Metabolomics analysis of Jining Gray and Lubei White muttons through LC-MS technique

To explore variation in the meat metabolites of two goat breeds, metabolomics analysis of the mutton samples of Jining Gray and Lubei White goat breeds was performed using mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The profile revealed a total of 2,599 metabolites in the mutton samples. The significantly higher (p p < 0.05) metabolites included methionyl asparagine (p p = 0.017), hydrocarbons, tryptophylhistidine, L-glutamine, D-glutamine, and indole acrylic acid in the longissimus dorsi muscle of Jining Gray goats compared to Lubei White goats. The essential amino acids, such as histidine, phenylalanine, and L-tyrosine were significantly higher in the mutton of the Lubei White goats compared to that of the Jining Gray goats. The contents of 2-hydroxycinnamic acid (p p = 0.027) and nicotinamide (p p = 0.002) in Lubei White goat were also significantly high. Taken together, the data showed that the meat profile of the Lubei White and Jining Gray goats significantly varied. The data would be helpful in further studying the meat traits in the two goat breeds.