Effects of selected myofibrillar protein activities on beef tenderization process based on electrophoretic analysis

Abstract

Meat aging process involves in changes in the microstructure of muscle fibers and calpains (cysteine endopeptidase) are responsible for this process, as calpains have direct access to myofibrils in a cell. The electrophoretic analysis (SDS–PAGE) presented in the current study aimed at investigating the impact of calpain system and troponin T on the changes in the Warner–Bratzler shear force in selected semitendinosus (ST) and psoas major (PM) muscles taken from 9 Holstein Frisian × Limousin crossbreed carcasses aged 25 ± 1 months. The presence of calpains, calpastatin, and troponin T was verified based on the western blot method using monoclonal antibodies for tracing specific proteins. The results also confirmed significant correlations between the amount of µ‐ and m‐calpains and troponin T degradation products and the shear force values and thus the tenderization process during beef aging. Practical applications Beef aging is an important process of preparing beef for consumption. During aging, the increase in the tenderness is affected by the changes in troponin T. The measurement of the amount of this protein can be an indicator of the changes of hardness during aging. The current results indicated that the tenderness of beef increased when the beef contained a greater amount of 30 kDa protein product and when the muscles had longer sarcomeres. The information available in the current study should be very useful to the meat industry for early prediction of beef quality especially beef tenderness during the aging process.

Application of an Electric Field Refrigeration System on Pork Loin during Dry Aging

“…On comparing the EFR and CR systems, no significant differences in shearing force were observed in accordance with the aging conditions. As known well, shearing force decreases with an increased aging duration of meat aging, which results in a more tender texture on instrumental and sensorial evaluation (Choe and Kim, 2017; Juarez et al, 2009; Li et al., 2009; Tornberg et al, 1994) because after death, the protease calpain is produced in meat, which degrades sarcomere components including actin and troponin, resulting in reduced hardness and shearing force (Onopiuk et al., 2017).…”