Taste improvement of refrigerated meat treated with cold-adapted Protease

The cold-adapted protease produced by a deep-sea cold-adapted bacterium Pseudoaltermonas sp. SM9913 and the mesophilic protease produced by a mesophilic bacterium Bacillus sp. SM98011 were sprayed onto the surfaces of marine fish, pork and shrimp meat, respectively, and then stored at 0degreesC for 6 days. The amounts of free amino acids in the hydrolysates of samples were determined. The results showed that the samples treated with cold-adapted protease released more free amino acids than those treated with mesophilic protease at 0degreesC. The refrigerated meat samples treated with cold-adapted protease, released more taste amino acids and essential amino acids than those treated with mesophilic protease. Therefore, the cold-adapted protease had potential in improving the taste of refrigerated meat. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.