Effect of CYP2E1 gene polymorphisms on lamb odor and flavor in Indonesian sheep

The CYP2E1 gene (Cytochrome P450 2E1) plays an important role in the regulation of skatole and androstenone in liver tissue. The aimed of this study was to investigate of the effect of CYP2E1 gene polymorphisms on lamb odor and flavour in Indonesian sheep. A total sample of 100 rams consisting of 20 Javanese fat-tailed (JFT), 20 Javanese thin-tailed (JTT), 20 compass Agrinak sheep (CAS), 20 Barbados cross sheep (BCS), and 20 Garut composite sheep (GCS) aged 10–12 months old were used. Polymerase Chain Reaction-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) was performed to identify the polymorphism of CYP2E1 genes. The association of the CYP2E1 genotypes with lamb odor and flavour were performed using T-test. The result showed that there were polymorphisms in CYP2E1 gene indicated by three genotypes namely GG (401 bp), GT (138, 263, and 401 bp), and TT (138 and 263 bp). Gene frequency of CYP2E1 (g.50657948 T>G) was in Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium (HWE). The GT genotype was common in the population studied. Association of the CYP2E1 genotypes with lamb odor and flavour revealed a significant association (P<0.05) with the skatole (MI). The GG genotype had the highest skatole when compared to other genotypes. The SNP g.50657948 T>G of CYP2E1 gene might be a useful candidate marker for selecting sheep meat with desirable odor and flavour.