity between the actual diet composition and the correct percentage. Taken together, the current study has provided empirical evidence for the accuracy and applicability of ITS2 as a DNA barcode for obtaining quantitative information about the diet composition of sheep grazing in species-rich grasslands.

The quality of lamb meat from natural pastures tends to be influenced by the pasture’s condition. This study investigated the impact of grazing intensity on lamb meat quality, identifying moderate grazing as optimal for enhancing meat attributes such as higher a*45min values, larger loin eye areas, reduced drip loss, and lower shear force. Proteins related to muscle structure (SLC4A1 and FMNL2) and metabolic enzymes (AKR1C1 isoform X1, PGFS, and Inmt) emerged as potential biomarkers for tenderness. Enriched differential metabolic pathways, particularly those associated with amino acid metabolism like tyrosine, arginine, and proline metabolism, were noted. Lambs under heavy grazing exhibited elevated levels of proline, which may lead to tougher lamb meat. Additionally, heavy grazing lambs showed increased levels of six key amino acids (arginine, glutamic acid, isoleucine, phenylalanine, proline, and tyrosine), the main mechanisms were activation of metabolic pathways, involving glycolytic enzyme (ALDOB) and gluconeogenic enzyme (FBP1) and few others metabolism enzymes (ADH1C, SULT1C4, ACAT2 and Aldh1l1). Oxidative stress and response to stress proteins (HP, CAT and RGN) were also participated in amino acid accumulation. The data reflected the vital role of metabolic enzymes in regulating lamb meat quality.

The n-6:n-3 fatty acid ratio is reduced in Tan lambs raised on a concentrate-based diet compared to that in pasture-fed animals. We determined whether the fatty acid composition could be improved via supplementation of plant materials or extracts. Lamb carcass traits and meat quality were hardly affected by dietary supplementation with Sophora alopecuroides L. (SA), Caragana korshinskii, Lycium barbarum polysaccharides, Astragalus membranaceus polysaccharides or glycyrrhetinic acid. Compared to the control group, male lambs fed dietary supplementation exhibited higher head weight than female lambs (p < 0.05). In addition, male lambs demonstrated greater pre-slaughter live weight, carcass weight, and meat lightness at 24 h compared to females (p < 0.05), but these parameters were not influenced by dietary composition. SA supplementation significantly increased the levels of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and all n-3 fatty acids, and decreased the n-6:n-3 fatty acid ratio. The SA group increased DHA lipid levels; various types of DHA-containing lipids were increased and DHA was more evenly distributed throughout various lipids. The increase in the DHA to n-3 fatty acid ratio may have resulted from the promotion of ALA -to-DHA conversion. In conclusion, DHA metabolism in Tan sheep was altered by SA supplementation.

Fattening lambs' behaviors and vitality statuses reflect health status and animal welfare directly. However, current detection methods for these aspects primarily rely on manual observation, which is inefficient. This paper aims to achieve precise and intelligent recognition of fattening lambs' behaviors and vitality statuses. Through the comprehensive literature review, field observations, and consultations with experts, four pivotal behaviors (running, sleeping, socialization, and wandering), alongside four vitality statuses (excitement, hungry, lethargy, and normal) are identified as crucial indicators that mirror the health status of fattening lambs. A visual system is established to collect and construct a dataset of fattening lambs, and a five-fold cross-validation method is employed to determine the basic model. Furthermore, an improved lightweight YOLOv8n model, named SheepYOLO, is developed in this paper. Sheep-YOLO utilizes the FasterNet network to reduce model complexity and incorporates the Mixed Local Channel Attention (MLCA) module, SIoU loss function, and Content-Aware ReAssembly of FEatures (CARAFE) to enhance the model's adaptability to varying breeding densities and lighting conditions. To validate the effectiveness of the optimization strategies, comparison experiments are conducted in this paper. The experimental results show that Sheep-YOLO achieved Params of 1.905 M and GFLOPs of 5.5 G, with a high mAP0.5 of 96.1 % on the test set and a detection speed of 79.317 FPS(12.61 ms/per image). Compared to the basic YOLOv8n, Sheep-YOLO achieves a 36.6 % reduction in Params and a 30 % decrease in GFLOPs, while maintaining higher mAP0.5 and faster detection speed. Besides, Sheep-YOLO surpasses widely used algorithms such as YOLOv3-tiny, YOLOv5n, YOLOv10n, RT-DETR, and Faster-RCNN regarding both lightweight performance and precision. Therefore, this study provides potential technical support for precise and intelligent recognition of the behaviors and vitality statuses of fattening lambs, contributing to the health monitoring and early disease prediction of sheep.

