What question did this study set out to answer?

The aim is to explore how various levels of betaine supplementation affect growth, blood indices, and fat deposition in lambs.

April 8, 2026Open Access

Effects of betaine on growth performance, serum biochemical indices, slaughter performance and intramuscular fat deposition in finishing Small-tailed Han sheep

YXYi-Peng XueShanxi Agricultural University YMYang-Yi MaoShanxi Agricultural University HLHui-Di LuoShanxi Agricultural University

Key Points

The aim is to explore how various levels of betaine supplementation affect growth, blood indices, and fat deposition in lambs.
Forty weaned male lambs were assigned to four groups: Control, BET-L (1 g/day), BET-M (3 g/day), and BET-H (5 g/day).
The lambs underwent a 15-day adaptation phase followed by a 153-day feeding trial.
Blood biochemical indices and intramuscular fat content were assessed at the end of the trial.
Gene expression analysis of longissimus dorsi muscle was conducted to evaluate fat-related genes.
No significant differences in pre-slaughter body weight, carcass weight, or dressing percentage among groups.
The BET-H group exhibited significantly higher intramuscular fat content compared to other groups.
Increased expression of lipoprotein lipase was observed in the BET-H group, correlating with higher fat deposition.

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the effects of supplementing diets with different concentrations of betaine on the growth performance, blood biochemical indices, slaughter performance, and intramuscular fat content of fattening Small-tailed Han sheep. Forty weaned male lambs, with an average body weight of 15.58 ± 2.86 kg, were randomly assigned to one of four groups: Control, a low-dose betaine group (BET-L; 1 g/day per lamb), a medium-dose group (BET-M; 3 g/day per lamb), and a high-dose group (BET-H; 5 g/day per lamb). They were raised in individual pens. The experimental period consisted of a 15-day preliminary adaptation phase followed by a 153-day feeding trial. No significant differences were found in pre-slaughter body weight, carcass weight, or dressing percentage ( P > 0.05). Crude protein and water content in the longissimus dorsi muscle were comparable across all groups ( P > 0.05). However, the BET-H group demonstrated a significantly higher fat content than the other groups ( P < 0.05). Gene expression analysis of the longissimus dorsi muscle in the two groups with a significantly different fat content revealed no significant differences in mRNA expression of heart-type fatty acid-binding protein ( H-FABP ), fatty acid synthase ( FAS ), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α ( PPARα ) and hormone-sensitive triglyceride lipase ( HSL ), but the BET-H group showed a significant increase ( P < 0.05) in lipoprotein lipase ( LPL ) expression compared to the control group. Dietary supplementation with betaine at a dose of 5 g/day per lamb enhanced fat accumulation in the longissimus dorsi muscle of fattening lambs and improved meat quality by the upregulation of the LPL gene encoding a key enzyme in fat synthesis.

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