Advances in application of ultrasound in meat tenderization: A review

Abstract

Tenderness could measure the eating quality of meat. The mechanism of muscle tenderization is becoming more and more critical in the past decade. Since the transforming of muscle into edible meat requires a complex physiological and biochemical process, the related tenderization of meat can be beneficial to improving the meat quality. As a non-thermal processing technology with energy-saving, environmental protection, and intense penetration, ultrasonic treatment has been widely used in the tenderizing process of meat products. In this paper, the principle of meat tenderization, the ultrasonic technology, and the application of ultrasonic technology in meat tenderization is summarized. The effect of ultrasonic technology on the tenderization of meat products is discussed from different perspectives (muscle fibers and connective tissue properties).

Effect of packaging thickness and muscle type on ultrasound-assisted beef quality

“…Ultrasonic treatment can cause structural changes in meat due to disruption of weak intermolecular forces [41] , damage to cell membrane proteins that weaken muscle tissue due to separation of Z and M line, degradation of desmin and troponin-N [11] ; and increase in the degree of proteolysis due to the release of proteases such as lysosomal cathepsins and intracellular Ca2+ [29] . Ultrasound causes conformational changes in actomyosin (reduction of alpha helix), modifying the hydrophobicity of the proteins and the content of sulfhydryl groups [42] .…”

“…As the power of US increases, a positive effect on meat tenderness but greater lipid oxidation has been reported, while prolonged treatment times reduce the enzymatic activity of proteases, negatively affecting tenderness [9] , [10] . High ultrasonic powers can also produce undesirable effects such as protein denaturation and aggregation [11] . A variable that should receive special attention is meat packaging, since polymeric compounds can degrade, decreasing in molecular weight and intrinsic viscosity due to the effect of ultrasound [12] .…”

Tri‐frequency simultaneous ultrasound pickling for the acceleration of the NaCl content and quality improvement of pork (longissimus dorsi)

“…Other studies reported that the mechanical effect of ultrasonic cavitation might be the direct reason for promoting texture properties. In the process of ultrasound‐assisted pickling, the myofibrils of pork were destroyed and their structure broken, causing the increased fragmentation index of myofibrils, due to the cavitation and mechanical effects produced by ultrasonic waves 34‐36 . Another study reported that myofibril disintegration released proteases, which degraded myofibrillar protein and weakened connective tissue 35,37 .…”

“…In the process of ultrasound-assisted pickling, the myofibrils of pork were destroyed and their structure broken, causing the increased fragmentation index of myofibrils, due to the cavitation and mechanical effects produced by ultrasonic waves. [34][35][36] Another study reported that myofibril disintegration released proteases, which degraded myofibrillar protein and weakened connective tissue. 35,37 In this study, the treatment (TSIU with 101.3 W L −1 ) can effectively ameliorate the texture properties of pork tenderloin.…”

Development of Natural Liquid and Powdered Meat Tenderizer Based on Papaya Peel, Ginger and Garlic

“…Meat tenderization is a complex process that involves several sub-mechanisms, including aging-related chemical and structural changes, post-slaughter breakdown of myofibrillar proteins, breakdown of collagen, reduction of muscle fiber bundle diameter, and changes in sarcomere length during rigor mortis [10]. The concept mainly applies to red meat due to its high toughness (beef, mutton, horse, pork, buffalo, and lamb), and is minimally related to white meats such as chicken and fish [5,25].…”