Changes in calpain activity, protein degradation and microstructure of beef M. semitendinosus by the application of ultrasound

Anran Wang; Dacheng Kang; Wangang Zhang; Chaoyang Zhang; Yunhe Zou; Guanghong Zhou

doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2017.12.003

Changes in calpain activity, protein degradation and microstructure of beef M. semitendinosus by the application of ultrasound

Food Chem. 2018 Apr 15:245:724-730. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2017.12.003. Epub 2017 Dec 5.

Authors

Anran Wang¹, Dacheng Kang¹, Wangang Zhang², Chaoyang Zhang¹, Yunhe Zou¹, Guanghong Zhou¹

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Meat Processing and Quality Control, Ministry of Education China, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Meat Production and Processing, Quality and Safety Control, College of Food Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095 China.
² Key Laboratory of Meat Processing and Quality Control, Ministry of Education China, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Meat Production and Processing, Quality and Safety Control, College of Food Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095 China. Electronic address: wangang.zhang@njau.edu.cn.

PMID: 29287433
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2017.12.003

Abstract

In this investigation, samples were treated by ultrasonic probe (20 kHz) at an intensity of 25 W cm^-2 for 20 or 40 min, followed by aging at 4 °C for 1, 3 and 7 d. Ultrasound treatment significantly increased myofibrillar fragmentation index (MFI) and decreased Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF) at 3 and 7 d of postmortem aging (P < .05). Ultrasound-treated samples showed significantly greater intensities of autolyzed 76 kDa subunits and the lower intensity of intact 80 kDa form compared to control at 1 d of storage (P < .05). Significant difference was found between semitendinosus (ST) samples treated for both 20 and 40 min (P < .05). Ultrasound treated samples showed increased proteolysis during the postmortem storage as reflected by an increased degradation of desmin and troponin-T. These results showed that ultrasound treatment could improve the tenderness of beef ST muscle through regulating the calpain activation and protein degradation during postmortem aging.

Keywords: M. semitendinosus; Microstructure; Proteolysis; Tenderness; Ultrasound.

MeSH terms

Animals
Calpain / metabolism*
Cattle
Desmin / metabolism
Food Handling / methods*
Hamstring Muscles / metabolism
Hamstring Muscles / ultrastructure*
Postmortem Changes
Proteolysis
Red Meat* / analysis
Time Factors
Troponin T / metabolism
Ultrasonics / methods*

Substances

Desmin
Troponin T
Calpain