Changes in meat quality traits and sarcoplasmic proteins during aging in three different cattle breeds

• Meat quality traits were affected by breed and aging.
• Changes in the sarcoplasmic proteins occurred during aging time and among breeds.
• Correlations were found among meat quality traits and sarcoplasmic proteins.
• Spots number detected in the 2DE gels decreased with aging.
• Myosin light chains, Troponin T and tropomyosin proteins were found in soluble fraction.

The effects of breed and aging time (1, 7, 14, 21 d) were evaluated on physical meat properties and on sarcoplasmic protein changes in 24 young bulls from Romagnola × Podolian, Podolian and Friesian breeds. Aging affects lightness showing an increase in all breeds while changes in redness varied according to the breed. Podolian breed showed meat with the darkest and the reddest color and the lowest drip loss compared to the other breeds. Extending aging to 21 d reduced drip loss from meat. SDS-PAGE and 2DE showed that many changes in the sarcoplasmic proteins occurred among breeds and during aging. During post-mortem some sarcoplasmic proteins decline in intensity after 21 d highlighting that they were susceptible to aging. Protein identification and western blotting showed the presence of myosin light chains, Troponin T and tropomyosin proteins during aging, suggesting a degradation of myofibers and a more intense proteolysis especially in the Podolian breed.