Effects of electron beam irradiation on the biochemical properties and structure of myofibrillar protein from Tegillarca granosa meat

•Effects of electron beam irradiation on T. granosa meat were studied.•An irradiation dose of 3–5 kGy improved the texture of T. granosa meat.•High doses (≥7 kGy) effected biochemical properties of the protein signally.•An optimum dose of 3–5 kGy is recommended for irradiation of T. granosa. The effect of electron beam irradiation at doses of 0–9 kGy on the biochemical properties and structure of myofibrillar protein from Tegillarca granosa (T. granosa) was investigated. There was no effect of irradiation on the surface hydrophobicity of the myofibrillar protein, however total sulfhydryl content and Ca2+-ATPase activity both declined to varying extents with increasing irradiation dose. Irradiation also affected the composition of the myofibrillar protein; with increasing dose of irradiation, the actin, paramyosin and myosin heavy chain contents of the myofibrillar protein were partially degraded. Irradiation reduced the α-helix content and increased the β-sheet content but these effects were less dependent on the dose of irradiation. The ‘hardness’, ‘gumminess’, ‘chewiness’ and ‘resilience’ of T. granosa meat were improved at irradiation doses of 3–5 kGy. Collectively, our results support an optimum irradiation dose of 3–5 kGy for the preservation of T. granosa meat.