Effects of Postmortem Aging on Nutritional Quality and Myofibrillar Protein Function in Bactrian Camel Meat

This study investigated the effects of postmortem aging on the nutritional quality and physicochemical properties of myofibrillar proteins (MFP) in Bactrian camel meat. In this study, hindlimb meat from five Bactrian camels was aged at 4°C and sampled on D0, D1, D3, D5, and D7. Samples were analyzed for proximate composition, amino acid profiles, and the functional and structural properties of MFPs. During aging, the moisture content decreased from 75.86% (D0) to 73.60% (D3) before partially recovering to 74.54% (D7), while protein (≈21.7%), crude fat (≈1.1%), and ash (≈0.86%) remained stable. Total amino acids (TAA) and essential amino acids (EAA) increased significantly, with TAA rising from 20.32 to 22.53 g/100 g and EAA from 9.17 to 9.92 g/100 g (P < 0.05). The EAA/TAA ratio consistently exceeded FAO/WHO recommendations, with lysine showing the highest amino acid score (≈1.6 times the reference value). MFP solubility increased from 25.66% to 76.21%, accompanied by improved emulsifying activity, but gel water-holding capacity and foaming stability declined. SDS-PAGE revealed a 30 kDa troponin-T (TnT) degradation product from D3, while Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) indicated a structural shift from α-helices (18.21% to 11.56%) to random coils (+5.64%). These results suggest that 3-5 days of aging may optimize both nutritional value and functional properties, providing a practical reference for camel meat processing. The findings are specific to the hindlimb muscle, and further research on different muscles is warranted.