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Variants of sperm whale myoglobin (Mb) were used to assess the mechanism of heme protein-mediated lipid oxidation in washed cod muscle. A myoglobin variant with high hemin affinity (V68T) was an exceptionally poor promoter of lipid oxidation, while a Mb variant with low hemin affinity (H97A) was a potent promoter of lipid oxidation. V68T releases hemin slowly due to the ability of threonine to hydrogen bond with coordinated water and the distal histidine within the heme crevice. H97A rapidly releases hemin because the relatively small alanine residue creates a channel for water to easily enter the heme crevice which weakens the covalent linkage of hemin to the proximal histidine. A variant sensitive to heme degradation (L29F/H64Q) was a weaker promoter of lipid oxidation compared to wild-type Mb. This suggests that degrading the heme ring and releasing iron decreased the ability of Mb to promote lipid oxidation. Free radicals resulting from hemin-mediated decomposition of lipid hydroperoxides have the capacity to propagate lipid oxidation and degrade hemin catalyst. This may explain why heme proteins behave as reactants rather than "catalysts" of lipid oxidation in washed cod. Collectively these studies strongly suggest that released hemin is the critical entity that drives heme protein-mediated lipid oxidation in washed fish muscle.

The hemoglobin variant rHb 0.1, which possesses a decreased ability to form subunits, stimulated lipid oxidation in washed fish muscle less effectively as compared to wild-type hemoglobin (rHb 0.0). This could be due to the lower hemin affinity and more rapid autoxidation rate of subunits as compared to tetramers. To differentiate between hemin affinity and autoxidation effects, ferrous V68T Mb was compared to ferrous wild-type myoglobin (WT Mb). WT Mb has a more rapid hemin loss rate (25-fold) than does V68T, while V68T autoxidized more rapidly than did WT Mb (60-fold). Ferrous WT Mb promoted TBARS and lipid peroxide formation more rapidly than did ferrous V68T (p < 0.01). This indicated hemin loss rate was more critical in determining onset of lipid oxidation as compared to autoxidation rate. Hemin alone was capable of stimulating lipid oxidation. Albumin enhanced the ability of hemin to promote lipid oxidation. MetMb promoted lipid oxidation more effectively than did ferrous Mb, which could be due to the lower hemin affinity of metMb as compared to that of ferrous Mb. EDTA, an iron chelator, had no effect on the rate or extent of lipid oxidation mediated by Mb in the cooked system. Variants with a 975-fold range of hemin affinities promoted lipid oxidation with equivalent efficacy in cooked washed cod contrary to results in uncooked washed cod. The cooking temperatures apparently denature the globin and release hemin reactant to such an extent that the impact of hemin affinity on lipid oxidation observed in the raw state is negated in the cooked state. These studies collectively suggest released hemin is of primary importance in promoting lipid oxidation in raw and cooked washed fish muscle.

The molecular mass of trout myoglobin was 16017 Da based on electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. A Root effect (low oxygen affinity at pH 6.3) was determined in trout hemoglobin but not myoglobin. At pH 6.3, myoglobin autoxidized more rapidly (3.5-fold) as compared to anodic hemoglobin. Anodic hemoglobin was a better catalyst of lipid oxidation in washed cod muscle as compared to myoglobin at pH 6.3. This suggested that some process other than met heme protein formation was the rate-limiting step in lipid oxidation processes. Heme loss rates were determined using the apomyoglobin mutant H64Y prepared from sperm whale. Anodic hemoglobin released its heme group much more rapidly than myoglobin. In comparisons of anodic and cathodic hemoglobins, heme loss rate better predicted the onset of lipid oxidation than autoxidation rate. These studies collectively suggest that heme dissociation has a primary role in the ability of different heme proteins to promote lipid oxidation processes.

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