The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of dry-aging (DA) and the cooking process on the myofibril protein functionalities and in vitro digestibility of proteins in beef loin. Six sirloins from beef were dry-aged for 28 d, and the control group (n=6) was analyzed 2 d postmortem for this study. Dimensional changes (reduction of thickness and surface shrinkage) after cooking were significantly greater in the control group than the DA group, whereas the shear force of the DA group was significantly lower than that of the control. Effect of cooking on aggregation, hydrophobicity, and in vitro digestibility were significantly higher in the DA group than in the control. After cooking, the protein in DA sirloins was more oxidized than in the control samples. According to the sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis result, the low molecular weight bands (below 17 kDa) increased in the DA group, finding that the protein characteristics of dry-aged beef was affected by cooking.
Keywords: aggregation; beef; cooking; digestibility; dry-aging; hydrophobicity.