Average daily gain (ADG) is an important component affecting the profitability of sheep. However, research on the relationship between rumen microbes and sheep growth phenotype is still very lacking. Therefore, in this study, 16 Hu sheep were selected from a cohort of 318 sheep assigned to the same feeding and management conditions, and divided into high growth rate (HADG, n = 8) group and low growth rate (LADG, n = 8) group according to the extreme ADG value. Then, the differences in rumen microbes, rumen fermentation and animal immune parameters were further compared between groups to explore the potential role of rumen key microbes in regulating the health and growth performance of Hu sheep hosts. The results showed that specific pathogenic bacteria associated with ADG, including Anaerotruncus, Sediminibacterium and Glaesserella, exhibited significant correlations with interleukin-6 (IL-6) and immunoglobulin G (IgG). These interactions disrupt immune homeostasis in the host, leading to a metabolic prioritization of energy resources toward immune responses, thereby impairing growth and development. Succinivibrio_dextrinosolvens was enriched in HADG sheep and exhibited a significant positive correlation with propionate levels. This promoted propionate production in the rumen, enhancing the metabolic activity of carbohydrate, amino acid and energy metabolism, ultimately contributing to higher ADG in sheep. Importantly, random forest analysis results showed that Succinivibrio_dextrinosolvens could classify sheep into HADG and LADG with a prediction accuracy of 81.2

Chlorogenic acid (CGA) is a well-known plant secondary metabolite exhibiting multiple physiological functions. The present study focused on screening for synergistic antibacterial combinations containing CGA. The combination of CGA and p-coumaric acid (pCA) exhibited remarkably enhanced antibacterial activity compared to that when administering the treatment only. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that a low-dose combination treatment could disrupt the Shigella dysenteriae cell membrane. A comprehensive analysis using nucleic acid and protein leakage assay, conductivity measurements, and biofilm formation inhibition experiments revealed that co-treatment increased the cell permeability and inhibited the biofilm formation substantially. Further, the polyacrylamide protein- and agarose gel-electrophoresis indicated that the proteins and DNA genome of Shigella dysenteriae severely degraded. Finally, the synergistic bactericidal effect was established for fresh-cut tomato preservation. This study demonstrates the remarkable potential of strategically selecting antibacterial agents with maximum synergistic effect and minimum dosage exhibiting excellent antibacterial activity in food preservation.

Gut microbes play a crucial role in transforming primary bile acids (BAs) into secondary forms, which influence systemic metabolic processes. The rumen, a distinctive and critical microbial habitat in ruminants, boasts a diverse array of microbial species with multifaceted metabolic capabilities. There remains a gap in our understanding of BA metabolism within this ecosystem. Herein, through the analysis of 9371 metagenome-assembled genomes and 329 cultured organisms from the rumen, we identified two enzymes integral to BA metabolism: 3-dehydro-bile acid delta4,6-reductase (baiN) and the bile acid:Na + symporter family (BASS). Both in vitro and in vivo experiments were employed by introducing exogenous BAs. We revealed a transformation of BAs in rumen and found an enzyme cluster, including L-ribulose-5-phosphate 3-epimerase and dihydroorotate dehydrogenase. This cluster, distinct from the previously known BA-inducible operon responsible for 7 alpha-dehydroxylation, suggests a previously unrecognized pathway potentially converting primary BAs into secondary BAs. Moreover, our in vivo experiments indicated that microbial BA administration in the rumen can modulate amino acid and lipid metabolism, with systemic impacts underscored by core secondary BAs and their metabolites. Our study provides insights into the rumen microbiome's role in BA metabolism, revealing a complex microbial pathway for BA biotransformation and its subsequent effect on host metabolic pathways, including those for glucose, amino acids, and lipids. This research not only advances our understanding of microbial BA metabolism but also underscores its wider implications for metabolic regulation, offering opportunities for improving animal and potentially human health. Graphical Abstract

