Technological and sensory pork quality in relation to muscle and drip loss protein profiles

Elżbieta Żelechowska,Véronique Santé-Lhoutellier,Danuta Jaworska,Wiesław Przybylski

doi:10.1007/s00217-012-1705-z

Elżbieta Żelechowska, Véronique Santé-Lhoutellier + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00217-012-1705-z

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Abstract

Fifteen meat samples collected from pigs (Neckar hybrid line) were selected from 75 animals on the basis of their technological quality traits, and the samples were classified as normal, PSE, and acid meat. Sensory analysis was performed on the three meat categories. Total meat protein and drip loss protein were analyzed by electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), mass spectrometry, and image analysis. From a sensory point of view, PSE meat was characterized by lower color intensity, and acid meat was characterized by the lowest score of juiciness. Certain soluble proteins derived from the drip loss were associated with meat quality, especially phosphoglucomutase and the B chain of hemoglobin in the case of PSE and acid meat. Low quantities of myofibrillar proteins (myosin LC1, troponin T (TnT) and troponin C (TnC)) in meat with high glycogen levels and low pH levels resulted in a higher rate of proteolysis of myofibrillar proteins due to higher enzymatic proteolysis activity in the meat. The results of this study showed that the TnC/TnI ratio may be a pertinent marker of postmortem muscle metabolism and that this ratio is related to textural properties.

Highlights

Pork represents 60 % of the total amount of meat (70 kg/ capita/year) consumed in Poland and half of this meat is sold as culinary fresh meat
From a sensory point of view, PSE meat was characterized by lower color intensity, and acid meat was characterized by the lowest score of juiciness
Despite that the pigs originated from herds belonging to the program of elimination of disadvantageous genes’ influence on meat quality (RYR1T and RN-), approximately 10 % of the 75 meat samples were classified as PSE and a similar percentage was found for acid meat

Summary

Introduction

Pork represents 60 % of the total amount of meat (70 kg/ capita/year) consumed in Poland and half of this meat is sold as culinary fresh meat. The properties of meat are strictly dependent on the range and intensity of glycolytic and proteolytic changes, which are affected by the enzymes present in the sarcoplasmic fraction of meat proteins. The amount and activity of enzymes in the glycolysis pathway, and level of muscle glycogen at slaughter are conditioned by the range of glycolytic changes, which, in turn, influence the decrease in meat pH levels and activation of proteolytic enzymes. Generation of a protein/polypeptide profile determines many traits that influence the technological (water capacity, color intensity, color homogeneity, stability, losses in cooking, and losses in processes) and sensory qualities (appearance, tenderness, juiciness, flavor, and odor) of pork meat

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