DSC of Meat

Sample

Chicken, turkey, and veal

Conditions

Measuring cell: DSC12E with cryostat cooling

Pan: Aluminum standard 40 µl, hermetically sealed

Reference: Approximately 70 mg alumina to compensate the heat capacity of the sample.

Sample preparation: Small pieces were cut with a sharp knife

DSC measurement: Heating from 30 °C to 110 °C at 10 K/min

Interpretation

The meat proteins undergo several conformational changes. There are the transitions of myosin and sub-units at 55 °C to 62 °C, of sarcoplasmic proteins and collagens around 67 °C and of actin at 78 °C to 83 °C [1]. The DSC curves are characteristic ‘fingerprints’ of the various muscle proteins.

Conclusions

The DSC curves show the denaturation temperatures. They are the key parameters for processing and serve for identification purposes.

[1] Harwalkar and Ma, Thermic Analysis of Foods, Elsevier, 1990, p 93.

_{DSC of Meat | Thermal Analysis Application No. HB 1003 | Application published in METTLER TOLEDO TA Application Handbook Food}