Protein Biomarkers of Bovine Defective Meats at a Glance: Gel-Free Hybrid Quadrupole-Orbitrap Analysis for Rapid Screening

An understanding
of biological mechanisms that could be involved
in the stress response of animal cattle prior to slaughter is critical
to create effective strategies aiming at the production of high-quality
meat. The sarcoplasmic proteome of directly extracted samples from
normal and high ultimate pH (pHu) meat groups was studied through
a straightforward gel-free strategy supported by liquid chromatography
hybrid quadrupole-Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS)
analysis. A stepped proteomic pipeline combining rapid biomarker hunting
supported by qualitative protein Mascot scores followed by targeted
label-free peptide quantification revealed 26 descriptors that characterized
meat groups assayed. The functional study of the proposed biomarkers
suggested their relevant role in metabolic, chaperone/stress-related,
muscle contractility/fiber organization, and transport activities.
The efficiency, flexibility, rapidity, and easiness of the methodology
proposed can positively contribute to the creation of innovative proteomic
alternatives addressing meat quality assessment.