The Ampk V199i Mutation and Meat Quality in Berkshire Pigs

Abstract

Objectives Berkshire pigs produce meat that is darker and redder in color and contains a greater abundance of intramuscular fat compared to some commercial crossbred pigs. This phenotypic superiority may be attributed to a mutation that occurs in the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). This mutation arises from a valine to isoleucine substitution in the γ3 subunit which is thought to dysregulate the function of AMPK. Because the Berkshire breed carries this mutation with high frequency, the objective of this experiment was to characterize the effects of the AMPK γ3V199I mutation on carcass traits, meat quality, and postmortem metabolism in Berkshire pigs. Materials and Methods Homozygous m..