ABSTRACT
Contents 16.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 279 16.2 Nucleotide Breakdown in Postmortem Muscle ............................................................ 280 16.3 Sample Preparation ...................................................................................................... 280 16.4 Extraction of Nucleotides and Nucleosides ...................................................................281 16.5 Chromatography Analysis ............................................................................................ 282
16.5.1 Reversed-Phase HPLC .................................................................................... 282 16.5.2 Ion-Pair Reversed-Phase HPLC ...................................................................... 283
16.6 Applications to Meat Quality ....................................................................................... 285 16.6.1 Prediction of Meat Quality ............................................................................. 285 16.6.2 Flavor Contribution to Meat........................................................................... 286
References ............................................................................................................................... 286
16.1 Introduction Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) depletion is the actual cause of the onset of rigor mortis.1 Once the animal is slaughtered, ATP is rapidly split into adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and subsequently into adenosine monophosphate (AMP) and other derived compounds. Th e rate of ATP disappearance depends on several factors during postmortem, the muscle metabolism status being the most important. In fact, ATP turnover in exudative meats is two-to threefold faster than in normal meats. Th is means that normal muscle needs about 4-6 h to reach the same concentration of nucleotides and nucleosides that are already formed in the exudative samples at
2 h postmortem.2,3 Th e meat industry demands high, predictable, and consistent meat quality. Th is chapter presents typical procedures for the extraction and analysis of nucleotides and nucleosides in meat. Th e analysis of these compounds may help for a better classifi cation of meat, which is also described in this chapter.
