Characterising protein, salt and water interactions with combined vibrational spectroscopic techniques

► We investigated influence of NaCl, KCl and MgSO4 on structure of beef meat. ► CPCA was used to integrate data from FTIR, Raman and NIR spectroscopy. ► Compared to NaCl, MgSO4 causes increased hydration of meat structural proteins. ► KCl effects are different from those of NaCl. ► Salt cations exert distinct effects on aromatic amino acid residues.