WP3 – Proteinous cellular network model

 

Leader: Carolina Realini

Contact details:

Activity type: RTD
Participants short name: INRA, IRTA, UL
 

Objective:
• To define the best way to prepare samples representative of meat products either by selecting and assessing meat tissues or by creating artificial mimetic samples;
• To evaluate the effect of composition and structural properties of proteinous foods on the reactions which are promoted by heating and can have nutritional consequences
 

Role of participants and methodology:
IRTA (WP leader): will work primarily in Task 3.1 establishing categories of samples representing the major differences in muscle structure and composition, and will also be involved in T3.3 microscopy analysis, and T3.4 testing results from artificial models in meat tissues.
INRA: will participate in all Tasks with more emphasis in T3.2 building artificial gel models representative of animal tissues, and T3.4 using artificial models to understand reaction routes promoted by heating. In task 3.3 INRA will evaluate structural characteristics of meat tissues at different levels using microscopic image analysis by the way of its subcontractant (LMC)
UL: will study levels of protein oxidation.
 

Work breakdown:
Task T3.1: Rationalisation of meat tissue selection
Task T3.2: Prospective investigation to build artificial mimetic gel models representative of animal tissues
Task T3.3: Microscopic image analyses of typical different meat tissues to assess their structural characteristics
Task T3.4: Use of artificial gel models to understand reaction routes promoted by heating of animal tissues
 

Deliverables:
D3.1: Protocol to build and characterize an artificial mimetic gel model with different levels of structural organisation. M24.
D3.2: Test of a procedure to assess from microscopic images the mean and variability of structural characteristics of a heterogeneous meat tissue. M24.
D3.3: Quantification of protein modifications due to heating. M36.
D3.4: Guidelines to select categories of raw meats based on a nutritional target property after cooking. M48.