Changes in fatty acid composition of fatty fractions of dry‐cured beef during different drying temperature and chilled storage

Dry‐cured beef is a traditional meat product of the Kazakh nomads in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwestern China. In order to determine the effect of high temperature and short time drying on the fatty fractions of dry‐cured beef. The beef of Xinjiang was used as the raw material and dried beef was dried at different drying temperatures. After being cooled down to room temperature, the meat samples were stored in a refrigerator at 4℃. Sampling occurred on days 0, 15, 30, and 60 for analysis of changes in pH, Water activities (aw), thiobarbituric acid reaction substrate (TBARS) value, and the lipid content and fatty acid composition of total intramuscular lipids, phospholipids, triglycerides, and free fatty acids (FAAs). The results showed that with prolonged storage time, the pH value increased slightly but this increase was not significant (p > .05). The aw value decreased slightly but this decrease was not significant (p > .05). The TBARS values increased by the greatest amount during treatment at 60°C from 0–60 days. After 60 days at 4°C, the TBARS values of the samples had increased from 0.237 to 0.813. The preferential hydrolysis of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in the phospholipids was observed, and this resulted in the percentage of PUFA in the phospholipids decreasing markedly and the free fatty acids increasing significantly during storage. Therefore, there is a dynamic relationship between the fat content and the fatty acid composition, the phospholipids, and the free fatty acids during the storage of dry‐cured beef treated at different temperatures. Practical applications The fat content and fatty acid composition are among the most valuable quality characteristics for Kazakh dry‐cured beef. Understanding of the effects of lipid oxidation on the development of flavor will allow producers to control the flavor qualities of this product. This study is of great practical importance in the industrial development of traditional dry‐cured beef.