Antioxidant activity of pickled sauced meat before and after cooking and in vitro gastrointestinal digestion

The aim of the work is to compare and assess the antioxidant activity of pickled sauced meat before and after cooking, and gastrointestinal digestion. The antioxidant activity is analyzed using five different methods and results show that cooking using traditional household approaches enhances the antioxidant activity of pickled sauced meat when evaluated using different methods with the exception of ABTS▪+ radical scavenging activity and free thiols content. The antioxidant activity of the cooked-digested sample increased remarkably after gastrointestinal digestion compared to control and cooked samples. In particular, after digestion, ABTS▪+ radical scavenging activity and free thiols content of pickled sauced meat, respectively, increased about 1.64 times and twice compared to cooked samples. In addition, the content of essential amino acids in the peptides isolated from cooked-digested pickled sauced meat accounted for 40.65% as well as the content of basic, acidic and hydrophobic amino acids related to antioxidant activity reached 91.48% of total amino acids. The result of this study indicates that pickled sauced meat may be considered a good source of bioactive peptides, providing important information for beneficial physiological effect by the consumption of pickled sauced meat. Practical applications Pickled sauced meat is a Chinese traditional dry-cured meat product with a distinct flavor, and particular texture. Depending on the consumers' preferences, meat is not consumed directly. Pickled sauced meat is a common food product that needs to undergo cooking processes and heat treatments before it is consumed and digested in the body. This study first evaluates and compares the antioxidant activity of pickled sauced meat before and after cooking and in vitro simulated gastrointestinal digestion, highlighting a greater potential for a beneficial physiological effect on human health. This study may not only provide a reference for the nutrition maintenance and promotion of bacon under cooking and digestion, but also expand new perspectives for future investigations to study the physiological effects upon the consumption of meat.