Association between polymorphisms of the heart fatty acid binding protein gene and intramuscular fat content, fatty acid composition, and meat quality in Berkshire breed.

The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between polymorphisms of the heart fatty acid binding protein (H-FABP) gene and variation in intramuscular fat (IMF) content, fatty acid composition, and meat quality in Berkshire breed. We detected an association between IMF content and H-FABP HinfI restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) genotype. The HH genotype showed the greatest IMF content among the genotype classes (P<0.05). Regarding meat quality traits, only drip loss was significantly different among the H-FABP HinfI RFLP genotype classes (P<0.01). In the case of fatty acid composition, the degree of saturation of fatty acids was greater in hh-genotype pigs than in HH and Hh genotypes. The H-FABP MspI RFLP genotype affected unsaturated fatty acid content, and the ratio of polyunsaturated fatty acid to saturated fatty acid (P<0.05), whereas the H-FABP HaeIII RFLP genotype had no effect on fatty acid characteristics.