Enhancing Physicochemical Characteristics of Donkey Meat through High‐Voltage Electrostatic Stimulation during Acid Excretion

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To investigate the impact of high‐voltage electrostatic stimulation on the quality of donkey meat, ten 30‐month‐old Dezhou donkeys (each weighing 250 ± 50 kg) were selected. Following slaughter, longissimus dorsi (LD) samples from both left and right carcasses were collected. The control group refrigerated the right muscle in a 0–4°C refrigerator for normal acid excretion. Meanwhile, the high‐voltage electrostatic group subjected the left muscle to high‐voltage electrostatic stimulation (30000 V) for 60 s before refrigerating it in the same conditions for acid excretion. The study showed that at the 1st, 6th, and 24th h of acid excretion, the high‐voltage electrostatic group exhibited significantly lower pH levels than the control group (P<0.05). Furthermore, a∗ values in the high‐voltage electrostatic group showed an increasing trend relative to the control group at the 6th and 24th h of acid excretion (P = 0.0751, P = 0.0860). With increasing acid excretion time, both treatment groups displayed increased PV and TBARS values. At 48 and 72 h, the PV values in the high‐voltage electrostatic group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05). As acid excretion time increased, T‐AOC, SOD, and GSH‐Px in both groups decreased. However, the high‐voltage electrostatic group consistently exhibited higher antioxidant enzyme activity than the control group at all time points. SOD and GSH‐Px activity in the high‐voltage electrostatic group showed an increasing trend at 48 h of acid excretion (P = 0.0838, P = 0.0860). At 72nd h of acid excretion, the shear force of donkey meat in the high‐voltage electrostatic group was significantly lower than that in the ordinary treatment group (P < 0.05). With increasing acid excretion time, the MFI of both treatment groups gradually increased. In particular, at the 1st and 48th h of acid excretion, the MFI of the high‐voltage electrostatic group was significantly higher than that of the ordinary treatment group (P < 0.05). Following high‐voltage electrostatic stimulation, ultrastructure images of donkey meat at 6 and 72 h revealed numerous contractions and stretching bands. Therefore, this stimulation significantly improved the tenderness of donkey meat, reduced the oxidation rate of donkey meat, and improved the quality of donkey meat.