Proteolytic characterisation in grass carp sausage inoculated with Lactobacillus plantarum and Pediococcus pentosaceus

The roles of bacteria in the biochemical changes of chill-stored bighead carp (Aristichthys nobilis): Proteins degradation, biogenic amines accumulation, volatiles production, and nucleotides catabolism

This study investigated the biochemical changes (proteins degradation, total volatile basic nitrogen, biogenic amines, volatile organic compounds, nucleotides catabolism and related enzymes) of bighead carp samples inoculated with four different bacteria (Shewanella putrefaciens, Aeromonas sobria, Acinetobacter bohemicus, and Pseudomonas helmanticensis) during storage at 4 ± 1 °C. A. sobria exhibited the strongest proteolytic activity. A. sobria, P. helmanticensis, and S. putrefaciens were responsible for putrescine production, whereas S. putrefaciens was the sole producer of cadaverine. Alcohols and S-compounds were mainly released by A. sobria and S. putrefaciens, respectively. The fastest degradation rates of hypoxanthine riboside and hypoxanthine were found in samples inoculated with P. helmanticensis and S. putrefaciens. Inosine nucleosidase was mainly resulted by A. sobria, P. helmanticensis and S. putrefaciens, whereas xanthine oxidase was derived from both fish muscle and secretions of P. helmanticensis and S. putrefaciens.

Differential role of endogenous cathepsin and microorganism in texture softening of ice-stored grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) fillets

BACKGROUND

Texture deterioration often negatively affects sensory attributes and commercial values of ice-stored fish fillets. The mechanism of softening of fish fillets during chilling storage is not fully resolved. Grass carp is a predominant freshwater fish species in China. The objective of the present study was to investigate the differential role of endogenous cathepsin and microorganisms in texture softening of ice-stored grass carp fillets.

RESULTS

The fillets were immersed in either NaN3 solution to reduce microbial activity or in iodoacetic acid solution to exclude cathepsin activity before ice storage. Treatment with NaN3 reduced microbial load of fillets below 2 log CFU g(-1) muscle during the entire storage period, and had no significant influence on the cathepsin activity and proteolysis. But the shear force of fillets treated with NaN3 decreased by 66% after 21 days of storage. Meanwhile, treatment with iodoacetic acid inactivated cathepsin B and B + L but did not significantly affect the microbial growth of fillets. Compared to NaN3 treatment, iodoacetic acid effectively alleviated softening and inhibited the increase in TCA-soluble peptides during storage.

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrated that proteolysis induced by endogenous cathepsins, rather than microorganisms, plays an important role in texture softening of ice-stored grass carp fillets. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.

A comparison of endogenous and microbial proteolytic activities during fast fermentation of silver carp inoculated with Lactobacillus plantarum

The study was aimed to investigate different roles of endogenous and Lactobacillus plantarum proteases during fast fermentation of silver carp. The results show that endogenous proteases could degrade both sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar proteins. In contrast, L. plantarum had low proteinase activities and could only hydrolyze sarcoplasmic peptides. This indicates that gel properties could be mainly affected by endogenous proteolysis while microbial proteolysis contributed to the production of smaller peptides and free amino acids which may be related to flavor and taste. Texture and free amino acid analyses verified these hypotheses. It shows that endogenous lysosomal proteases were the major contributors for the decrease of gel strength while L. plantarum proteolytic activities could lead to the increase of aspartic acid, glutamic acid, and alanine, which may result in umami and sweet taste; and also lead to a rise in some amino acids which were volatile compounds precursors.