Metabolomics Reveals Differences in Muscle Metabolite Profiles Between Daweishan Mini Chickens and Tegel Broilers at Marketable Age

Metabolic differences are an important factor influencing the quality of chicken meat. To investigate the differences in muscle flavor precursors between Daweishan mini chickens and Tegel broilers, integrated metabolomics analyses were used to compare the muscle metabolite profiles of the two breeds at marketable age (150-day-old Daweishan mini chickens and 45-day-old Tegel broilers). The differential metabolites (DMs) were significantly enriched in aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis; glycine, serine and threonine metabolism; glutathione metabolism; alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism; arginine biosynthesis; purine metabolism; pantothenate and CoA biosynthesis; cysteine and methionine metabolism; glycerophospholipid metabolism; and D-glutamine and D-glutamate metabolism, which contributed to the quality differences between the two breeds. Moreover, 3-methylhistidine, L-carnosine, L-anserine, DL-lactate, choline, L-phenylalanine, and L-ascorbic acid were present at higher relative abundances in the muscle of Daweishan mini chickens at marketable age. This study provides basic data on the mechanisms underlying the meat quality of local chickens and a reference for the development and utilization of local chicken breeds and the selective breeding of high-quality broilers.