Chapter 10 - Effect of thermal processing on the digestion of muscle proteins

Abstract

Muscle foods are inevitably subjected to various thermal processes that are meant to improve their sensory quality and ensure safety for the consumers. Different thermal processing techniques are available such as microwave, sous-vide, ohmic heating, roasting, stewing, frying, boiling, grilling, and steam cooking and attribute different characteristics to the final products. Depending on the intensity and peak temperature attained, these methods also affect the structural and functional properties of muscle proteins and can induce favorable or unfavorable changes, such as severe/mild oxidation, protein aggregation, partial denaturation, increased disulfide (S–S) content or cross-linking. All these changes that can affect the interaction of enzymes with active sites on muscle proteins or their diffusion into the food matrices can affect the susceptibility of proteins to hydrolysis and the availability of the nutrients during gastrointestinal digestion. This chapter expands our understanding of how thermal processes can affect the digestibility of muscle proteins.