The use of proteomics in meat science

Characterising the function of genes is a major challenge in the post-genomic era. Post-genomic tools and technologies have dramatically changed the experimental approaches by which complex biological systems can be characterised. Proteomics is an important cornerstone in functional genome characterisation, and like all other functional genomics tools, including transcriptomics and metabolomics, the aim of proteome studies is to translate genome information into useful biological insight, that will allow scientists to build and test better hypotheses, with the ultimate goal to find better solutions to challenges in food production, medicine and environmental management. In agricultural sciences as well as in all other life sciences, the implementation of proteomics and the other post-genomic tools is an important step towards achieving better product quality and a more sustainable animal production. The aim of this review is to introduce the developing field of proteomics, and to discuss the use of proteomics in meat science projects. The most frequently used technologies for characterising cellular protein expression patterns will be introduced, and some early examples of applying proteomics to meat quality research will be discussed. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.