Abstract
The effect of curing agents (salt, nitrate, ascorbic acid and glucose) and processing parameters (pH, water activity and drying and cooking temperatures) on pork muscle cathepsins B, D, H and L as well as leucyl, arginyl and tyrosyl hydrolysing activities is reported. Salt (60 g/l) showed a powerful inhibitory effect, especially on cathepsin D and aminopeptidase activities where less than 13% of the original activity was recovered. Cathepsin H was also affected (38% of the original activity) while cathepsins B and B+L recovered 72.5 and 63.0%, respectively. Nitrate (0.2-0.25 g/l) and ascorbic acid (0.2-0.4 g/l) did not significantly affect the enzyme activities. On the other hand, 0.5-2 g/l of glucose activated both cathepsins B and D with an increase of 39.5 and 28.5% and also leucyl and arginyl hydrolysing activities which were 75.0 and 24.0%, respectively. No aminopeptidase activity was detected when assayed in 100 mM sodium citrate buffer, pH 5.1. Cathepsin H was also very affected at that pH and only 12.0% of activity was recovered. A decrease in water activity, especially below 0.84, also affected the enzyme activities which were found below 50%. Temperatures in the usual range of the drying process (22 and 30 degrees C) gave substantial enzyme activities (around 40-50 and 80%, respectively).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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