Insights on meat quality from combining traditional studies and proteomics

peer-reviewedFollowing a century of major discoveries on the mechanisms determining meat colour and tenderness using traditional scientific methods, further research into complex and interactive factors contributing to variations in meat quality is increasingly being based on data-driven “omics” approaches such as proteomics. Using two recent meta-analyses of proteomics studies on beef colour and tenderness, this review examines how knowledge of the mechanisms and factors underlying variations in these meat qualities can be both confirmed and extended by data-driven approaches. While proteomics seems to overlook some sources of variations in beef toughness, it highlights the role of post-mortem energy metabolism in setting the conditions for development of meat colour and tenderness, and also points to the complex interplay of energy metabolism, calcium regulation and mitochondrial metabolism. In using proteomics as a future tool for explaining variations in meat quality, the need for confirmation by further hypothesis-driven experimental studies of post-hoc explanations of why certain proteins are biomarkers of beef quality in data-driven studies is emphasised

Age-related dataset on the mechanical properties and collagen fibril structure of tendons from a murine model

Connective tissues such as tendon, ligament and skin are biological fibre composites comprising collagen fibrils reinforcing the weak proteoglycan-rich ground substance in extracellular matrix (ECM). One of the hallmarks of ageing of connective tissues is the progressive and irreversible change in the tissue mechanical properties; this is often attributed to the underlying changes to the collagen fibril structure. This dataset represents a comprehensive screen of the mechanical properties and collagen fibril structure of tendon from the tails of young to old (i.e. 1.6–35.3 month-old) C57BL6/B mice. The mechanical portion consists of the load-displacement data, as well as the derived tensile properties; the structure data consists of transmission electron micrographs of collagen fibril cross section, as well as the derived cross-sectional parameters. This dataset will allow other researchers to develop and demonstrate the utility of innovative multiscale models and approaches of the extra-cellular and physiological events of ageing of current interest to ageing research, by reducing the current reliance on conducting new mammalian experiments

Proteomic biomarkers of beef colour

peer-reviewedBackground Implementation of proteomics over the last decade has been an important step toward a better understanding of the complex biological systems underlying the conversion of muscle to meat. These sophisticated analytical tools have helped to reveal the biochemical pathways involved in fresh meat colour and have identified key protein biomarkers. Scope and approach Until recently, there have been no detailed or critical studies on the role of protein biomarkers in determining meat colour. This review presents an integromics of recent muscle proteomic studies to investigate pathways and mechanisms of beef colour. A database was created from 13 independent proteomic-based studies including data on five muscles and a list of 79 proteins which were significantly correlated with colour traits. The database was subjected to a multistep analysis including Gene Ontology annotations, pathway analysis and literature mining. This report discusses the key protein biomarkers and the biological pathways associated with fresh beef colour. Biomarkers were prioritised by the frequency of identification and the need for future validation experiments is discussed. Key findings and conclusions This review identifies six pathways involved in beef colour including energy metabolism, heat shock and oxidative stress, myofibril structure, signalling, proteolysis and apoptosis. The data-mining of the list of the putative biomarkers showed that certain proteins, such as β-enolase (ENO3), Peroxiredoxin 6 (PRDX6), HSP27 (HSPB1), Phosphoglucomutase 1 (PGM1), Superoxide Dismutase [Cu-Zn] (SOD1) and μ-calpain (CAPN1) were consistently reported by multiple studies as being differentially expressed and having a significant role in beef colour. This integromics work proposes a list of 27 putative biomarkers of beef colour for validation using adapted high-throughput methods.FI

The extraction of soluble proteins aids salt swelling of pork meat

The salt-induced swelling of meat is an important phenomenon in meat processing. Existing theories of the mechanism of fluid uptake by meat in NaCl solutions focus on myofibrillar proteins, especially myosin, but the role of sarcoplasmic proteins in salt swelling is unclear. This study clarifies the role of these soluble proteins. Experiments on the weight gain of blocks of porcine longissimus muscle show that multiple changes of fresh saline result in greater swelling and that enclosing meat blocks in dialysis tubing to reduce egress of soluble proteins decreases swelling over a 7-day period, compared to muscle blocks simply suspended in an excess of 3% NaCl. A hypothesis is presented that explains these findings, by proposing that sarcoplasmic proteins, which carry a net positive charge at rigor pH, balance out the Donnan osmotic effect of the myofibrillar proteins actin and myosin, which are reported to carry a net negative charge at the rigor pH of pork meat in the presence of salt. This hypothesis also explains why sarcoplasmic protein denaturation/precipitation may affect the weight uptake in salt-treated meat

Producción,manejo, valoración, consumo y atributos de calidad de carne vacuna argentina:: estudio mediante encuestas a carniceros

The productive beef sector grows, and consumption traits change. The aspects considered at the time of purchase varied, as well as the conditions and handling in the sale points. Knowing the features and observations of neighborhood butchers, intermediaries between the cold storage and the consumer, will allow knowing this critical link in the beef sale in Argentina. The aim of this work was to study aspects related to the production, handling, assessment, consumption, and quality attributes of beef througha survey of local butchers. Sixty butchers, considering all areas of the city of Tandil, were personally interviewed. The cluster analysis allowed observing two groupings: CON-1(3-zones) and CON-2(4-zones). Mainly, no differences were found between sellers in production and management aspects. A significant difference was observed in the purchase frequency of half cattle carcasses. Likewise, all indicated having a cooling room, but rejected possible beef-maturation attributes. In relation to consumption and quality attributes, the color was highlighted as a "freshness" factor and preference of their products considering hygiene-sanitation, quality, and trust. The presence of intramuscular fat showed significant differences; in CON-1, 80 % of their clients prefer cuts with marbling, while in CON-2, 96 % choose lean cuts. All stated observing changes in purchasing habits and volume in recent years. In light of the results, it will be necessary to continue with interdisciplinary research work, to understand andachieve improvements considering the socio-economic and technological beef quality aspects.El sector productivo de carne vacuna crece y las características en el consumo cambian. Los aspectos que se tienen en cuenta al momento de comprar son variados, como también las condiciones y manejos en los locales de venta. Conocer características y observaciones en carniceros barriales, intermediarios entre el frigorífico y el consumidor, permitirá conocer este eslabón clave en la venta de carne vacuna en Argentina. El presente trabajo planteó como objetivo estudiar aspectos vinculados a la producción, manejo, valoración, consumo y atributos de calidad de la carne vacuna mediante encuesta a carniceros barriales. Sesenta carniceros, considerando todas las zonas de la ciudad de Tandil, fueron entrevistados personalmente. El análisis de conglomerados permitió observar dos agrupamientos: CON-1(3-zonas) y CON-2(4-zonas). Mayoritariamente no se hallaron diferencias entre los vendedores en los aspectos de producción y manejo. Una diferencia significativa fue observada en la frecuencia de compra de las medias reses. Asimismo, todos indicaron poseer cámara fría, pero rechazaron posibles atributos de maduración. En relación con el consumo y atributos de calidad, se destacó el color como factor “frescura” y preferencia de sus productos por higiene-sanidad, calidad y confianza. La presencia de la grasa intramuscular mostró diferencias significativas; en CON-1, el 80% de sus clientes prefiere cortes con marmoleo, mientras que en CON-2, el 96% elige cortes magros. Todos manifestaron observar cambios en los hábitos y volumen de compra en los últimos años. A la luz de los resultados, será necesario continuar con el trabajo de investigación interdisciplinar, para comprender y lograr mejoras considerando los aspectos socioeconómicos y tecnológicos de la calidad de la carne vacuna