Dados do Trabalho

Título

EFFECT OF HEAT TREATMENT ON THE BIOACCESSIBILITY OF PROTEINS IN BEEF BAITS FOR THE ELDERLY

Introdução

Animal-based foods are recommended as the primary source of protein for the elderly due to their nutritional profile. Beef is a significant source of micronutrients essential for the health of older people, such as B vitamins, iron and zinc. However, as reported by the Brazilian Society of Geriatrics and Gerontology, elderly people want to consume beef, but face challenges related to the slow digestibility of this meat. Therefore, the main objective of this work was to evaluate the influence of heat treatment on the bioaccessibility of beef proteins during simulated gastrointestinal digestion.

Material e Métodos

A complete 22 factorial design was developed with two factors and three central points. The independent variables were the cut size of the meat (1x1 – 3x3 cm) and the F0 value (6 – 14 min). The meat baits were initially subjected to a bleaching process in brine composed of 1.5% NaCl and vinegar, and subsequently packaged in metallic pouches. Each package contained approximately 150g of meat and 50g of brine. The samples were processed in a Steriflow® autoclave (France) and subjected to an in vitro gastrointestinal digestion protocol adapted for the elderly using the INFOGEST method. The content of aromatic amino acids and total nitrogen, measured by the Kjeldahl method, were evaluated as response variables before and after in vitro digestion.

Resultados e Discussão

The nitrogen recovery rate, which measures the fraction of nitrogen that is bioaccessible after digestion, ranged from 44.97% to 57.28%. The highest recovery rate was observed in beef cut into 1 cm pieces and subjected to an F0 of 14 minutes. The amount of bioaccessible aromatic amino acids after in vitro digestion ranged from 1.38 to 1.49 g per 100 g of beef. The highest value was also in 1 cm pieces with a F0 of 14 minutes, consistent with nitrogen recovery findings.

Conclusão

Higher aromatic amino acid values were seen in smaller cuts and longer F0 times due to greater enzyme contact and extended hydrolysis. Thus, heat treating meat with smaller cuts and longer F0 times effectively enhances the bioaccessibility of aromatic amino acids after digestion.