LC-MS/MS Profiling of Metabolomic Shifts and Umami Development in Roasted Air-Dried Beef

Research conducted at the College of Food Science and Engineering of Ningbo University (China) investigated changes in protein degradation and taste compounds during the roasting process of air-dried beef. Six key differentiated metabolites (P < 0.05, VIP > 1) were identified by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), revealing taste variations in air-dried beef. A paper based on this research was published in Food Chemistry.¹

Several studies have been concentrated on the investigation of alterations in the flavor profile of meat samples during heat treatment, including those performed with tilapia, blackfish, and chicken. Heat processing helps to improve the flavor of meat,² showing that the free amino acid and nucleotide levels in tilapia from the heat treatment group were significantly higher compared to sashimi, resulting in the heightening of the taste of the fish fillets. Cooking meat longer within a certain range may result in the acceleration of protein degradation and enrich the increase of flavor precursors. Previous research has shown that the levels of umami and sweet amino acids in pickled black fish reached their highest point after 6 min of cooking.³ In addition, the best sensory quality and highest free amino acid content in air dried chicken meat has been found to be achieved in the short-term drying process at 55 °C for 25 h.⁴ While current research on beef jerky mainly focuses mainly on the enhancement of quality and flavor characteristics through a variety of cooking methods,^5-8 there is a noticeable insufficiency of research concerning protein degradation and flavor formation during heat processing. As a result, the Ningbo University researchers found that a comprehensive analysis of the flavor changes in air-dried beef during heat processing was necessary.¹

Fifty-four hind legs of yellow cattle hind leg meat at an average age of 1.5–2 years old with 2-days post-mortem were obtained from 27 carcasses (M. gluteal bicep) and vacuum packed for this research. Next, Mongolian air-dried beef was prepared according to the traditional method of the Xilin Gol League with slight modifications. In brief, meat was cut into long strips (2 × 2 × 50 cm³) and marinated in 1.5% NaCl at 4 °C for 12 h. Subsequently, the strips were placed in an air-drying machine with temperature, humidity, and time set at 16 °C, 50%, and 24 h, respectively. The air-dried strips were then transferred to a preheated oven, followed by roasting at 130 °C for 20 min and then at 210 °C for 10 min.¹

In addition to the six key differential metabolites through LC-MS/MS, this study explained the changes and relationships between the breakdown of protein and the formation of taste formation during the roasting of air-dried beef. The roasting process sped up the protein degradation substantially, with hydrolysis of myosin and myofibrillar protein, which resulted in an ample number of small-molecule substances. Total free amino acid content rose greatly, with alanine (taste activity value > 1) as the key taste-active amino acid. 5’-IMP was the primary taste nucleotide, and its equivalent umami concentration was 19.71 g monosodium glutamate (MSG)/100 g at the finished stage. Furthermore, electronic tongue analysis verified that taste attributes (such as umami, richness, and sweetness) played crucial roles in discriminating among the beef’s different roasting stages.¹

“This study elucidated the taste formation mechanisms for air-dried beef and the synergistic effect of umami,” wrote the authors of the paper.¹ “The findings are helpful to promote the taste quality and regulating the production of air-dried beef with roasting stages.”

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References

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