Integrated analysis of proteomics and metabolomics revealed mechanisms underlying age-related changes in pigeon breast muscle

This study conducted a comprehensive comparison of the metabolomic and proteomic profiles of pigeon breast muscles from 12-month-old (M12) and 28-day-old (D28) birds to investigate the influence of age on meat quality. The M12 samples showed lower L*, a*, and b* values but higher ΔpH, shear force, cooking loss, hardness, cohesiveness, and gumminess compared to the D28 samples. Metabolomic analysis identified five down-regulated metabolites, L-histidine (fold change, FC = 0.216), L-arginine (FC = 0.560), 4-hydroxyproline (FC = 0.149), D-sedoheptulose 7-phosphate (FC = 0.465), and L-glutamic acid 5-phosphate (FC = 0.120), that were primarily involved in amino acid and related metabolic pathways, differentiating the two groups. Proteomic profiling revealed a reduced abundance of several proteins, importantly A306_00011918, A306_00011919, ENPP1, TKT, and ALDH18A1, which are involved in amino acid biosynthesis in M12. Integrative analysis of metabolomic and proteomic data highlighted amino acid biosynthesis, mediated by specific metabolites and proteins, as the major differentiating pathway between M12 and D28. In conclusion, these findings provide mechanistic insights into the molecular basis underlying age-dependent variations in pigeon meat quality, offering valuable guidance for poultry producers in determining the optimal slaughter age to achieve desirable meat characteristics.