Resumen de Contribution of High‐Pressure‐Induced Protein Modifications to the Microenvironment and Functional Properties of Rabbit Meat Sausages
Siwen Xue, Xiaobo Yu, Huijuan Yang, Xinglian Xu, Ma Hanjun, Guanghong Zhou
Rabbit meat batters were subjected to high pressure (HP, 100 to 300 MPa for 3, 9, or 15 min) to elucidate their effects on proteins structures, the microenvironment, and the resulting functionalities of the subsequently heated products. To determine these effects, we investigated structural and microenvironmental changes using Raman spectroscopy and also expressible moisture content, textural characteristics, and dynamic rheological properties of batters during heating (20 to 80 °C). Untreated samples served as controls. Analysis of specific Raman spectral regions demonstrated that applications of HP to rabbit meat batters tended to induce the transformation of the all‐gauche S‐S conformation to gauche‐gauche‐trans in the batter system. HP treatment higher than 100 MPa for 9 min promoted secondary structural rearrangements, and molecular polarity enhancement in the proteins prior to cooking. Also, increases of O–H stretching intensities of rabbit meat sausages were obtained by HP treatment, denoting the strengthening of water‐holding capacity. These HP‐induced alterations resulted in improved texture and, perhaps, improved juiciness of rabbit meat sausages (P< 0.05), however they had relatively poorer rheological properties than the controls. Nevertheless, HP treatment, especially 200 MPa for 9 or 15 min, was an effective technique for improving the functionalities of gel‐type products through modification of meat proteins. Application of high‐pressure technology to process muscle‐based food products is becoming commercially available. The functionalities of these products can be altered depending on the high‐pressure parameters used, because the physicochemical properties of proteins are modified. Therefore, explorations of the underlying mechanism from the perspective of the microenvironment of both the batter or the cooked sausage could offer a comprehensive profile of inter‐/intramolecular interactions in the system, which is essential for determining the functional properties of meat gels.
