High pressure induced changes in beef muscle proteome: correlation with quality parameters

Area of Science:

• Food Science and Technology
• Protein Chemistry
• Meat Science

Background:

• High Pressure Processing (HPP) is an emerging technology for food preservation.
• Understanding HPP's impact on meat at a molecular level is crucial for quality control.
• Bovine Longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LTL) muscle is a key component in beef products.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between pressure-induced protein modifications and meat quality parameters in bovine LTL muscle.
• To identify specific proteins affected by HPP and correlate their changes with quality attributes.
• To explore the potential of protein markers for assessing HPP-treated meat quality.

Main Methods:

• Bovine LTL muscle samples were subjected to High Pressure Processing (HPP) at pressures from 200 to 600 MPa at 20°C.
• Two-dimensional electrophoresis was used to analyze protein profiles of treated and untreated samples.
• Mass spectrometry was employed to identify proteins exhibiting significant abundance differences.

Main Results:

• HPP above 200 MPa induced significant changes in protein solubility, meat color (L*, b* values), and water-holding capacity (WHC).
• Proteomic analysis revealed insolubilization of sarcoplasmic proteins and solubilization of myofibrillar proteins, with sarcoplasmic proteins being more susceptible.
• Individual protein alterations were significantly correlated with changes in protein solubility, color, and WHC.

Conclusions:

• HPP significantly modifies the bovine LTL muscle proteome, impacting key quality parameters.
• The observed protein changes provide mechanistic insights into HPP's effects on meat quality.
• Specific protein markers could be developed to assess the quality of HPP-processed meats.