Mitigating climate change is an urgent global issue, and agricultural carbon emissions are an important component of global emissions. Hence, it is imperative to fully understand the current state of carbon emissions in agriculture and accurately evaluate emissions throughout various farming processes. This review aims to understand and evaluate these emissions, focusing on the agricultural sector. A systematic review of existing literature and data on agricultural carbon emissions was conducted, exploring the potential of innovative technology and approaches for mitigation. The effectiveness of energy-saving carbon emission reduction strategies and the role of technological innovation in achieving environmentally sustainable agriculture were assessed. The findings reveal that sustainable development goals have fostered a global strategy for achieving highly productive, efficient, and environmentally sustainable agriculture. In addition, potential transitions towards more sustainable agricultural practices, driven by technological innovation and effective carbon policies, were identified as significant means for mitigating carbon emissions. In this sense, there is an urgent need for a close global effort to implement carbon policies and technological innovation to mitigate the climate impacts of agriculture. Therefore, this research is a time-noting study to help international policymakers achieve environmental sustainability-oriented policies.

In markets for beef and sheep meat, an appropriate level of intramuscular fat (IMF) is highly desirable for meat-eating quality, but strategies to improve it usually lead to an undesirable excess in carcase fat, presenting a major challenge to livestock producers. To solve this problem, we need to understand the partitioning of fat among the major fat depots: IMF, subcutaneous fat (SCF) and visceral fat (VF). In most genotypes of cattle and sheep, the rate of accretion is lower for IMF than for SCF and VF, so genetic selection for a high level of IMF, or the use of an increased dietary energy supply to promote IMF deposition, will increase overall fatness and feed costs. On the other hand, feeding postnatal calves with excessive concentrates promotes IMF deposition, so a nutritional strategy is feasible. With genetic strategies, several problems arise: 1) positive genetic correlations between IMF, SCF and VF differ among genotypes in both cattle and sheep; 2) genotypes appear to have specific, characteristic rates of accretion of IMF during periods of growth and fattening; 3) most breeds of cattle and sheep naturally produce meat with relatively low levels of IMF, but IMF does vary substantially among individuals and breeds so progress is possible through accurate measurement of IMF. Therefore, an essential prerequisite for selection will be knowledge of the genetic correlations and fat accretion rates for each genotype. Currently, selection for IMF is based on existing technology that directly measures IMF in the progeny or siblings, or estimates IMF in live animals. New technology is needed to permit the simultaneous measurement of SCF and IMF in the field, thus opening up the possibility of accurate selection, particularly for fat partitioning in live animals. Specifically, there would be great value in detecting individuals with an IMF advantage at an early age so the generation interval could be shortened and genetic gain accelerated. Genetic gain would also be greatly aided if we could select for genes that control adipogenesis and lipogenesis and are also differentially expressed in the various depots.

SummaryChlorogenic acid (CGA) was modified using acyl chlorides with different levels of unsaturation (C18:0–C18:3) to enhance the lipophilicity and promote its application. The antioxidant activity of CGA derivatives in food and biological models was evaluated. All CGA derivatives had significantly greater antioxidative activity than CGA in fish oil and β‐carotene/linoleic acid emulsions (P < 0.05), but there was no linear relationship between antioxidative activity and unsaturation. The effectiveness of CGA‐C18:0 was significantly greater than that of CGA in scavenging H2O2 and reducing copper‐induced human low‐density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the H2O2 scavenging activity, inhibitions of copper‐induced human LDL oxidation and hydroxyl or peroxyl radical‐induced DNA oxidation were all linearly related to the unsaturation of the alkyl chains, mainly with the free radical chain reactions of the unsaturated bonds. Our findings showed that CGA derivatives could potentially be used as antioxidants in food and biological systems.

Circadian oscillatory system plays a key role in coordinating the metabolism of most organisms. Perturbation of genetic effects and misalignment of circadian rhythms result in circadian dysfunction and signs of metabolic disorders. The eating-fasting cycle can act on the peripheral circadian clocks, bypassing the photoperiod. Therefore, time-restricted eating (TRE) can improve metabolic health by adjusting eating rhythms, a process achieved through reprogramming of circadian genomes and metabolic programs at different tissue levels or remodeling of the intestinal microbiota, with omics technology allowing visualization of the regulatory processes. Here, we review recent advances in circadian regulation of metabolism, focus on the potential application of TRE for rescuing circadian dysfunction and metabolic disorders with the contribution of intestinal microbiota in between, and summarize the significance of omics technology.