Effect of glutathione on oxymyoglobin oxidation.

The oxidation of oxymyoglobin (OxyMb) to metmyoglobin (MetMb) is responsible for fresh meat discoloration. Glutathione (GSH) is an important tripeptide reductant that can protect lipid and protein from oxidation. The objective of this research was to investigate the effect of GSH on MetMb formation in vitro and in bovine skeletal muscle cytosol. Equine MetMb formation was greater in the presence of GSH than controls at pH 5.6 or 7.2 and 25 or 37 degrees C (p < 0.05); GSH addition to purified bovine OxyMb solution also resulted in more MetMb formation at pH 7.2 and 25 or 37 degrees C (p < 0.05). This effect on MetMb formation was partly or completely inhibited by EDTA or catalase in the GSH-equine OxyMb system (p < 0.05). The addition of GSH to bovine muscle cytosol inhibited MetMb formation at pH 5.6 or 7.2 and 4 or 25 degrees C (p < 0.05); the effect was concentration-dependent. The inhibitory effect was observed in a high molecular weight (HMW) but not low molecular weight fraction of cytosol at pH 7.2 and 25 degrees C (p < 0.05); there was no effect when HMW was heated at 90 degrees C for 15 min. These results suggest the antioxidant effect of GSH on bovine OxyMb is dependent on heat-sensitive HMW cytosolic component(s).