Metabolomic analysis reveals key quality-associated metabolites in frozen pork thawed under different temperatures and media.

Abstract

Freezing is widely used to preserve meat, but thawing conditions can markedly alter pork quality. Here, longissimus dorsi and psoas major muscles were subjected to fixed 24 h regimens in air or water at 4 °C or 20 °C, encompassing thawing and subsequent holding under the assigned conditions. Meat quality traits, microstructure, and LC-MS metabolomics were assessed. Treatment temperature influenced quality more than medium. Compared with 20 °C thawing, 4 °C thawing reduced lightness, electrical conductivity, and thawing loss while better preserving sarcomere organization and myofibrillar ultrastructure. Metabolomic differences were greater between temperature groups than media, involving in amino acid, lipid, and energy metabolism. Inositol, enriched in 4 °C-thawed pork, was selected for validation and was associated with changes in microstructure, proteolysis-related measures, and antioxidant-related enzyme activities. C2C12 experiments provided supplementary evidence of structural protein regulation without modeling freeze-thaw injury. These findings support low-temperature regimens as a quality-preserving strategy for frozen pork.

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