Effect of High Pressure on Physicochemical Properties of Meat

Abstract

The application of high pressure offers some interesting opportunities in the processing of muscle-based food products. It is well known that high-pressure processing can prolong the shelf life of meat products in addition to chilling but the pressure-labile nature of protein systems limits the commercial range of applications. High pressure can affect the texture and gel-forming properties of myofibrillar proteins and, hence, has been suggested as a physical and additive-free alternative to tenderize and soften or restructure meat and fish products. However, the rate and magnitude at which pressure and temperature effects take place in muscles are variable and depend on a number of circumstances and conditions that are still not precisely known. This review provides an overview of the current knowledge of the effects of high pressure on muscle tissue over a range of temperatures as it relates to meat texture, microstructure, color, enzymes, lipid oxidation, and pressure-induced gelation of myofibrillar proteins.

Keywords:

• High-pressure processing
• meat structure
• meat color
• meat enzymes
• lipid oxidation
• myofibrillar proteins
• gelation

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors thank Meat and Livestock Australia for their financial support and their commitment to furthering knowledge in this area. This work was also supported in part by the Victorian government's Science and Technology Infrastructure grant. The authors also thank the expert technical assistance of Joanne Mountford for light micrographs.