Characterization and discrimination of Tibetan and Duroc × (Landrace × Yorkshire) pork

The main aim of this study was to unravel key proteins for the differentiation of Tibetan (n=15) and Duroc × (Landrace × Yorkshire) (n=15) pork. A platform consisting of LC-MS/MS analysis and label-free quantitative proteomics was utilized. Changes in the proteome profile were observed for different pork cuts. A total of 91 and 116 differentially expressed proteins (fold change >2 or <0.5, p-value<0.05) were identified in the five cuts (shoulder, rump, loin, shank and belly) of Tibetan (TP) and Duroc × (Landrace × Yorkshire) (DLY) pork, respectively. Meanwhile, a comparative proteomic analysis was performed between the TP and DLY pork.