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| Research Progress on the Regulatory Factors of Caspase-3 and Its Impact on Postmortem Muscle Tenderization |
| WU Jiaqi, XIONG Xin, LUO Yongkang |
| College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China |
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Abstract Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, is the process of cellular self-destruction, which muscle cells must undergo early after animal slaughter. Studies have found that apoptosis is highly correlated with the process of muscle tenderization or softening postmortem. The key executioner protease, caspase-3, plays an important role in meat tenderization through the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway. Activation of caspase-3 leads to the degradation of key proteins, thereby loosening muscle fiber structure and increasing meat tenderness. This paper discusses the mechanisms of the association between caspase-3 and meat quality from two aspects: the regulatory mechanisms of caspase-3 activity, and the involvement of caspase-3 in the degradation process of myofibrillar proteins. It also summarizes the impact of activation of caspase-3 by the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway on meat quality, aiming to help achieve precise control over meat quality.
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2024, Vol. 38 
