Impact of UV pre-treatment on the Longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscle proteomes of dry-aged beef cuts: A characterisation within two sampling locations.

Abstract

This research aimed to explore the changes in two sampling locations (internal and external) of the Longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LTL) beef muscle proteomes subjected to ultraviolet light before dry-aging. It further compared the biological processes and associated proteins at interplay at the external locations of UV pre-treated and control dry-aged samples. Before dry-aging, proteins related to external stimuli were differentially abundant between both locations possibly due to the early post-mortem energy metabolism attempting to compensate for energy deficiencies and stress derived from slaughter and processing. The biochemical status of muscle during chilling and hanging of the carcasses and the impact of the UV pre-treatment may have also influenced the abundance of these proteins before dry-aging. Proteins associated to muscle structure, energy and fatty acids metabolism were differentially abundant between locations after 21 days of dry-aging. These dynamic changes in the meat proteome and related biological processes suggested that both evolved differently between the two sampling locations during dry-aging, and these may underlie the development of dry-aged beef properties. The proteome of the external locations sampled from UV pre-treated beef loins was compared to control counterparts during dry-aging. The results show that aging time appeared to outweigh the effect of UV since the differentially abundant proteins between both groups decreased as dry-aging progressed. These proteins were associated with mRNA stabilization, the matrisome, energy pathways and heat shock proteins (HSPs). Further research is warranted to better understand the role of these proteins in the production of dry-aged beef and their relation to the UV pre-treatment.