Abstract
Dietary regulation of intramuscular fat (IMF) deposition and fatty acid composition offers an effective strategy to enhance meat nutritional value. As phytogenic supplements rich in bioactive compounds, complex plant extracts (CPE) have demonstrated potential in improving meat quality through lipid metabolism modulation while ensuring food safety. In this study, we used 36 female sheep, approximately 4 months old and with a similar weight (29.92 ± 2.52 kg), to investigate the effects of CPE supplementation (80 mg/kg) on lipid metabolism. After the 75-day standardized feeding trial, the sheep were subjected to humane slaughter procedures and collected the Longissimus dorsi muscle (LDM) for further experimental process. The findings indicate that CPE significantly increased (p < 0.05) the IMF content (36%) and total fatty acids concentration (10,045.79 to 26,451.99 ug/g). Lipid metabolism in LDM was mainly affected by regulating phospholipids (six lipid subclasses were affected). The qRT-PCR analysis showed that differential expressed genes, PLA2G2D and PLA2G4E, associated with lipid metabolism were significantly reduced. CPE appears to modulate the fatty acids through sphingolipid, linolenic acid metabolism, and glycosphingolipid biosynthesis pathways. Thus, this study uncoded the mechanisms of CPE on fatty acid, providing critical evidence that CPE can regulate the meat quality of ruminants.