Effects of Curing Time on the Edible Quality and Oxidation Characteristics of Complex Low-sodium Yak Meat

In order to investigate the effect of curing time on the edible quality and oxidative characteristics of compound low-sodium yak meat products, in this experiment, complex low-sodium yak meat was selected to investigate the effects of curing time (12, 18, 24, 30 and 36 h) on the edible quality and oxidative characteristics. The results showed that prolonging the curing time significantly reduced the cooking loss (P<0.05), affected the energy storage modulus (G′) and loss modulus (G′′), and improved the textural characteristics of the products, but had no significant effect on the yield pH and color of the products; total myoglobin (TMb) and oxymyoglobin (OMb) showed an overall decreasing trend, and methemoglobin (MMb) showed an increasing trend during the curing period. Meanwhile, correlation analysis showed that the cooking loss of yak meat products in sauce was significantly negatively correlated with the curing time, and the fat oxidation and protein oxidation were significantly positively correlated with the curing time (P<0.05). With the extension of curing time, the oxidation of fat and protein were increased, which was manifested by a significant increase in the value of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), carbonyl content, dimerized tyrosine content, and a significant decrease in sulfhydryl content (P<0.05). In conclusion, the highest sensory score (7.411) and the best overall quality characteristics were obtained at 24 h of curing time with better textural characteristics and less oxidation.