Myofibrillar protein characteristics of fast or slow frozen pork during subsequent storage at -3 °C

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the effect of storage at -3 °C on myofibrillar protein in fast or slow frozen pork. Five pork loins at 48 h post-mortem were subjected to either fast (cold metal plate/-80 °C) or slow freezing (still air/-20 °C) followed by storage at -3 °C for 0, 1, 3, and 7 days before thawing. Freezing rate significantly influenced myofibrillar proteins within 3 days at -3 °C, evidenced by higher thaw loss, higher surface hydrophobicity and reduced water-holding of myofibrils, and accelerated appearance of a myosin-4 fragment (160 kDa) in slow freezing. However, these observed differences disappeared after 7 days of storage at -3 °C. The meat pH after thawing did not differ between fast and slow freezing rate. However, the pH values after thawing in both groups decreased with extended storage at -3 °C. Our results suggest that the beneficial effects of fast freezing are gradually lost by holding at -3 °C due to more extensive protein denaturation.

Keywords: Freezing rate; Industrial thawing; Meat; Protein denaturation; Water-holding capacity.