EFFECTS OF HIGH-PRESSURE TREATMENT ON THE FLAVOR-RELATED COMPONENTS IN MEAT

This paper describes the effects of high-pressure treatment on the wat er-soluble components of meat responsible for the flavor of meat. The amounts of peptides and amino acids as estimated by phenol reagent pos itive materials (PPM) apparently increased with increasing pressure ap plied to the muscle up to 300 MPa, but the differences between each tr eatment were not statistically significant. When the muscles were stor ed at 2-degrees-C for 7 days after the pressurization, increases in th e amount of PPM were observed both in untreated and pressurized muscle s. Apparently the contents of serine, glutamic acid, glutamine, glycin e and alanine gradually increased in the extracts from pressurized mus cle as the pressure increased up to 200 MPa, and some of them, especia lly glutamine and alanine, tended to decrease in the muscle pressurize d at 300 MPa. When the muscles were stored for 7 days after the pressu rization, apparent increases of the contents of aspartic acid, serine, proline, alanine and lysine were observed in the extracts both from u ntreated and pressurized muscles. However, significant differences wer e not observed in the contents of each amino acid between each treatme nt. The content of inosinic acid, which is considered to contribute to the 'umami' taste of the meat, was not reduced by the pressurization. High performance liquid chromatograph (HPLC) of soluble peptides reve aled no significant changes in any fraction from the pressurized muscl es up to 200 MPa and a significant decrease of the peptide fraction (a pprox. molecular weight 500) from the muscle pressurized at 300 and 40 0 MPa. When the muscles were stored after pressurization, significant increases in the peptide fraction of molecular weight 300 and the amin o acid fraction, and a decrease of the peptide fraction of molecular w eight 3000 were observed in the extracts both from the untreated and p ressurized muscles. From the results, it is suggested that high-pressu re treatment on the post mortem muscle causes almost the same changes in the components responsible for the flavor of meat as those observed in conditioned muscle.