An underlying softening mechanism in pale, soft and exudative – Like rabbit meat: The role of reactive oxygen species – Generating systems

• Published in: Food research international Vol. 151; p. 110853
• Main Authors: Wang, Zhaoming, Zhou, Hui, Zhou, Kai, Tu, Juncai, Xu, Baocai
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Canada Elsevier Ltd 01.01.2022
• Subjects: Aging; Animals; Meat - analysis; Myoglobin; Oxidation-Reduction; Protein Carbonylation; Protein oxidation; PSE-like meat; Rabbits; Reactive Oxygen Species; ROS-generating systems; Softening texture; Aging; ROS-generating systems; Protein oxidation; PSE-like meat; Softening texture
• ISSN: 0963-9969; 1873-7145
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2021.110853

[Display omitted] •PSE-like meat was induced by incubation of post-mortem rabbit at 37 °C for 3 h.•PSE-like incubation could activate ROS-generating systems.•Enhanced ROS-generating systems in PSE-like meat boosted protein oxidation.•PSE-like meat fervently responded to protein oxidative degradation. This work investigated the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) - generating systems on the softening of the pale, soft and exudative-like (PSE-like) rabbit meat during aging. PSE-like meat was induced by incubation of post-mortem rabbit Longissimus thoracis et lumborum at 37 °C for 3 h. During aging, PSE-like meat samples had higher values in peroxides value, thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances, metmyoglobin percentage, ferrylmyoglobin content, non-heme iron content, hydroxyl radical content and ROS concentration compared with the normal ones, suggesting that PSE-like incubation could activate lipid-oxidizing system, myoglobin-mediated oxidation system, together with metal-catalyzed oxidation system. Additionally, higher protein carbonyl content was observed in PSE-like meat, along with a significant loss in sulfhydryl group. The results of SDS-PAGE suggested that more serious protein degradation occurred in PSE-like meat. It is plausible that the activated ROS-generating system played an underlying role in the softening texture during the aging period of PSE-like meat.