Abstract: Objective: This study aimed to explore the effect of steam explosion on the physicochemical properties of bovine bones for the purpose of providing a new method for beef bone processing. Methods: Steam explosion was applied to treat bovine bone to investigate the granularity, hardness, and protein, calcium and phosphorus contents of the treated samples as a function of pressure and holding time. Five levels were selected for either processing parameter, and they were combined to form 25 experiments. The treated samples were analyzed by a texture analyzer, Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR), and a Kjeldahl analyzer. Results: Bone hardness decreased with increasing either pressure or holding time. The amounts of protein and calcium released from bones increased markedly (P < 0.05). In particular, steam explosion under the condition of high pressure or long holding time accelerate the loss of inorganic matters and protein, weakened bone strength, fragmented bones, and enhanced the release of calcium ions. As the pressure or holding time increased, the FTIR spectrum of the treated bovine bones was increasingly similar to that of hydroxyl apatite, and the intensity of C–H bond vibrations decreased indicating that steam explosion causes significant loss of organic components from bovine bones. Conclusion: Steam explosion is useful as a pretreatment approach for the preparation of deeply processed bovine bone products and hydroxyl apatite for high-efficiency utilization of bovine bones.

Key words: bovine bones; physicochemical characteristics; steam explosion; hydroxyl apatite