Protease activity higher in postmortem water buffalo meat than Brahman beef

• Published in: Meat science Vol. 77; no. 3; pp. 389 - 396
• Main Authors: Neath, K.E., Del Barrio, A.N., Lapitan, R.M., Herrera, J.R.V., Cruz, L.C., Fujihara, T., Muroya, S., Chikuni, K., Hirabayashi, M., Kanai, Y.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01-11-2007; Elsevier
• Subjects: age at slaughter; beef; Biological and medical sciences; Brahman; buffalo meat; buffaloes; Calpain; Calpastatin; crossbreds; enzyme activity; Food industries; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Inhibitor; longissimus dorsi; Meat and meat product industries; meat quality; meat tenderness; Protease activity; proteinases; rigor mortis; Tenderness; Water buffalo; Calpain; Inhibitor; Calpastatin; Tenderness; Protease activity; Water buffalo; Water; Postmortem; Meat product; Beef
• ISSN: 0309-1740; 1873-4138
• DOI: 10.1016/j.meatsci.2007.04.010

We previously demonstrated that postmortem water buffalo meat had higher tenderness than Brahman beef. In order to explain this difference in tenderness, the objective of the current study was to investigate the protease activity in these two meats. Five female crossbred water buffalo (Philippine Carabao
×
Bulgarian Murrah) and five female crossbred cattle (Brahman
×
Philippine Native) were slaughtered at 30
months of age, followed by immediate sampling of Longissimus thoracis muscle for measurement of protease activity. Results showed that buffalo meat had significantly higher protease activity compared to beef (
P
<
0.05). Furthermore, calpain inhibitor 1, a specific inhibitor of calpains 1 and 2, was the most effective inhibitor of protease activity. There was no difference in calpastatin activity, and no major differences were observed in calpains 1, 2, and calpastatin expression by Western blotting. This study suggests that higher calpain activity in early postmortem buffalo meat was responsible for the increased tenderness of water buffalo meat compared to beef.