Vol. 24, No. 1 (2025), Alim24358 https://doi.org/10.24275/rmiq/Alim24358

Effect of ultrasound on the aging process, physicochemical properties, and lysosomal enzyme activity of semitendinosus and semimembranosus bovine muscles

 

Authors

A.I. Castillo-Andrade, M.A. Ruiz-Cabrera, C. Rivera-Bautista, R. González-García, M. Abud-Archila, A. Grajales-Lagunes

Abstract

Ultrasound has been used to improve meat tenderness and reduce maturation time. In Mexico, information about ultrasound treatment for enhancing meat tenderness of semimembranosus (SM) and semitendinosus (ST) muscles is scarce. Therefore, this study evaluated the effect of ultrasound on the aging process, physicochemical properties, cooked meat’s tenderness, and lysosomal enzymes’ activity in SM and ST bovine muscles. Eighteen SM and ST muscles were removed at 24 h postmortem from Charolais breed cattle and were submitted to ultrasound treatment for 30 and 60 min at 750 watts and 20 kHz. The pH, weight loss, color, aging index, tenderness, β-glucuronidase, and cathepsin B+L activity were evaluated at 7 and 14 days postmortem at 4°C. The results suggest that ultrasonication did not cause modifications in the pH, color, and weight loss in raw meat (p> 0.05). The aging index, cooked meat tenderness, and lysosomal enzymes’ activities were enhanced with ultrasound treatment with respect to the control. Finally, the results suggest that the ultrasound could be a useful tool in improving the cooked meat tenderness of ST muscle.

Keywords

beef, ultrasound, aging process, physicochemical properties, tenderness, cathepsins.

