Effect of microbial transglutaminase on thermal and electrophoretic properties of ground beef

The effect of the different types of microbial transglutaminase (MTGase) preparations on denaturation temperature and SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) characteristics of myofibrillar proteins in ground beef was investigated. SDS-PAGE results showed that both MTGase preparations created cross-linking between meat proteins. The results of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) indicated that addition of MTGase with sodium caseinate (SC) led to a slight increase in peak temperature (Tmax) values of myosin. MTGase treatment caused a slight decrease in Tmax values of myosin. Both MTGase and MTGase with SC treatments decreased denaturation enthalpy (ΔHD) of myosin but did not affect ΔHD of actin. Enzyme concentration had a significant effect on ΔHD values of myosin (P<0.05).