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In order to contribute to our knowledge of the meat quality of local lamb breeds in Spain, we carried out a characterization of the Montesina lamb breed, including nutritional (proximal composition, fatty acid profile, mineral content) and organoleptic (color, water holding capacity, shear force and volatile compounds) traits. The lambs were distributed in the following three production systems: spring grazing (SP; n = 10); winter grazing supplemented with concentrate (WP + c; n = 10) and concentrate supplemented with forage (C; n = 10). A combined statistical analysis using ANOVA, principal components and discriminant analysis by steps allowed us to select biomarkers in Montesina lambs' meat to identify the production system. The lambs' meat SP showed the highest moisture content (73.32%) and the lowest fat (1.05%). The lowest redness and yellowness color indices were observed in C lamb's meat (6.76 and 10.08, respectively). A higher content of aldehydes, C18:3n-3 and C22:5 n-3 DPA was associated to SP and WP + c, while alcohols were associated to C lamb's diet. Alcohol and aldehyde compounds, in combination with C18:3n-3 and C22:5 n-3 DPA fatty acids, could be proposed as potential biomarkers to differentiate the three production systems and as a tool to monitor the traceability of lambs' meat from the Montesina breed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Characterization of indigenous domestic animal breeds is of high importance in the sense of conservation and genetic improvement. There are six registered indigenous Greek horse breeds, defined by geographic orientation, as well as a few non-descript ones. Among the latter, the Macedonian pacer population is the most featured one, exhibiting the specific gaiting ability to pace. This study constitutes the first genetic investigation of the Macedonian pacer horses, in an effort to examine the validity of their inclusion in the herdbook as a distinct breed. To achieve this goal, we analyzed the DMRT3 gene, which has been associated with the ability to pace, as well as the mitochondrial cyt b gene, to estimate the genetic relationships with other breeds. Analysis of the DMRT3 gene revealed a very high frequency (0.988) of the "gait keeper" allelic mutation. Genetic differentiation of the Macedonian pacer horses based on cyt b sequencing was in almost all pairwise comparisons significant and in equal or greater levels than in pairs of the rest Greek breeds, with F st ranging from 0 to 0.355. Haplotype and nucleotide diversity in the Macedonian pacer population were 0.917 and 0.0044, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis resulted in low genetic distances supported by not significant values that indicated slight genetic divergence among different breeds. Overall, the fact that Macedonian horses exhibit a particular phenotypic character of locomotion, transmitted to the next generations in combination with the significant levels of genetic differentiation, are considered valuable data toward their recognition and official registration. Graphical abstract Highlights • High frequency of the "gait keeper" mutation in a non-descript indigenous Greek horse population that has the ability to pace. • Mitochondrial cytochrome b analysis reveals the genetic relationships distinction of this non-descript population. • Recognition of the non-descript Macedonian pacer horse population, as a distinct breed cannot be precluded. • There is a need for further examination of molecular and morphological characters to verify and register this population as a distinct breed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]