References
  • Abril, B., Bou, R., García-Pérez, J.V. and Benedito, J. (2023). Role of Enzymatic Reactions in Meat Processing and Use of Emerging Technologies for Process Intensification. Foods 12(10), 1940.  https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12101940.
  • Alarcón-Rojo, A.D., Carrillo-Lopez, L.M., Reyes-Villagrana. R., Huerta-Jiménez, M. and García-Galicia, I.A. (2019). Ultrasound and meat quality: A review. Ultrason Sonochem 55, 369-382. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ultsonch.2018.09.016
  • American Meat Science Association. (2012). Meat colour measurement guidelines. AMSA, Champaign Illinois, USA.
  • Archile-Contreras, A. C, Mandell, I. B. and Purslow, P. P. (2010). Disparity of dietary effects on collagen characteristics and toughness between two beef muscles. Meat Science, 86(2), 491–497.
  • Barekat, S. and Soltanizadeh, N. (2018). Effects of ultrasound on microstructure and enzyme penetration in beef longissimus lumborum muscle.  Food Bioprocess Technology, 680–693. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11947-017-2043-8.
  • Bhargava, N., Mor, R.S., Kumar, K. and Sharanagat, V.S. (2021).  Advances in application of ultrasound in food processing: A review Ultrasonics Sonochemistry 70, 105293. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ultsonch.2020.105293.
  • Caraveo-Suarez, R.M., Garcia-Galicia, I.A., Santellano-Estrada, E., Carrillo-Lopez, L.M., Huerta-Jimenez, M., Vargas-Bello-Pérez, E. and Alarcón-Rojo, A.D. (2021). High-Frequency Focused Ultrasound on Quality Traits of Bovine Triceps brachii Muscle. Foods 10, 2074. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10092074.
  • Cárcel, J.A., Benedito, J., Bon, J. and Mulet, A. (2007).  High intensity ultrasound effects on meat brining. Meat Science 76, 611–619.
  • Carrillo-López, L.M., Luna-Rodríguez, L., Alarcón-Rojo, A.D. and Huerta Jiménez, M. (2019). High intensity ultrasound homogenizes and improves quality of beef longissimus dorsi. Food Science and Technology 39 (Suppl. 1), 332-340. https://doi.org/10.1590/fst.05218.
  • Chang, H.J., Xu, H.L., Zhou, G.H., Li, C.B. and Huang, M. (2009). Effects of characteristics changes of collagen on meat physicochemical properties of beef semitendinosus muscle during ultrasonic processing. Food Bioprocess Technology 5, 285-297. DOI 10.1007/s11947-009-0269-9.
  • Chang, H. J., Wang, Q., Tang, C. H., and Zhou, G. H. (2015). Effects of ultrasound treatment on connective tissue collagen and meat quality of beef semitendinosus muscle. Journal of Food Quality 38(4), 256–267.
  • Ertbjerg, P., Larsen, L. M. and Moller, A. J. (1999). Effect of prerigor lactic acid treatment on lysosomal enzyme release in bovine muscle. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 79(1), 95–100.
  • Etherington, D.J. and Wardale, R.J. (1982). The Mononuclear cell population in rat muscle: its contribution to the lisosomal enzyme activities of whole muscle extracts. Journal of Cell Science 58, 139- 148.
  • Flores-Silva, P., Martínez-Yañez, R.C., Rodríguez-Huezo, M.E. and Alvarez-Ramirez, J. (2022). Nutritional protein quality and digestibility changes during food processing. Revista Mexicana de Ingeniería Química 21 (1), 1-17 https://doi.org/10.24275/rmiq/Alim2748
  • Gagaoua, M., Dib, A. L., Lakhdara, N., Lamri, M., Botines tean, C. and Lorenzo, J. M. (2021). Artificial meat tenderization using plant cysteine proteases. Current Opinion in Food Science 38, 177–188. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cofs.2020.12.002
  • Garcia-Galicia, I.A., Gonzalez-Vacame, V.G., Huerta-Jimenez, M., Carrillo-Lopez, L.M., Tirado-Gallegos, J.M., Reyes-Villagrana, R.A. and Alarcon-Rojo, A.D. (2020). Ultrasound Versus traditional ageing: Physicochemical properties in beef longissimus lumborum. CyTA-Journal of Food 18, 675–682.
  • Garcia-Galicia, I.A., Suleman, R., Hussain, U., Huerta-Jimenez, M., Carrillo-Lopez, L.M. and Alarcon-Rojo, A.D. (2023). Effect of Aging Methods and Ultrasonication Treatment on the Sensory Profile of Beef Longissimus lumborum Muscle. Processes 11(5), 1504. https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11051504.
  • González-González, L., Alarcón-Rojo, A.D., Carrillo-López, L., García-Galicia, I.A., Huerta-Jiménez, M. and Paniwnyk, L. (2020). Does ultrasound equally improve the quality of beef? An insight in to longissimus lomborum, infraspinatus and cleidooccipitalis. Meat Science 160, 107963. DOI: 10.1016/j.meatsci.2019.107963.
  • Got, F., Culioli J., Berge, P., Vignon, X., Astruc, T., Quideau, J.M. and Lethiecq, M. (1999). Efects of high-intensity high-frequency ultrasound on ageing rate, ultrastructure and some physico-chemical properties of beef. Meat Science 5, 32-45.
