Identification of exudate metabolites associated with quality in beef during refrigeration

Abstract

This study aimed to assess the changes in metabolites from beef exudates (EXU), to reveal the potential of its application in determining beef quality. EXU were collected from 2, 4 and 6 days of chilled meat as a study model. Analysis of the EXU using the UPLC-Q-Exactive-MS platform identified 877 metabolites and 433 differential metabolites (DMs). The DMs mainly included organic acids (45), organoheterocyclic (45), lignans (38), phenylpropanoids and polyketides (22), benzenoids (19), organic oxygen (17), and nucleosides (16). Of these, 75 DMs with a KEGG ID were significantly associated with water retention, colour and shear force in beef (P < 0.05). These DMs affected beef quality by participating in metabolic pathways, such as energy, carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism, ferroptosis, apoptosis and oxidative status. Based on the results of the current study, it may be feasible to estimate the quality of meat by analysing its EXU.