Effect of Different Tenderization Treatments on the Quality of Beef Jerky
XU Wenxing, GAO Yuxin, ZHENG Haibo, WANG Ningqing, XU Xuan
1. College of Food Science and Engineering, Anhui Science and Technology University, Chuzhou 239001, China; 2. Anhui Chuhaha Foods Technology Co. Ltd., Anqing 246000, China
Abstract：In order to reduce the hardness of beef jerky and to make it easier to chew, the effect of four tenderization methods, namely, needling, needling followed by malic acid treatment, needling followed by injection of sodium carbonate, and needling followed by papain treatment on the eating quality of beef jerky. The results showed that compared with the non-tenderized control group, all tenderization methods could reduce the hardness of beef jerky, with needling alone being the least effective among them. Needling + malic acid soaking was better than needling, but less effective than needling + papain treatment. The hardness of beef jerky was significantly reduced by needling + papain treatment (P < 0.05). In addition, the results of myofibril fragmentation index (MFI) and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) indicated that needling + papain treatment was effective in promoting protein degradation, and scanning electron microscopic observation showed that all tenderization treatments could enhance the breakdown of connective tissue, with needling + papain treatment being the most effective. Overall, this combined treatment can improve the texture and sensory characteristics of beef jerky more effectively than the other methods, and can therefore be used for the tenderization of beef jerky products.
