Genome-Wide Association Study of Carcase and Eating Quality Traits in Australian Angus Beef Cattle

Eating quality traits are important determinants of consumer satisfaction and are considered as traits of economic importance for genetic improvement in the Australian beef industry. In this study, the genotypic and phenotypic data of 3,454 Angus cattle were analysed to identify genomic regions that potentially influence carcase traits, especially those related to eating quality. A genome-wide association study revealed 3, 5, 1 and 13 significant SNPs associated with carcase weight (CWT), carcase eye muscle area (EMA), Meat Standards Australia Index (MSA_I) and ossification score (OSS) respectively. They were located across chromosomes 3, 7, 13 and 21 and accounted for 2%, 4%, 6% and 12% of the total genetic variance for CWT, EMA, MSA_I and OSS, respectively. No significant SNPs were evident for MSA marble score (MSA_M). Results of this study may have potential practical application in the design of marker SNP chips and improving the accuracy of genomic prediction for carcase and eating quality traits in Angus beef cattle.