Quest for biomarkers of the lean-to-fat ratio by Proteomics in beef production

Producing meat animals with adequate muscular and adipose masses (i.e. lean-to-fat ratio) is an economic challenge for the beef industry. In cattle, conformation (muscle mass) and fatness (adipose tissue mass) are evaluated using the European Union beef carcass classification system (EUROP) scale. The EUROP scale determines the price/kg of carcasses. The lean-to-fat ratio is the result of a dynamic balance between the number and size of muscular and adipose cells, respectively (Bonnet et al., 2010). Identifying proteins that contribute to the increase in the number and volume of adipose and muscular cells has implication for the proposition of biomarkers of growth potential and/or of carcass composition