Comparative proteomic analyses to investigate premature browning in high‑oxygen modified atmosphere packaged beef patties

This study compared the proteomics of beef patties under high‑oxygen modified atmosphere packaging (HiOx-MAP) and vacuum packaging (VP) during heating. The color and oxidation stability of fresh patties, and myoglobin denaturation of cooked patties were also measured. The results suggested that HiOx-MAP patties contained more oxymyoglobin in fresh meat and had higher myoglobin denaturation during heating than VP patties, resulting in premature browning (PMB) during cooking. Proteomic analysis found that the overabundance of proteasome subunit beta type-2 (PSMB2) and peroxiredoxin-2 (PRDX2) in HiOx-55 °C, which can remove the damaged proteins and inhibit oxidation respectively, are of benefit to meat color stability during storage, however, this was still insufficient to inhibit the occurrence of PMB during cooking. The high abundance of lamin B1 (LMNB1) in VP-55 °C can maintain the stability of meat color. This research provides greater understanding, based on proteomic perspectives, of the molecular mechanism of PMB.