Effect of pre-rigor temperature incubation on sarcoplasmic protein solubility, calpain activity and meat properties in porcine muscle

•Pre-rigor incubation of pork longissimus at 40 °C induced PSE-like characteristics.•Phosphorylase and creatine kinase translocated to the myofibrillar fraction.•Protein relocation was completed at the end of the incubation for 6 h.•Poor water-holding capacity after incubation could be due to protein precipitation.•Lower shear force was paralleled with decreased calpain activity at 40 °C.

The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of pre-rigor temperature incubation on sarcoplasmic protein characteristics in relation to meat properties within porcine muscle. Porcine Longissimus dorsi muscles were incubated at temperatures of 0, 10, 20, 30 and 40 °C to 6 h post mortem. Incubation at 40 °C induced a significant decrease of sarcoplasmic protein solubility and an increase in proteins in the myofibrillar fraction. The protein relocation was followed till 72 h post mortem but had largely been completed by the end of the temperature incubation at 6 h. SDS-PAGE and Western blot analyses suggested that phosphorylase and creatine kinase precipitated onto the myofilaments during incubation at 40 °C. Drip loss increased following incubation at 40 °C, indicating that the precipitation of phosphorylase and creatine kinase may be a factor of reduced water-holding capacity at the combination of high temperature and low pH. Incubation at 40 °C resulted in substantially lower shear force in parallel with loss of extractable activity of μ- and m-calpain, suggesting a rapid activation of both enzymes at high temperatures and low pH early post mortem.