Application of high-pressure treatment improves the in vitro protein digestibility of gel-based meat product

Effects of high-pressure treatments (HPT, 100-300 MPa, 9 min, 25 degrees C) on the in vitro digestibility of gel-type meat products were studied using a simulated digestion-model. In vitro digestibilities of the cooked rabbit meat batters throughout the simulated oral-, gastric-, and intestinal-phases were determined. Peptides in the intestinal digesta were identified via Mass Spectrometer. Results revealed that in vitro digestibilities of HPT-samples were higher than the control (1.98%, 6.13% and 61.31% for oral-, gastric- and intestinal-phase respectively) throughout the digestion (P < 0.05). Alterations of the peptide profiles were induced by HPT, showing HPT-specific patterns of mutual peptides in the digestive products. Coupled with the identifications of salt-soluble proteins from raw batters, it was confirmed that myofibrillar proteins account for the major contribution to the HPT-induced changes. The results indicated that HPT can potentially be an effective technology to improve the digestibility of meat products.