Influence of dehydration temperature on change in myofibrillar protein of cured meat from walleye pollack.

Salt concentration of minced meat from walleye pollack was fixed among 0.14-2.1M by soaking in 3M NaC1 for various periods at 4°C. During the dehydration of the cured meat at 30, 40, and 50°C. inactivation of myofibrillar Ca-ATPase and formation of myosin heavy chain polymer (as estimated on SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis) were investigated. On dehydration of the uncured meat containing NaCl corresponding to 0.14M, its myofibril-Jar Ca-ATPase activity and myosin heavy chain were hardly changed irrespective to dehydrat-ing temperature. Whereas the cured meat containing 0.9M NaCl was dehydrated at 30°C. myofibrillar Ca-ATPase was slowly inactivated with the accumulation of myosin heavy chain polymer having a relatively larger molecular size (HCn'). On dehydration, with the rise in temperature of over 40°C together with the increase in NaCI concentration of cured meat, myofibrillar Ca-ATPase was rapidly inactivated and the myosin heavy chain polymer (HCn') did not accumulate much.