Effects of NaCl and cumin essential oil on camel meat myoglobin under malondialdehyde oxidation system

We investigated the effects and mechanisms of two sodium chloride concentrations (0.3 and 0.6 M) and cumin essential oil concentrations (CEO, 0.5 %, 1.5 %, 2.5 %) on the structural integrity of camel meat myoglobin (MB) in the malondialdehyde (MDA) oxidation system through multispectral and molecular docking studies. CEO, particularly at 2.5 % concentration, slowed the conversion of oxygenated myoglobin (OMB) to metmyoglobin (MMB) and preserved MB's secondary structure. CEO also maintained the network structure and reduced the surface hydrophobicity of MB. The 0.3 M NaCl-2.5 % CEO group merits particular attention, as it exhibited the highest OMB content (24.97 ± 0.56 %) and the lowest MMB content (25.24 ± 0.58 %), along with surface hydrophobicity (27.91 ± 0.27). Molecular docking revealed that CEO's main components (1,4-p-menthane-dien-7-al, cumin aldehyde, α-terpinene, and o-cymene) formed stable complexes with MB through non-covalent interactions, improving MB's structural stability. Furthermore, 0.3 M NaCl was more effective than 0.6 M NaCl in preserving MB structural integrity at the same CEO concentration. Therefore, the combination of 2.5 % CEO and 0.3 M NaCl effectively mitigated MDA-induced oxidative damage to camel meat MB. It provides a key theoretical basis for using natural antioxidant CEO to control meat color deterioration due to lipid oxidation.