Regulation of lipid metabolism and flavor formation in Tianfu broiler chickens via the circ_015424/miR-196-1-3p/MOGAT1 axis

Understanding the biochemical basis of chicken meat flavor is important for improving meat quality. An integrated metabolomic, lipidomic, and transcriptomic approach was applied to compare breast (BM) and leg meat (LM) of 120-day-old Tianfu broilers. Compared with BM, LM showed higher pH values, a 43.05% lower drip loss, and markedly higher intramuscular fat (IMF) content (6.217% vs. 1.954%), whereas BM contained more inosine monophosphate and exhibited greater shear force. GC–MS and lipidomics identified 147 volatile compounds and 1972 lipid species, respectively, with glycerophospholipids, particularly phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylcholine, closely associated with flavor differences between muscles. Multi-omics factor analysis indicated circ_015424 as a key molecular feature correlated with lipid metabolism and flavor-related pathways. Functional assays further showed that circ_015424 enhanced lipid droplet accumulation in intramuscular adipocytes via the miR-196-1-3p/MOGAT1 axis. These results clarify lipid-related mechanisms underlying muscle-specific flavor formation in chicken.