Shockwave processing of beef brisket in conjunction with sous vide cooking: Effects on protein structural characteristics and muscle microstructure. (1st May 2021) - Chian, Feng Ming
Highlights: Shockwave decreased the heat stability of the intramuscular connective tissue. Shockwave affected the molecular structure of the myofibres. Shockwave alone and with sous vide cooking altered meat structure. Shockwave alone did not alter the gel electrophoresis profile of beef protein. Shockwave-sous vide cooking process could be useful for meat tenderisation. Abstract: We studied the effect of shockwave processing and subsequent sous vide cooking on meat proteins (molecular size and thermal stability) and muscle structures (molecular, micro- and ultrastructure). Beef briskets were subjected to shockwave (11 kJ/pulse) and were sous vide-cooked at 60 °C for 12 h. Shockwave processing alone decreased the enthalpy and thermal denaturation temperature of the connective tissue proteins (second peak in the DSC thermogram, p < 0.05) compared to the control raw samples, while the protein gel electrophoresis profile remained unaffected. It led to disorganisation of the sarcomere structure and also modified the protein secondary structure. More severe muscle fibre coagulation and denaturation were observed in the shockwave-treated cooked meat compared to the cooked control. The results show that shockwave processing, with and without sous vide cooking, promotes structural changes in meat, and thus may have the potential to improve the organoleptic quality of the tough meat cuts.