Xue Bei, Liu Zhendong, Wen Yiling, Lu Yubing, Zhang Yidan, Wang Jingjing, Chen Xiao Dong, Wu Peng
Clinical Medical Research Center for Plateau Gastroenterological Disease of Xizang Autonomous Region, and School of Medicine, Xizang Minzu University, Xianyang 712082, China.
Food Science College, Xizang Agriculture and Animal Husbandry University, Nyingchi 860000, China.
Foods. 2025 Jun 13;14(12):2086. doi: 10.3390/foods14122086.
Yak meat jerky, a traditional high-protein food commonly consumed in high-altitude regions, is often produced via air-drying, which may adversely affect its nutritional quality and digestibility. This study systematically compared the gastrointestinal digestion profiles of air-dried yak meat (ADM) and vacuum freeze-dried yak meat (VFDM) using a dynamic human stomach-intestine (DHSI-IV) system. Key digestive parameters, including gastric emptying kinetics, particle size distribution, and protein hydrolysis, were evaluated under physiologically relevant conditions. VFDM exhibited superior hydration capacity, contributing to delayed gastric emptying of the mixed solid-liquid phase ( = 85.1 ± 1.0 min) compared to ADM ( = 80.4 ± 1.2 min), indicating increased gastric satiety. Conversely, VFDM showed a faster solid-phase gastric emptying ( = 107.2 ± 0.8 min) relative to ADM ( = 113.1 ± 2.7 min), likely due to improved texture and rehydration. Both jerky types exhibited progressive particle disintegration; by 180 min, large particles (>2.0 mm) decreased to 16.88% ± 2.63% in ADM and 20.04% ± 0.64% in VFDM ( > 0.05). Protein digestibility, measured by SDS-PAGE and the degree of hydrolysis (DH), was significantly higher in VFDM (38.5 ± 3.6%) than in ADM (34.0 ± 0.1%, < 0.05), with VFDM demonstrating more rapid and extensive protein degradation across gastric and intestinal phases. These improvements may be attributed to the porous microstructure and reduced processing-induced protein cross-linking in VFDM, facilitating enhanced enzyme access. Overall, vacuum freeze-drying substantially improved yak jerky protein digestibility, offering the potential for the development of meat-based functional foods targeted at individuals with compromised gastrointestinal function.
牦牛肉干是高海拔地区常见的传统高蛋白食品，通常通过风干制作，这可能会对其营养品质和消化率产生不利影响。本研究使用动态人体胃肠（DHSI-IV）系统，系统比较了风干牦牛肉（ADM）和真空冷冻干燥牦牛肉（VFDM）的胃肠消化情况。在生理相关条件下，评估了关键消化参数，包括胃排空动力学、粒径分布和蛋白质水解。VFDM表现出更强的水合能力，与ADM（t = 80.4 ± 1.2分钟）相比，混合固液相的胃排空延迟（t = 85.1 ± 1.0分钟），表明饱腹感增强。相反，VFDM相对于ADM（t = 113.1 ± 2.7分钟）表现出更快的固相胃排空（t = 107.2 ± 0.8分钟），这可能是由于质地改善和再水化。两种肉干类型都表现出颗粒逐渐解体；到180分钟时，ADM中大于2.0毫米的大颗粒减少到16.88% ± 2.63%，VFDM中减少到20.04% ± 0.64%（P > 0.05）。通过SDS-PAGE和水解度（DH）测定的蛋白质消化率，VFDM（38.5 ± 3.6%）显著高于ADM（34.0 ± 0.1%，P < 0.05），VFDM在胃和肠道阶段表现出更快速和广泛的蛋白质降解。这些改善可能归因于VFDM的多孔微观结构和减少的加工诱导蛋白质交联，促进了酶的接触。总体而言，真空冷冻干燥显著提高了牦牛肉干的蛋白质消化率，为开发针对胃肠功能受损个体的肉类功能性食品提供了潜力。
