Acetylation of sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar proteins were associated with ovine meat quality attributes at early postmortem

The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between meat quality attributes and the changes of sarcoplasmic protein acetylation and myofibrillar protein acetylation in lamb longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscles at different postmortem phases. Protein acetylation, color, pH, shear force, myofibril fragmentation index and cooking loss were measured. The total level of acetylated sarcoplasmic proteins showed a negative relation with pH, a positive relation with a^*, b^* and cooking loss at the pre-rigor phase. Sarcoplasmic proteins acetylation affected postmortem pH by regulating glycolysis, which in turn affects color and cooking loss. The total level of acetylated myofibrillar proteins showed a positive relation with shear force at the pre-rigor phase. Myofibrillar proteins acetylation affected meat tenderness by regulating muscle contraction. This study indicated that acetylation played a regulatory role of meat color, water-holding capacity, and tenderization process at early postmortem.