Proteomics analysis as an approach to understand the formation of pale, soft, and exudative (PSE) pork.

We investigated ten pale, soft, and exudative (PSE), and ten normal meat samples from pig carcasses. The meat quality at 0, 5, 12, and 24 h post-mortem and the key enzyme activities at 0 and 24 h post-mortem were determined. We selected three PSE and three normal samples for proteomics analysis at 0 h and 24 h post-mortem. No remarkable differences in pyruvate kinase (PK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity were observed between samples at 0 h post-mortem; however, creatine kinase (CK) activity was significantly higher in PSE meat. Hexokinase (HK) activity in PSE samples was higher than that in normal samples at 24 h post-mortem. Bioinformatics analysis of the proteome showed that PSE was related to glycolysis, TCA cycle, oxidative phosphorylation, muscle tissue structure, signal transduction, and molecular chaperones. This research found that proteins such as troponin T slow skeletal muscle isoform X, GADPH, L-lactate dehydrogenase A chain, and gamma-enolase isoform X1 might be responsible for PSE.