Effect of animal (lamb) diet and meat storage on myofibrillar protein oxidation and in vitro digestibility

Effect of pasture- or concentrate-diet on myofibrillar protein oxidation and in vitro digestibility was measured in lamb meat (M. longissimus dorsi) during a refrigerated storage of 7 days under gas permeable film. Protein oxidation was measured by the carbonyl content determined chemically using 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH) and specific targets of oxidation were identified by immunoblotting. Carbonyl content significantly increased during storage and diet affected protein oxidation where animals fed concentrate showed higher carbonyl group levels than animals fed pasture. To evaluate effect of diet and storage time on protein digestibility, myofibrillar proteins were exposed to proteases of the digestive tract (pepsin, and a mixture of trypsin and α-chymotrypsin) in conditions of pH and temperature which mimic digestive process. The myofibrillar protein digestibility was not influenced by the diet. Storage time had no significant effect on myofibrillar protein susceptibility to pepsin while an important increase in digestibility by trypsin and α-chymotrypsin was detected during storage.