Acta Vet. Brno 2026, 95: 13-21
Effects of betaine on growth performance, serum biochemical indices, slaughter performance and intramuscular fat deposition in finishing Small-tailed Han sheep
This study aimed to investigate the effects of supplementing diets with different concentrations of betaine on the growth performance, blood biochemical indices, slaughter performance, and intramuscular fat content of fattening Small-tailed Han sheep. Forty weaned male lambs, with an average body weight of 15.58 ± 2.86 kg, were randomly assigned to one of four groups: Control, a low-dose betaine group (BET-L; 1 g/day per lamb), a medium-dose group (BET-M; 3 g/day per lamb), and a high-dose group (BET-H; 5 g/day per lamb). They were raised in individual pens. The experimental period consisted of a 15-day preliminary adaptation phase followed by a 153-day feeding trial. No significant differences were found in pre-slaughter body weight, carcass weight, or dressing percentage (P > 0.05). Crude protein and water content in the longissimus dorsi muscle were comparable across all groups (P > 0.05). However, the BET-H group demonstrated a significantly higher fat content than the other groups (P < 0.05). Gene expression analysis of the longissimus dorsi muscle in the two groups with a significantly different fat content revealed no significant differences in mRNA expression of heart-type fatty acid-binding protein (H-FABP), fatty acid synthase (FAS), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα) and hormone-sensitive triglyceride lipase (HSL), but the BET-H group showed a significant increase (P < 0.05) in lipoprotein lipase (LPL) expression compared to the control group. Dietary supplementation with betaine at a dose of 5 g/day per lamb enhanced fat accumulation in the longissimus dorsi muscle of fattening lambs and improved meat quality by the upregulation of the LPL gene encoding a key enzyme in fat synthesis.
Funding
This study was funded by Shanxi Agricultural University ‘Technology Innovation Promotion Project’ (CXGC2023013, CXGC2023018); Shanxi Agricultural University College of Animal Science Research Projects (dkyky04); Sub-project of Key Core Technology Research and Development in Agriculture of Shanxi Province (NYGG24-04); Central Guidance Local Science and Technology Development Fund Project (YDZJSX2022C023); and Shanxi Key Research and Development Program Project (201903D221005). We would like to acknowledge the hard and dedicated work of all the staff that implemented the intervention and evaluation components of the study.
