Abstract: Natural aging, papain and phosphate solution treatments were used on goose meat and then the quality of goose meat was assayed in terms of water-holding capacity, shear force, pH, oxidation degree and the diameter of muscle fiber. The results showed that there was no apparent difference in water-holding capacity or shear force of goose meat with different natural aging times ranging from 12 to 60 h, while papain and phosphate solution treatments could significantly improve the water-holding capacity of goose meat with the largest water-holding capacity being obtained in the samples treated by compound phosphate solution. The shear force of goose meat treated with papain and different phosphate tenderizers was lower than with natural aging. The minimal shear force was obtained in the samples tenderized by 15 U/mL papain. The pH values of goose meat treated by papain, sodium pyrophosphate and compound phosphate solution were obviously higher than that of goose meat treated by natural aging. The degree of lipid oxidation in goose meat gradually increased with the extension of natural aging time, while papain and different phosphate solutions could inhibit lipid oxidation. The lowest degree of oxidation was observed in goose meat treated with 6 U/mL papain. Muscle fiber diameter of goose meat changed only a little during natural aging; however, it decreased with the increase in the concentrations of papain and phosphate. Taken together, these results will hopefully provide a theoretical basis for the development and application of tenderizers for goose meat products.

Key words: goose meat, tenderization, natural aging, papain, phosphate