Adipogenic/lipogenic gene expression and fatty acid composition in chuck, loin, and round muscles in response to grain feeding of Yanbian Yellow cattle.

Cattle fed grain have more fat inside their muscle tissue, and the meat from these cattle is perceived as less tough.

When Yanbian Yellow cattle are fed a grain-based diet from 12 to 28 months old, fat builds up inside their muscles over time, with the most fat in the loin cut, less in the chuck, and the least in the round.

When Yanbian Yellow cattle are fed a grain-based diet from 12 to 28 months old, the fat in their muscles contains more oleic acid and less palmitic and stearic acid as they get older.

As Yanbian Yellow cattle fed a grain-based diet grow older, the activity of three specific genes involved in fat production and transport increases in their muscles.

In Yanbian Yellow cattle, even when the SCD gene is more active in the loin muscle than in the chuck muscle, the amount of monounsaturated fatty acids is not higher in the loin. This means SCD gene activity by itself does not control the fatty acid profile in these muscles.

In Yanbian Yellow cattle fed a grain-based diet, the chuck muscle has a higher ratio of monounsaturated to saturated fats than other muscles, even though genes involved in fat production are less active there, suggesting that the timing of muscle development influences the final fat composition.