Histological Study of Ultrastructural Changes in Muscle Exposed to Various Concentrations of NaCl Brine

• Autores: Thierry Astruc, Amandine Desfrétières, Annie Vénien
• Localización: Journal of food science, ISSN 0022-1147, Vol. 83, Nº 5, 2018, págs. 1221-1228
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Efforts to reduce NaCl content in meat products hinge on gaining a deeper understanding of how NaCl content shapes product changes during the salting process. Bovine semitendinosusmuscle samples were incubated for 5 days in 7 different brine baths at NaCl concentrations of 0 (control), 0.15, 0.30, 0.50, 0.75, 1.0, and 1.5 M, respectively. Histological and ultrastructural analyses showed that after incubation, muscle fiber size increased almost 30% in 0.15 and 0.3 M NaCl brine but decreased in 0.50 and 0.75 M NaCl. At above 0.75 M NaCl, brining led to significantly degraded muscle tissue, preventing the morphological characterization by image analysis. Structural modifications were strongest in samples immersed in 1 M NaCl brine. M and Z lines showed dramatic solubilization from 0.5 M NaCl upwards. Extracted proteins were released into subsarcolemmal space at 0.75 M NaCl then into extracellular space at higher NaCl levels. These findings bring insight into the sequence of structural alterations in meat as a function of ionic strength, making it possible to optimize the meat salting process. Knowledge on the relationship between NaCl concentration, in situstructural changes and transfers of salt‐extracted proteins can be usefully mobilized to reduce sodium content in cured meat products.