Impact of Transport Duration on Integrated Stress Biomarkers and Predictive Modelling of Dark, Firm, Dry (DFD) Meat Incidence in Awassi Lambs
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.48165/jms.2025.20.01.11Keywords:
Awassi lambs, transport stress, oxidative stress, acute phase proteins, DFD meat, ROC analysis, predictive modellingAbstract
Background: Transport stress adversely affects animal welfare and meat quality in livestock. However, no previous study has simultaneously integrated physiological, oxidative, inflammatory, and acute phase biomarkers with multivariate modelling to predict dark, firm, dry (DFD) meat risk in Awassi lambs under commercial transport conditions. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of transport duration on integrated stress biomarkers, establish predictive cut-off values using ROC analysis, and develop a practical Transport Stress Score (TSS) for DFD prediction. Methods: Ninety-six male Awassi lambs (8–10 months, 42 ± 3 kg) were allocated to four groups (n = 24): Control (C), Short Transport (ST, 1 h), Medium Transport (MT, 3 h), and Long Transport (LT, 6 h). Blood and muscle samples were analyzed for cortisol, glucose, lactate, creatine kinase (CK), neutrophil/lymphocyte (N/L) ratio, haptoglobin (Hp), serum amyloid A (SAA), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), malondialdehyde (MDA), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx). Meat quality was assessed on longissimus dorsi muscle. ROC analysis, PCA, and logistic regression were performed. Results: Prolonged transport markedly elevated (P < 0.05) cortisol (15.82 → 48.65 ng/mL), MDA (1.85 → 4.92 nmol/mL), IL-6 (42.5 → 128.6 pg/mL), and SAA (8.45 → 38.72 μg/mL), while depleting antioxidant defenses. DFD incidence reached 54.2% in LT group. ROC analysis revealed SAA as the strongest predictor (AUC = 0.91) with optimal cut-off of 25.4 μg/ mL (sensitivity = 88.5%, specificity = 84.2%). The proposed Transport Stress Score achieved 89.6% accuracy for DFD prediction. Conclusion: This study provides the first integrated biomarker panel with validated cut-off values and a practical scoring system for DFD risk assessment in Awassi lambs. Transport should be limited to < 3 hours to maintain optimal meat quality.Downloads
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