Myofibrillar protein: the core functional characteristics of meat products

Myofibrillar protein is a relatively abundant protein component in muscle tissue, mainly including myosin and actin. This kind of protein not only determines the texture and taste of meat, but also has good solubility, emulsification, foaming and gel forming ability, playing a key role in meat products. Among them, the ability of heat induced gel formation is particularly important. However, in the actual processing process, factors such as oxidative stress, improper heat treatment or unstable protein structure often lead to loose gel network and decreased water holding capacity, which will affect the quality of products. Therefore, how to effectively improve the gel performance of myofibrillar protein without introducing complex additives has become an important direction of food science research.

pipes buffer

PIPES buffer: a mild medium to improve the structure of gel

In recent years, studies have found that piperazine-1,4-diethanesulfonic acid (PIPES, CAS No. 5625-37-6) has unique advantages in myofibrillar protein gel system. As a Good's buffer, PIPES has excellent buffering ability in the pH range of 6.1-7.5, approaching the isoelectric point environment of muscle proteins, and can maintain the conformational stability of proteins during heat treatment.

Experiments have shown that in the PIPES buffer system, combined with ultrasound treatment of different powers, it can significantly promote the ordered aggregation and moderate cross-linking of myofibrillar protein molecules. The cavitation effect generated by ultrasound is effectively regulated in the stable ion environment provided by PIPES, avoiding severe shear damage to protein structure and instead promoting exposure and interaction in the myosin head region. The result is that the heat induced gel network formed is more compact and uniform, and the microstructure presents a finer three-dimensional network shape.

This structural optimization directly translates into functional improvement - the strength of gel is increased by about 20% – 35%, the water holding capacity is significantly enhanced, and the tolerance of protein to oxidative damage is also improved. This means that even under oxygen-containing or high-temperature processing conditions, meat products can still maintain good texture performance.

Simple craftsmanship, in line with the trend of cleaning labels

The operation process of this method is relatively simple: myofibrillar protein is dissolved in PIPES buffer solution, and heat induced gel is performed after controlled ultrasound treatment, without additional addition of phosphate, high concentration salt or chemical cross-linking agent. This not only reduces the complexity of the formula, but also conforms to the current development direction of the food industry, which is to reduce artificial additives and return to a natural and transparent ingredient list. In addition, PIPES itself is non-toxic, odorless, and has good thermal stability, and has been widely used in biomedical and food related research, with a good safety foundation, providing possibilities for future applications in the industrial production of meat products.

Product packaging

Reliable raw material guarantee, from laboratory to production line

Hubei Xindesheng Biotechnology Co., Ltd. focuses on the research and production of high-end biological buffering agents, providing long-term supply of high-purity PIPES (purity ≥ 99.5%), providing complete quality inspection reports (COA), and supporting small batch trials and large-scale procurement. If you have any needs, please feel free to contact Xindesheng for technical information or sample support, so that a reliable buffer system can provide a solid foundation for upgrading the texture of your products.