  • Grajales-Lagunes, A., Ruiz-Cabrera, M.A., Lepetit, J. and Favier, R. (2007). Cambios mecánicos, estructurales y geométricos provocados por la contracción al frío en carne cocida. Revista Mexicana de Ingeniería Química 6 (1), 11-17.
  • Herrera-Méndez, C., Gonzalez-Garcia R., Abud-Archila, M., Ruiz-Cabrera M. and Grajales-Lagunes, A. (2005). Reduction of ageing time of beef meat by intermittent thermal treatments. International Journal of Food Properties 8, 125-138.
  • Jayasooriya, S. D., Torley, P. J., D’Arey, B. R. and Bhandari, B. R. (2007). Effect of high-power ultrasound and ageing on the physical properties of bovine Semitendinosus and Longissimus muscles. Meat Science 75(4), 628–639.
  • Jin, G., Liu, Y., Zhang, Y., Li, C., He, L., Zhang, Y., Wang, Y. and Cao, J. (2023). Underlying formation mechanisms of ultrasound-assisted brined porcine meat: The role of physicochemical modification, myofiber fragmentation and histological organization.
  • Ultrasonics Sonochemistry 94, 106318.
  • Kang, D.C., Gao, X.Q., Ge, Q.F., Zhou, G.H. and Zhang, W.G. (2017). Effects of ultrasound on the beef structure and water distribution during curing through protein degradation and modification. Ultrasonics Sonochemistry 38, 317–325.
  • Lepetit, J., Sale Â, P. and Ouali, A. (1986). Postmortem evolution of rheological properties of the myo®brillar structure. Meat Science 16, 161-174.
  • Lepetit, J. (1989). Deformation of collagenous, elastin and muscle fibres in raw meat in relation to anisotropy and length ratio. Meat Science 26, 47±66.
  • Lepetit, J., Grajales, A. and Favier, R. (2000). Modelling the effect of sarcomere length on collagen thermal shortening in cooked meat: consequence on meat toughness. Meat Science 54, 239-250.
  • Marino, R., della Malva, A., Caroprese, M., De Pilli, T., Alessandrino, O., Picariello, G., Sevi, A. and Albenzio, M. (2023). Proteomics in bovine semitendinosus muscle to assess emerging strategies based on papain injection and ultrasounds on meat tenderization process. Meat Science 200,109147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meatsci.2023.109147
  • Ouali, A., Gagaoua, M., Boudida, Y., Becila, S., Boudjellal, A., Herrera-Mendez, C.H. and Sentandreu, M.A. (2013). Biomarkers of meat tenderness: present knowledge and perspectives in regards to our current understanding of the mechanisms involved. Meat Science 95, 854–870, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meatsci.2013.05.010.
  • Peña-González, E., Alarcón-Rojo, A. D., Rentería-Monterrubio, A. L., García-Galicia, I., Santellano E., Quintero, A. and Luna, L., (2017). Quality and sensory profile of ultrasound treated beef. Italian Journal of Food Science 29(3), 463–475.
  • Peña-González, E., Alarcón-Rojo, A.D., García-Galicia, I., Carrillo-López, L. and Huerta-Jiménez, M. (2019). Ultrasound as a potential process to tenderize beef: Sensory and technological parameters. Ultrasonics Sonochemistry 53, 134–141.
  • Prestes Fallavena, L., Ferreira Marczak, L.D. and Domeneghini Mercalia, G. (2020). Ultrasound application for quality improvement of beef Biceps femoris physicochemical characteristics. LWT Food Science and Technology 118, 108817. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2019.108817.
  • Purslow, P. P. (2018). Contribution of collagen and connective tissue to cooked meat
  • toughness; some paradigms reviewed. Meat Science, 144, 127–134. https://doi.org/
  • 10.1016/j.meatsci.2018.03.026
  • Rhee, M. S., Wheeler, T. L., Shackelford, S. D. and Koohmaraie, M. (2004). Variation in palatability and biochemical traits within and among eleven beef muscles. Journal of Animal Science 82(2), 534−550.
  • Wang, A., Kang, D., Zhang, W., Zhang, C.H., Zou, Y. and Zhou, G. (2018). Changes in calpain activity, protein degradation and microstructure of beef M. semitendinosus by the application of ultrasound, Food Chemistry 245, 724–730 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2017.12.003.
  • Wang, L., Li, J., Teng, S.,   Zhang, W., Purslow, P.P. and Zhang, R. (2022). Changes in collagen properties and cathepsin activity of beef M. semitendinosus by the application of ultrasound during post-mortem aging. Meat Science 185, 108718. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meatsci.2021.108718.
  • Zamora, F., Aubry, L., Sayd, T., Lepetit, J., Lebert, A., Sentandreu, M.A. and Ouali, A. (2005). Serine peptidase inhibitors, the best predictor of beef ageing amongst a large set of quantitative variables. Meat Science 71, 730–742.