Myofibrillar Fragmentation and Cytoskeletal Protein Degradation: A Mechanism Driven by Ultra‐High Pressure Processing to Tenderize Post‐Mortem Goose Meat

ABSTRACT

Enhancing tenderness is crucial for improving the commercial quality and consumer acceptance of goose meat. Here, a novel strategy was developed to enhance tenderness by accelerating the degradation of cytoskeletal proteins through ultra‐high pressure (UHP) processing. Experiments were conducted across a range of pressure (100–500 MPa) and holding times (10–30 min). The results demonstrated that the optimal treatment condition of 300 MPa for 20 min significantly improved tenderness, as evidenced by a 25% reduction in shear force compared to the control group. The tenderization mechanism of post‐mortem was shown to operate through a dual pathway: UHP directly induced physical disruption of the myofibrillar structure, reflected by a 20% increase in the myofibrillar fragmentation index (MFI). Simultaneously, it activated the endogenous enzyme μ‐calpain, which promoted the targeted degradation of structural proteins, particularly troponin‐T and desmin. These coordinated biochemical and ultrastructural alterations led to pronounced myofibrillar disorganization, including I‐band disruption and Z‐line fragmentation, ultimately compromising sarcomere integrity. The findings demonstrate that UHP can be applied as an effective physical intervention to improve tenderness of post‐mortem goose meat, providing a viable technological approach for the meat industry to enhance product quality.