Gault N F
Department of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, The Queen's University of Belfast, and Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland, Newforge Lane, Belfast BT9 5PX, Northern Ireland.
Meat Sci. 1985;15(1):15-30. doi: 10.1016/0309-1740(85)90071-3.
Previous studies have indicated the beneficial influence of higher than normal ultimate pH (pH(u)) on the tenderness of cooked meat. Such benefits have been indirectly linked to the influence of increased pH on the water-holding capacity (WHC) of meat above the iso-electric point (IEP) of the myofibrillar proteins. In the present study, relationships between WHC and the tenderness of some beef muscles were investigated under pH conditions within and below the IEP of the myofibrillar proteins, such that the maximum range of meat swelling was achieved. It was found that increased WHC, as measured by swelling ratio in both raw and cooked meat, markedly influenced cooked meat tenderness, irrespective of the connective tissue content of the muscles. The results fitted a series of exponential decay equations relating swelling ratio to cooked meat toughness. Additionally, strong linear decreases in toughness were apparent over the pH range 4·6 to 4·1 for the three muscle types studied.
以往的研究表明，高于正常最终pH值（pH(u)）对熟肉的嫩度有有益影响。这种益处已间接与pH值升高对肌原纤维蛋白等电点（IEP）以上肉的持水能力（WHC）的影响联系起来。在本研究中，研究了在肌原纤维蛋白IEP及以下的pH条件下，WHC与某些牛肉肌肉嫩度之间的关系，从而实现肉的最大膨胀范围。结果发现，无论是生肉还是熟肉，用膨胀率衡量的WHC增加都显著影响熟肉嫩度，而与肌肉的结缔组织含量无关。结果符合一系列将膨胀率与熟肉韧性相关联的指数衰减方程。此外，在所研究的三种肌肉类型中，在pH值4·6至4·1的范围内，韧性明显呈强烈线性下降。
