No abstract

Preslaughter handling has been shown to significantly affect meat quality, but the mechanisms are not fully understood. In this study, we investigated protein phosphorylation and acetylation in pig muscles at early postmortem time and their associations with meat quality attributes. Thirty pigs were randomly assigned to traditional (TH, n = 15) or mild handling (MH, n = 15). Compared with TH, MH reduced the incidence of pale, soft, and exudative (PSE) or dark, firm, and dry (DFD) pork. MH induced 65 and 20 peptides that match with 39 and 12 proteins to be more highly phosphorylated and acetylated, respectively. Creatine kinase, β-enolase, α-1,4-glucan phosphorylase, tropomyosin, and myosin heavy chain isoforms 1, 4, and 7 were found to be simultaneously phosphorylated and acetylated, which may involve glycolysis, tight junctions, and muscle contraction. The phosphorylation and acetylation levels of differential proteins showed significant correlations with meat quality traits. These findings indicate that preslaughter MH can improve meat quality by regulating protein phosphorylation and acetylation involving energy metabolism in muscle.

Braised pork is a meat product that is prepared with pork belly, soy sauce, and other ingredients. Such a product is originated in China but popular around the world. There are many preparations to meet different demands. For instance, people prefer sweet braised pork by adding a large amount of brown sugar and black vinegar in eastern China, while spicy braised pork is preferred in middle China and salty taste is preferable in northern China (Wang, 2017). In addition, preparation methods may vary greatly to get different tastes. However, little is known about the flavor of braised pork with different tastes.

Fat has a great impact on texture and flavor of meat products, which is influenced by cooking methods. In this study, the profiles of fatty acids, volatile compounds, and texture of fat cover of braised pork belly were investigated after plane and concave induction cooking. The results showed that cooking time showed a great impact on fat content, textural properties, fatty acids composition, lipid oxidation, and volatile compounds of fat cover (p < 0.05). When cooking time was fixed, concave induction cooking caused lower hardness, chewiness, and saturated fatty acids but higher polyunsaturated fatty acids at 60 min than plane induction cooking. Electronic nose and GC-MS analyses showed that concave induction cooking had a greater impact on flavor of pork belly fat and produced a comparable flavor to plane induction cooked samples in a shorter time.Sensory evaluation showed that concave induction cooking had higher scores at 60 min. Thus, concave induction cooking could be a more efficient method for meat processing. Practical Application: Electromagnetic induction heating is an effective cooking technique. It is characterized by uniformity, efficiency, and safety of heating.The application of electromagnetic induction heating technology to the cooking of braised pork was studied, which provides information for further optimizing the cooking technology of braised pork and improving the quality of braised pork.