Meat eating quality with a healthy composition hinges on intramuscular fat (IMF), fat melting point (FMP), tenderness, juiciness, flavour and omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LC-PUFA) content. These health-beneficial n-3 LC-PUFA play significant roles in optimal cardiovascular, retinal, maternal and childhood brain functions, and include alpha linolenic (ALA), eicosapentaenoic (EPA), docosahexaenoic (DHA) and docosapentaenoic (DPA) acids. The primary objective of this review was to access, retrieve, synthesise and critically appraise the published literature on the synthesis, metabolism and genetics of n-3 LC-PUFA and meat eating quality. Studies on IMF content, FMP and fatty acid composition were reviewed to identify knowledge gaps that can inform future research with Tattykeel Australian White (TAW) lambs. The TAW is a new sheep breed exclusive to MARGRA brand of lamb with an outstanding low fat melting point (28–39°C), high n-3 LC-PUFA EPA+DHA content (33–69mg/100g), marbling (3.4–8.2%), tenderness (20.0–38.5N) and overall consumer liking (7.9–8.5). However, correlations between n-3 LC-PUFA profile, stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD), fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4), fatty acid synthase (FASN), other lipogenic genes and meat quality traits present major knowledge gaps. The review also identified research opportunities in nutrition–genetics interactions aimed at a greater understanding of the genetics of n-3 LC-PUFA, feedlot finishing performance, carcass traits and eating quality in the TAW sheep. It was concluded that studies on IMF, FMP and n-3 LC-PUFA profiles in parental and progeny generations of TAW sheep will be foundational for the genetic selection of healthy lamb eating qualities and provide useful insights into their correlations with SCD, FASN and FABP4 genes.

中文翻译：

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Tattykeel 澳大利亚白羔羊 Omega-3 长链多不饱和脂肪酸代谢和肉食质量的遗传学

具有健康成分的肉类食用质量取决于肌内脂肪 (IMF)、脂肪熔点 (FMP)、柔软度、多汁性、风味和 omega-3 长链多不饱和脂肪酸 (n-3 LC-PUFA) 含量。这些对健康有益的 n-3 LC-PUFA 在优化心血管、视网膜、母体和儿童大脑功能方面发挥着重要作用，包括 α 亚麻酸 (ALA)、二十碳五烯酸 (EPA)、二十二碳六烯酸 (DHA) 和二十二碳五烯酸 (DPA)。本综述的主要目的是访问、检索、合成和批判性评价关于 n-3 LC-PUFA 的合成、代谢和遗传学以及肉食质量的已发表文献。对 IMF 含量、FMP 和脂肪酸组成的研究进行了审查，以确定可以为 Tattykeel 澳大利亚白 (TAW) 羔羊的未来研究提供信息的知识差距。TAW 是 MARGRA 品牌羊肉独有的新羊品种，具有出色的低脂肪熔点 (28–39°C)、高 n-3 LC-PUFA EPA+DHA 含量 (33–69mg/100g)、大理石纹 (3.4 –8.2%)、柔软度 (20.0–38.5N) 和总体消费者喜好 (7.9–8.5)。然而，n-3 LC-PUFA 谱、硬脂酰辅酶 A 去饱和酶 (SCD)、脂肪酸结合蛋白 4 (FABP4)、脂肪酸合酶 (FASN)、其他脂肪生成基因和肉质性状之间的相关性存在主要的知识空白。该综述还确定了营养-遗传学相互作用的研究机会，旨在更好地了解 TAW 绵羊的 n-3 LC-PUFA 遗传学、饲养场育肥性能、胴体特征和饮食质量。得出的结论是，对 IMF 的研究，