About this Research Topic

Background

Muscle proteins are highly nutritious and are regarded as an important protein source in the human diet due to the abundance of essential amino acids. Basically, muscle proteins can be categorized into three groups according to protein solubility: sarcoplasmic protein (e.g metabolic enzymes, proteases, myoglobin, etc), myofibrillar protein (e.g. myosin, actin, tropomyosin, titin, nubulin, troponin, etc), extracellular matrix protein (e.g collagen, etc). Muscle proteins play a decisive role in the overall properties of meat and meat products, including meat texture, tenderness, water holding capacity, juiciness, and appearance.

On the one hand, the protein structure, activity, and modification are responsible for the biochemical events during the conversion of muscle to meat, including glycolysis, calcium release, apoptosis, calpain activation, and proteolysis of myofibrils. On the other hand, the functionality of muscle proteins, i.e. myofibrillar proteins, comprises the capacities of gelling, emulsifying, and water-binding, which contributes to the quality and nutritional value of processed meat products. Various factors of postmortem storage and processing conditions, such as pH, ionic strength, oxidative and nitrosative stress, and heating, can affect the structure, activity, modification, and functionality of muscle proteins, thereby influencing the final properties of meat and meat products. As the complexity of the muscle matrix, the relationship between muscle proteins, and the quality and nutritional value of meat and meat products need to be further clarified to reveal the variations of product properties and to give a basis for developing new technologies of meat processing.

The aim of this research topic is to further explore the molecular mechanism of muscle proteins in influencing the quality and nutritional value of meat and meat products under postmortem storage and processing conditions, with an emphasis on protein structure, activity, modification, and functionality. This mainly includes the expression or activity of muscle proteins involved in postmortem metabolism and possible protein modifications which may change protein structure, activity, and function, and finally may influence the quality and nutritional value of meat and meat products.


We welcome Original Research, Review, and Perspective articles covering following subtopics (but not limited to):
• New findings on specific muscle protein expression or activity involved in postmortem metabolism, which can explain the variation of meat quality (e.g. tenderness and water holding capacity) during muscle-to-meat conversion;
• New mechanisms of endogenous proteases activation contributing to proteolysis, muscle structure fragment, formation of functional peptides and amino acids under postmortem storage and processing conditions;
• New findings on the effect of protein modifications such as oxidation, phosphorylation, nitrosylation, acetylation, etc, on the changes of protein structure, activity, functionality, bio-availability, as well as the quality and nutrition of meat and meat product;
• Novel methods and technologies in improving quality and nutrition of meat and meat products from the perspective of muscle protein.

Keywords: meat proteins, myosin, actin, calpain, postmorten metabolism, meat tenderness, water holding capacity, proteolysis, gelation, emulsification, meat products

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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