Effects of ficin, high pressure and their combination on quality attributes of post-rigor tan mutton

The effects of high pressure (HP) and ficin treatments, and their combinations on the quality characteristics of post-rigor tan mutton were investigated. HP at 150 MPa/15 min significantly increased the hardness and centrifugal loss (CeL) of meat and deteriorated the meat color, and ficin at 0.10 g/L reduced meat hardness by 8% and protected meat color but increased CeL significantly (P < 0.05). Initial ficin (0.10 g/L) injection and incubation at 55 degrees C for 60 min, followed by HP at 50 MPa/15 min and 150 MPa/15 min reduced the hardness of the treated meat by 48% and 41% respectively, and cooking loss (CL) and CeL were also significantly decreased (P < 0.05), yet ficin combined with 150 MPa markedly increased the levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), lightness (L*) and yellowness (b*) of the processed meat. Water retentiveness and tenderness enhanced by combined treatments were found to be mainly attributed to increased degradation of myofibrillar and sarcoplasmic proteins through ANOVA-Partial least squares regression (APLSR), and sensory evaluation verified the high acceptability of the meat treated by both HP and ficin in terms of tenderness, flavour and texture after cooking.

Automated summary

The study found that high pressure and ficin treatments, either alone or in combination, can reduce the hardness and centrifugal loss of mutton, while protecting the color and enhancing water retentiveness and tenderness significantly. However, the combination of ficin with high pressure may increase certain quality indicators such as thiobarbituric acid reactive substances.