Dynamic changes in water mobility and taste substances of cooked Tan lamb meat after chilled storage

Tan sheep meat is an increasingly valuable commercial product in China. However, following its wider distribution, the effects of storage time on eating quality of the raw meat require elucidation so that product quality can be maintained. Here, the effects of storing raw Tan lamb at 4 ℃ over 0–10 d on its eating quality were studied by measuring changes in cooking loss, water mobility, and taste substances after cooking. The results showed that minimum cooking loss occurred on day zero, and internal water became increasingly bound with macromolecules during storage. The main umami (UAA), sweet (SAAs), and bitter amino acids (BAA) were glutamic acid, glycine and alanine, and arginine respectively. Amounts of UAAs decreased, while the SAAs and BAAs both increased during storage. Inosine 5′-monophosphate (IMP) was the main taste nucleotide. Its content decreased with increasing storage, while that of its bitter metabolite, inosine, increased. The overall taste substance profiles suggested that umami taste reduced and bitterness increased in cooked Tan sheep meat with increasing storage time. Taste activity analysis revealed that IMP made the greatest contribution to the taste of the cooked meat. Overall, Tan lamb exhibited the best eating quality when cooked on the day of slaughter.