Fresh pork quality during refrigerated storage is a major concern for the meat industry, as postmortem metabolic processes can rapidly degrade color, moisture, and texture. A recent study published in Food Quality and Safety (DOI: 10.1093/fqsafe/fyag047) reveals that applying an electrostatic field (EF) during near-freezing storage can significantly slow glycolysis, the biochemical pathway responsible for pH decline and quality loss in meat.
Researchers from the Institute of Food Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and the College of Food Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, investigated the effects of a continuous 12-kilovolt EF on pork muscle stored at −1 ± 0.5 °C, compared to conventional refrigeration at 4 ± 0.5 °C and controlled freezing-point storage without EF. They tracked energy metabolites, glycolytic enzyme modifications, and sarcoplasmic protein structure over 120 hours postmortem.
Results showed that EF-treated pork had 17.5% less lactate accumulation than conventionally refrigerated samples at 120 hours, with glycogen and ATP consumption reduced by 14.9% and 37.3%, respectively. The treatment also altered post-translational modifications (PTMs) on key glycolytic enzymes—lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), triosephosphate isomerase (TPI), and pyruvate kinase (PK)—by generally reducing phosphorylation and increasing acetylation, which is consistent with slower enzyme activity. Protein structural analysis revealed that EF exposure initially promoted larger aggregates, but over time (from 36 to 120 hours), proteins became smaller, more dispersed, and more ordered.
The study's authors emphasize that the preservation effect is not merely due to lower temperature but involves molecular changes in the enzyme environment. "The EF appears to influence the molecular environment in which glycolytic enzymes operate, changing both protein conformation and the chemical switches that regulate enzyme activity," they explained. The time-dependent protein structural shifts likely contribute to the slower conversion of pyruvate to lactate, preserving cellular energy.
These findings provide a mechanistic basis for developing electrostatic-field-assisted cold storage in fresh meat supply chains. By slowing pH decline and conserving ATP, the technology could help maintain water-holding capacity, texture, appearance, and overall saleable quality during processing, transport, and retail display. The low-power 30-watt system also suggests energy-efficient potential, though commercial benefits were not directly assessed.
Future research should validate the causal link between protein structural changes and enzyme PTMs, using molecular dynamics simulations. Additionally, larger studies are needed to evaluate microbial safety, sensory quality, shelf life, equipment scalability, temperature fluctuations, operating costs, and performance across different muscles and meat products before industrial adoption.
The study was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2022YFD2100500). Food Quality and Safety is an open-access, peer-reviewed journal covering food quality, safety, nutrition, and human health, with a 2025 Impact Factor of 4.9.
