Effect And Its Mechanism Of Ultrasound-assisted Dry-curing On The Quality Of Low-sodium Bacon

Bacon is a typical western-style cured meat product with unique flavor,which is deeply loved by consumers at home and abroad.The dry-curing of meat is usually a slow process.Ultrasonic is an effective way to speed up curing.The development of low-salt products by ultrasonic-assisted dry-curing(UD)is worthwhile subject to explore.In this study,static curing and tumbling were used as controls to investigate the effects and its mechanism of ultrasonic time and power on the quality and salt-soluble protein characteristics of reduced-sodium bacon.The results show that:(1)UD could significantly increase the tenderness and yield of reduced-sodium bacon(P < 0.05),and reduce the curing time and the cooking loss of reduced-sodium bacon(P < 0.05).The texture and sensory quality of the bacon were also improved under the condition of 300 W ultrasonic treatment with 60 min(U300-60).(2)UD could increase the surface hydrophobicity and surface active sulfhydryl content(P < 0.05)by modifying the tertiary structure of salt-soluble protein due to exposing its hydrophobic group and active sulfhydryl group.By dissociating salt-soluble protein and reducing the particle size of the protein,the solubility of the protein was significantly improved(P < 0.05).The U300-60 resulted in good gel properties of salt-soluble protein and a fine texture of reduced-sodium bacon.(3)UD was beneficial to the solubilization and limited exudation of salt-soluble protein in reduced-sodium bacon.The dissolved protein was denaturated in the subsequent heating of reduced-sodium bacon,which enhanced the adhesion of muscle tissue and was conducive to the formation of dense structure.Furthermore,it was beneficial to improve the hardness and chewiness of reduced-sodium bacon.(4)UD destroyed muscle tissue structure,and the longer ultrasonic time or lower ultrasonic power,the higher myofibril breakage(P < 0.05),forming a large number of "pits" and increasing sodium ion permeation rate.When salt-soluble protein solubilized and the structure expanded,the water was transferred,the cooking loss reduced,and the salt-soluble protein was filled with good characteristics and denatured,leading to a good texture and sensory quality of low-sodium salt bacon.(5)The above results can provide theoretical reference for the application of ultrasound in low-salinization processing of cured meat products.