Cyanidin-3-O-galactoside improves meat quality, flavor and health attributes in small-tailed han lambs

Mutton is valued for its rich nutritional content and distinctive flavor. Cyanidin 3-O-galactoside (C3Gal), a natural anthocyanin, exhibits multiple biological activities and benefits production animals. This study systematically evaluated the effects of dietary C3Gal supplementation on growth performance, meat quality, flavor, and health attributes in Small-Tailed Han sheep. Conventional meat quality analyses were integrated with electronic nose technology, transcriptomics, and untargeted metabolomics to elucidate the mechanisms underlying C3Gal-mediated improvements. C3Gal significantly increased intramuscular fat content, improved meat color and muscle structure, and enhanced tenderness and juiciness, while optimizing the composition of volatile flavor compounds and overall flavor profiles. Multi-omics analyses revealed that C3Gal promoted the accumulation of beneficial fatty acids and optimized fatty acid composition through regulation of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) signaling pathway and fatty acid biosynthesis pathways, thereby enhancing health attributes. These findings provide mechanistic evidence supporting C3Gal as a natural feed additive derived from crabapple by-products.