Marinated beef galbi is a traditional Korean dish cooked with soy sauce, pear juice, onion, sesame oil, and sugar. However, there are many differences in beef galbi, including flavor and physicochemical aspects, depending on cooking conditions. Therefore, the physicochemical characteristics of marinated beef galbi prepared through various recipes was evaluated for its effects on pH, texture, aging, proteolysis, heating conditions, cooking time, and flavor compounds (pyrazines, IMPs, or FAAs). There were significant differences in salt concentration (0.8~3.03%), pH (4.89~6.22), and solid soluble contents (1.34-6.31 Brix) between recipes in this study. In the Pearson assay for sensory evaluation, overall preference correlated well with texture (a well-known sensory attribute in meat evaluation). Controlling the pH of meat through soaking in lemon solution, alkali water, phosphate, and baking powder solution, improved water holding capacity as much as 9 to 15% compared with the control. The myofibril index (MFI) of marinated meat stored at 4 o C increased 32% with 24 hours of aging and reached 39% at 48 hours of aging, and its fragmentation was observed through microscopy. SDS-PAGE showed hydrolysis of acid-soluble collagen by the pear juice, possibly related to meat tenderness. On the basis of surface temperature, the cooking time was estimated to be 8 minutes with pan heating at 170 o C, 6 minutes at 270~300 o C, and 4 minutes with charcoal at 700~900 o C. Different pyrazine compounds, such as 2-methyl-3-phenylpyrrol(2,3-b) pyrazine (the typical product of the browning reaction) was mainly detected, and IMP (one of the main taste compounds in beef) was in higher amounts with the charcoal treatment, potentially related to its flavor preference among treatments. Our results demonstrate an effective case study and cooking system for beef galbi.
