Abstract: This study aimed to clarify the changes in ATPase activity and its effect on the microstructure and water-holding capacity (WHC) of Tan sheep meat during postmortem aging. The Longissimus dorsi muscle of Tan sheep slaughtered at 6 months of age was aged at 4 ℃ and evaluated for the activities of Na+-K+-ATPase, Ca2+-ATPase and caspase-3, microstructure, pH and drip loss rate after 0, 1, 2, 4 and 8 days. Results showed that the activities of Na+-K+-ATPase and Ca2+-ATPase increased initially and subsequently decreased with aging time, peaking at day 1. The activity of caspase-3 and drip loss increased with aging time up to 2 days and then decreased. In contrast, the opposite trend was observed for muscle pH. The contents of total proteins, low-salt soluble proteins, and high-salt soluble proteins continuously decreased with aging time. The content of water soluble proteins significantly decreased after day 2 (P < 0.05). On day 8, the myofibrils were broken, and gaps between myofibers, between muscle fiber bundles, and between myofibers and sarcolemma appeared; the Z lines were broken, and the H bands disappeared. Correlation analysis indicated that the activity of Na+-K+-ATPase was correlated with all other parameters (P < 0.01) and the activity of Ca2+-ATPase was significantly correlated with muscle pH and the activities of Na+-K+-ATPase and caspase-3 (P < 0.01). Overall, during postmortem aging, the variations in the activities of Na+-K+-ATPase and Ca2+-ATPase can lead to downstream caspase-3 activation to hydrolyze cytoskeleton proteins, resulting in the formation of gaps at different muscle sites. The water in muscle flows into the formed gaps due to gravity, causing an increase in the drip loss and a decrease in the WHC of Tan sheep meat.

Key words: Tan sheep; postmortem aging; cytoskeleton protein degradation; microstructure; sheep meat quality