| Institution: | 1. Faculty of Agriculture, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan
Kuju Agricultural Research Center, Kyushu University, Taketa, Oita, Japan;2. Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan;3. Western Region Agricultural Research Center, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Oda, Shimane, Japan;4. Faculty of Agriculture, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan;5. Institute of Livestock and Grassland Science, NARO, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan;6. School of Human Cultures, The University of Shiga prefecture, Hikone, Shiga, Japan;7. Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan |
| Abstract: | This study aimed to investigate the effects of high and low levels of energy intake during the entire gestation period on the skeletal muscle development, organ development, and adipose tissue accumulation in fetuses of Wagyu (Japanese Black) cows, a breed with highly marbled beef. Cows were allocated to a high-nutrition (n = 6) group (fed 120% of the nutritional requirement) or low-nutrition (n = 6) group (fed 60% of the nutritional requirement). The cows were artificially inseminated with semen from the same sire, and the fetuses were removed by cesarean section at 260 ± 8.3 days of fetal age and slaughtered. The whole-body, total muscle, adipose, and bone masses of the fetal half-carcasses were significantly higher in the high-nutrition group than the low-nutrition group (p = 0.0018, 0.009, 0.0004, and 0.0362, respectively). Fifteen of 20 individual muscles, five of six fat depots, nine of 17 organs, and seven of 12 bones that were investigated had significantly higher masses in the high-nutrition group than the low-nutrition group. The crude components and amino acid composition of the longissimus muscle significantly differed between the low- and high-nutrition groups. These data indicate that maternal nutrition during gestation has a marked effect on the muscle, bone, and adipose tissue development of Wagyu cattle fetuses. |
