FOOD SCIENCE ›› 2019, Vol. 40 ›› Issue (17): 45-52.doi: 10.7506/spkx1002-6630-20180923-249

• Basic Research • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Effect of Adenosine Monophosphate-Activated Protein Kinase (AMPK) Activity on Glycolysis, Intramuscular Environment and Quality of Beef during Postmortem Aging

GAO Yongfang, GONG Yuxia, YANG Yayuan, HAN Ling, YU Qunli, ZHU Yueming, HAN Guangxing, BO Wenxi   

  1. (1. College of Food Science and Engineering, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China; 2. Animal Workstation of Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Gansu Province, Gannan 747000, China; 3. Zhangye Wanhe Grass Livestock Industry Technology Development Co. Ltd., Zhangye 734000, China; 4. National Beef Cattle Industrial Technology System, Linyi Station, Linyi 276000, China;5. Hebei Fucheng Wufeng Food Co. Ltd., Langfang 065201, China)
  • Online:2019-09-15 Published:2019-09-23

Abstract: With the aim of exploring the effect of adenosine monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK) on glycolysis, intramuscular environment and quality during the postmortem aging of beef muscle, changes in the transcription of AMPKα genes (PRKAA1 and PRKAA2), the expression of phosphorylated AMPK (P-AMPK) gene, AMPK activity, glycolysis, and quality traits in Longissimus dorsi muscle samples injected with 0.50 mol/L 5-amino-4-imidazolecarboxamide (AICAR) were measured during postmortem aging at 4 ℃. The results showed that between 24 and 120 h postmortem, AMPKα transcription, P-AMPK expression and AMPK activity in the AICAR treatment group were significantly higher than in the control group (P < 0.05); between 72 and 168 h, pH value and muscle glycogen content in the treatment group were significantly lower than in the control group (P < 0.05), whereas the reverse was true for lactic acid content (P < 0.05); between 12 and 168 h, L* and b* values, and the contents of ATP, ADP, AMP and IMP in the treatment group were higher than in the control group (P < 0.05), while a* value was significantly lower in the control group (P < 0.05); from 24 to 120 h, the treatment group exhibited a significant increase in cooking loss and myofibril fragmentation index but a significant decrease in shear force than did the control group (P < 0.05). These results showed that AICAR accelerated the postmortem aging process by activating AMPK and augmenting postmortem glycolysis, thus affecting intramuscular environment, meat color, shear force and muscle fiber microstructure. This indicates that AMPK activity has an important effect on muscle glycolysis and quality changes during postmortem aging, and meat quality can be controlled by regulating AMPK activity in postmortem muscles.

Key words: adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase, beef, glycolysis, quality, 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide nucleoside

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