Meat science groups from around Australia will collaborate to undertake the work required in this project. Personnel from different institutions will be organized into expert scientific panels, abattoir teams, and laboratory teams to facilitate a coordinated collaborative effort.
The initial short list of phenotypic traits to be measured include meat tenderness (shear force and compression) ultimate pH, colour, colour stability, glycogen concentration, intramuscular fat content, long chain fatty acid concentrations, collagen (hydroxyproline) concentration, mineral concentration (iron and zinc) myoglobin concentration, specific enzyme concentrations (isocitrate dehydrogenase). Measurements will be done on the loin except for compression and hydroxyproline concentration which will be done using the topside. Traditional carcase measures will be taken and an estimate of meat yield will be undertaken using indicator cuts as well as a skin quality grade.
The expert scientific panels will be assigned to each of the phenotype trait groupings of eating quality, minerals/aerobicity, lean meat yield and lipids. An abattoir and central database expert panel will be formed as well.
The function of the expert scientific panels will be to write protocols for abattoir, laboratory and database functions, liaise with abattoir, laboratory and database coordinators, allocate work priorities to operational teams and review technical data. There will be five abattoir teams; DPI Vic, DPI NSW, DAFWA, UNE and SARDI. These teams will organize and run slaughter programs, collect slaughter data, collect and consign samples to laboratories and report slaughter data to the SGA database. Slaughter programs will consist of about 150 lambs. In the order of 16 different slaughter programs will be required each year to slaughter the 2400 lambs produced by the eight information nucleus flocks.
Laboratory analytical work will be delivered by eight analytical laboratories; DPI Vic, DPI NSW, DAFWA, UNE, Murdoch University, CSIRO Floreat Park, CSIRO Brisbane and SARDI. Laboratory teams will run analytical assays, conduct quality assurance protocols, conduct calibration protocols with other laboratories, manage sample storage inventories, maintain records and report analytical data to the SGA database.
The aim of this project is to measure carcase and meat quality plus human nutritional phenotypic traits for lambs produced in the Information Nucleus flocks and to report this quantitative information to Program 4. Additionally the Meat Science group will work with the Genetics Team (Program 4) to understand the nature of the genetic and environmental influences on these traits.
This project is linked to the IN Flock - without this project the new and standard meat traits could not be measured and therefore the genetic parameters not obtained. The outcomes from this project are clearly spelt out in the milestones and describe the provision of data to SG for analysis and progress will be measured by the completion of slaughters and lab testing and the provision of data to SG.
CJ Hawkins Homestead, University of New England, Armidale NSW 2351