Jerked beef as an ultraprocessed convenience food: Desalting strategies to minimize the impact on lipid and protein oxidation.

Abstract

Jerked beef (JB) is a high-protein convenience food but shows high degree of oxidation owing to its severe ultraprocessing. This study aimed to investigate the effect of desalting processes on oxidative stability of JB. JB were submitted to five desalting procedures: immersion in water at room temperature for 12 h without changing the water (AT12); immersion in water at room temperature for 12 h followed by boiling for 30 min and changing the water between the two procedures (AT12 + C30); immersion in boiled water for 10, 20, and 30 min (C10, C20, and C30, respectively). The desalted JB samples were refrigerated (vacuum packed and stored at 1 ± 1°C) and analyzed at 0 and 60 days. The samples without desalting were used as a control group. AT12 samples had the lowest lipid oxidation (0.05 and 0.07 mg of MDA kg^-1, at T60 and T0, respectively). AT12 + C30 had the lowest NaCl content (2.8 and 3.3 g 100 g^-1, at T0 and T60, respectively). C10, C20, and C30 showed a lower level of total carbonyls (p < 0.05) (0.04-0.13 nmol mg^-1 protein), compared to control (0.53-0.93 nmol mg^-1 protein in T0 and T60, respectively). Only boiled, desalted meats showed the volatile compound benzaldehyde. Higher concentration of monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and total unsaturated fatty acids in JB desalted only in boiling water (C10, C20, and C30), compared to control (p < 0.05). AT12 is the best process to use, with regards to lipid oxidative stability, hardness, and NaCl content. Therefore, we conclude that it is possible to offer commercially desalted JB, as a convenience ultraprocessed product. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Lipid oxidation is accelerated when desalting jerked beef (JB) with boiling water. Desalted JB in boiling water had detectable concentrations of benzaldehyde. •Desalting in water at 25°C/12 h resulted in JB with better oxidative stability.