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Abstract
Lipids are an important component of meat as they provide desirable sensory characteristics and nutritional benefits. However, lipids are susceptible to degradation through oxidation. Lipid oxidation contributes to meat quality deterioration, as well as produces toxic oxidative by-products. 4-oxo-2-nonenal (4-ONE) is an oxidative by-product that is highly reactive and cytotoxic. In this study, we investigated the influence of 4-ONE induced protein degradation on fresh and gastric digested bovine skeletal muscle proteins. Additionally, we developed an LC-MS/MS-based method to detect 4-ONE in meat samples. Results indicated that 4-ONE naturally forms in fresh muscle proteins. We report here for the first time that 4-ONE causes severe degradation of bovine skeletal muscle proteins. Future studies should assess the bioprotective role of endogenous enzymes, antioxidants, and other food ingredients for their potential to prevent the formation and/or detoxification of 4-ONE in meat.