The Metabolomic Selection project has provided DanBred’s R&D department with new insights into advanced genetic models using a data type that could, in the future, contribute to breeding pigs with better feed efficiency.
There is a constant focus on improving genetic models which are currently used to more accurately select the best breeding animals. The Metabolomic Selection research project is no exception. It was completed at the end of 2024. The project’s results and its work with a new data type have contributed to the development of new models, tools, and essential foundational knowledge. A data form which does not come from the pig’s DNA, but instead from metabolites in the pig’s blood.
New groundbreaking research
The project collected and analyzed metabolomic data from blood samples taking at DanBred’s boar test station Bøgildgård. The metabolome includes all the metabolites found in a biological sample, such as a blood sample. Alongside DNA, the metabolome is one of the biological components that can help explain traits of the pig – such as feed efficiency. In this project, metabolomic data was analyzed in relation to pigs’ feed efficiency and how this trait can be further improved.
“The project helped develop an entirely new model that is groundbreaking in allowing us to consider metabolomic data in conjunction with genetic data. It has laid important groundwork in the limited field of how metabolomic data in pigs can be used in breeding,” says Ole Fredslund Christensen, Head of Breeding & Genetics at the Danish Agriculture & Food Council.
A better understanding
One of the project’s main outcomes is the development of a computer simulation tool that can simulate the effect and use of metabolomic data in the breeding system. The tool has contributed to an important understanding that metabolomic data significantly helps describe the environment in which the pig’s DNA is expressed – and that this may affect how the best breeding animals are selected in the future.
Important groundwork for future projects
The concept of metabolomic selection is still in its early stages, but the knowledge gained, and the development of innovative models can be used in future projects aimed at improving pigs’ feed efficiency.
Metabolomic Selection for pigs and barley was supported by the Green Development and DemonstrationProgramme (GUDP)and ran from 2020 to 2024. The project was a cross-disciplinary collaboration involvingAarhus University, Nordic Seed, Danish Agriculture & Food Council, and DanBred. |
