¹Department of Genetics and Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering, Trakya University, TR-22030 Edirne - TURKEY
²Trakya University, Institute of Science and Technology, Department of Biotechnology and Genetics, TR-22030 Edirne - TURKEY DOI : 10.9775/kvfd.2017.17617 The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between some genotypic characteristics of purebred Turkish Grey Cattle (TGC) and beef tenderness characteristics. There is a linear relationship between meat tenderness and the increasing calcium activity after slaughtering. Calpastatin (CAST) is a neutral protease inhibitor of Calpain (CAPN1) in mammalian tissues. The three polymorphic places in the CAST and the CAPN1 genes in cattle (UoG-CAST, CAPN1 316 and 4751) are known as the markers of beef quality. The relationship between the tenderness traits of the longissimus dorsi (LD) and the 3 beef quality markers (3 SNPs) in pure TGC have been investigated and discussed. PCR-RFLP and ARMS-PCR methods were utilized to identify the genotypes. In order to determine the water holding capacity (WHC), cooking loss (CL) and the shear force (SF), samples extracted from LD were probed. The average and standard error SF of a two-year-old TCG bred in extensive conditions was 4.339±0.217 kg for the heifers and 4.689±0.569 kg for bulls. Both alleles of the UoG-CAST (C/G), the CAPN1 316 (C/G) and the CAPN1 4751(C/T) polymorphisms in the samples were observed. The average SF of 3.943±0.441 kg/cm2, 4.537±1.666 kg, and 3.869 ±0.721 kg were used for the CAST-CC, the CAPN1 4751-CC and the CAPN1 316-GC, respectively in order to cut the muscle fibers of the genotypes that have a positive effect on tenderness. No cattle of the CAPN1 316-CC genotype was identified among the samples. The average and standart error WHC, CL and SF values for the entire sample including heifers and bulls were found as 11.693±0.761%, 26.952±0.636%, and 4.483±0.252 kg, respectively. In conclusion, the presence of genetic variation in specific SNP markers of beef tenderness in purebred TGC can contribute to the process of raising TGC with more tender meat. Keywords : Beef texture, Water Holding Capacity, Cooking Loss, CAST, CAPN1, PCR-RFLP, ARMS-PCR