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Decoding the quality changes of blunt snout bream (Megalobrama amblycephala) muscle under post-harvest cold stress
Qing Xiong1, Yanlei Gao1, Qin Yang1
1College of Food Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University/National R & D Branch Center for Conventional Freshwater Fish Processing (Wuhan), Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, PR China; Engineering Research Center of Green Development for Conventional Aquatic Biological Industry in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, Ministry of Education, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, PR China.
Abstract:
Rapid cooling during transportation triggers stress in fish, but its impact on muscle quality remains unclear. This study exposed blunt snout bream to four temperature drops (5 °C, 10 °C, 15 °C, and 20 °C). Mild cold stress (10 °C drop) enhanced quality: it preserved texture and color, increased inosine monophosphate and betaine, and suppressed bitter histidine. Severe cold stress (20 °C drop) caused softening, darkening, increased bitterness, and reduced betaine. Mechanistically, mild cold stress lowered levels of cortisol, glucose, lactate, and malondialdehyde, maintained low caspase-3 activity and apoptosis rate, and thereby protected myofibrils. Severe cold stress upregulated calpain, cathepsin B, and caspase-3 activity, leading to apoptosis, protein hydrolysis, and myofibril rupture. This study provides the first demonstration of an optimal cold stress in fish, showing that mild stress improves flavor and texture.
