Abstract
The effects of slaughter age (2 vs. 9 years) and postmortem time (6, 8, 10, 12, 24, 48 and 72 h) on the meat quality and protein changes of the longissimus lumborum muscles of the Algerian Sahraoui dromedary were investigated. Muscles of young dromedaries evidenced a slower acidification process and a significantly higher myofibrillar fragmentation index throughout the postmortem time. The SDS-PAGE of sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar proteins revealed that meat from young dromedaries was characterized by the lowest percentage of myoglobin (p < 0.001) and the highest percentage of desmin (p < 0.01). During postmortem time, a decrease was found for phosphoglucomutase (p < 0.01), α-actinin (p < 0.05) and desmin (p < 0.01) in meat from young dromedaries. Western blot revealed an intense degradation of troponin T in younger dromedaries, with an earlier appearance of the 28 kDa polypeptide highlighting differences in the proteolytic potential between dromedaries of different ages. Principal component analysis showed that meat from young dromedaries, starting from 24 h postmortem, was located in a zone of the plot characterized by higher levels of the myofibrillar fragmentation index, 30 kDa polypeptide and enolase, overall confirming greater proteolysis in younger animals. Data suggest that the investigation of the muscle proteome is necessary to set targeted interventions to improve the aging process of dromedary meat cuts.
Highlights
The camel species present in Algeria is the dromedary (Camelus dromedarius); its global population was estimated to be 416,519 in 2019, placing Algeria in the 14th rank worldwide
Principal component analysis showed that meat from young dromedaries, starting from 24 h postmortem, was located in a zone of the plot characterized by higher levels of the myofibrillar fragmentation index, 30 kDa polypeptide and enolase, overall confirming greater proteolysis in younger animals
Within 72 h, one slide was removed from each muscle at 6, 8, 10, 12, 24, 48 and 72 h. pH and water-holding capacity were determined at the University Kasdi Merbah Ouargla, Algeria
Summary
The camel species present in Algeria is the dromedary (Camelus dromedarius); its global population was estimated to be 416,519 in 2019, placing Algeria in the 14th rank worldwide. A growing demand for dromedary meat products has been observed, from 4500 tons in 2009 to 6514 tons in 2019 [1], in harsh arid and semiarid areas where climate negatively impacts the production efficiency of other species. This production relates to a particular area, due to the natural distribution of the species in addition to socioeconomic aspects. A previous study on camel meat [5] revealed that the differences found due to animals’ ages could be related to histological changes that take place in muscle structures as animals mature, especially in terms of the amount of connective tissue and its deposition
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