Investigating blood biomarkers of feed efficiency and meat quality in sheep using metabolomics and integrative genomics

The growing population and increased awareness of the importance of healthy living has increased demand for more and better-quality meat. Feed efficiency (FE) is becoming increasingly important for the economy and the environment as feed supplies become constrained and costs rise dramatically. Reducing feed intake in sheep through feed efficiency selection can result in lower feed costs without compromising animal performance. The residual feed intake (RFI) method, which considers highly efficient animals to be those that consume less feed, is the most popular method for estimating FE. However, it is costly, time-consuming, and demands specialised tools. Alternative assessments utilising new methodologies such as metabolomics-based analyses can aid in the routine measurement of traits such as RFI and meat quality in a less invasive and cost-effective manner than traditional more phenotypic focused measurements. However, sheep metabolomics research and the availability of metabolic biomarkers that can be associated to FE and meat quality parameters is currently limited.
The goal of the present study is to establish predictive biomarker profiles that are related to FE and meat quality in sheep, and which can be used to help develop a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying these traits and improve sustainability of sheep production. This will be achieved using multidisciplinary approaches from the fields of metabolomics, genomics, functional biology, and bioinformatics. In addition, discovering the genes associated with variation in the FE and meat quality traits and understanding biological processes underlying their associations will be achieved through integrative genomics studies. This will aid in the development of strategies to improve genomic prediction of these traits through the incorporation of metabolomic data.