Specific Staining of Muscle Cytoskeletal Proteins in Litopenaeus vannamei and Their Role in Textural Deterioration during Refrigeration

To clarify the key material basis for the rapid softening of shrimp muscle during refrigeration, this study established a specific histological detection method for cytoskeletal proteins and analyzed the correlation between the degradation of cytoskeletal proteins and texture deterioration. By compa...

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Main Author: CAI Peifeng, LIAO Weilong, FENG Jun, HU Li, LI Caihong, XU Defeng
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: China Food Publishing Company 2025-02-01
Series:Shipin Kexue
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Online Access:https://www.spkx.net.cn/fileup/1002-6630/PDF/2025-46-4-028.pdf
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author CAI Peifeng, LIAO Weilong, FENG Jun, HU Li, LI Caihong, XU Defeng
author_facet CAI Peifeng, LIAO Weilong, FENG Jun, HU Li, LI Caihong, XU Defeng
author_sort CAI Peifeng, LIAO Weilong, FENG Jun, HU Li, LI Caihong, XU Defeng
collection DOAJ
description To clarify the key material basis for the rapid softening of shrimp muscle during refrigeration, this study established a specific histological detection method for cytoskeletal proteins and analyzed the correlation between the degradation of cytoskeletal proteins and texture deterioration. By comparing the effects of different fixatives, dehydration modes, clarification times, and staining parameters on the staining of cytoskeletal proteins, it was found that the suitable fixative solution for shrimp muscle tissue was Carnoy’s fixative; the specific staining process encompassed five steps: 1) 15 h fixation at room temperature, 2) dehydration with a series of gradient ethanol concentrations, 3) sequential clarification with a mixture of xylene and ethanol followed by xylene, 4) paraffin embedding for sectioning, 5) and Masson’s trichrome staining, clearly showing the morphology of nuclei, myofibrils, and collagen fibers. The pathological results showed that the gap between muscle fiber bundles increased with refrigeration time, and the structure of myofibrillar bundles was partially destroyed. The color of stained collagen fibers became gradually lighter indicating a decrease in its amount. Quantitative analysis showed that refrigeration led to a significant decrease in the volume fraction of collagen fibers and myofibrils in muscle tissue (P < 0.05). The volume fraction of myofibrils in cross-section and longitudinal sections decreased from (91.03 ± 1.37)% and (93.39 ± 0.91)% to (41.14 ± 3.78)% and (24.36 ± 3.67)%, respectively, over a 5-day refrigeration period. The cross-sectional and longitudinal areas of shrimp myofibrils and collagen fibers were significantly positively correlated with muscle hardness and elasticity (P < 0.05), indicating that the reduction in myofibril and collagen contents during refrigeration was closely related to texture deterioration. The significant correlation between the structural degradation of cytoskeletal proteins and texture deterioration revealed their key role in texture preservation and was an important target for early monitoring and intervention of muscle softening.
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spelling doaj-art-87bb1e261c774e228aaaf6e1ac17eff02025-08-20T02:15:25ZengChina Food Publishing CompanyShipin Kexue1002-66302025-02-0146425225910.7506/spkx1002-6630-20240823-172Specific Staining of Muscle Cytoskeletal Proteins in Litopenaeus vannamei and Their Role in Textural Deterioration during RefrigerationCAI Peifeng, LIAO Weilong, FENG Jun, HU Li, LI Caihong, XU Defeng0(1. School of Ocean and Tropical Medicine, Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang 524000, China; 2. College of Food Science and Technology, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China; 3. School of Medical Technology, Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang 524000, China; 4. School of Basic Medicine, Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang 524000, China)To clarify the key material basis for the rapid softening of shrimp muscle during refrigeration, this study established a specific histological detection method for cytoskeletal proteins and analyzed the correlation between the degradation of cytoskeletal proteins and texture deterioration. By comparing the effects of different fixatives, dehydration modes, clarification times, and staining parameters on the staining of cytoskeletal proteins, it was found that the suitable fixative solution for shrimp muscle tissue was Carnoy’s fixative; the specific staining process encompassed five steps: 1) 15 h fixation at room temperature, 2) dehydration with a series of gradient ethanol concentrations, 3) sequential clarification with a mixture of xylene and ethanol followed by xylene, 4) paraffin embedding for sectioning, 5) and Masson’s trichrome staining, clearly showing the morphology of nuclei, myofibrils, and collagen fibers. The pathological results showed that the gap between muscle fiber bundles increased with refrigeration time, and the structure of myofibrillar bundles was partially destroyed. The color of stained collagen fibers became gradually lighter indicating a decrease in its amount. Quantitative analysis showed that refrigeration led to a significant decrease in the volume fraction of collagen fibers and myofibrils in muscle tissue (P < 0.05). The volume fraction of myofibrils in cross-section and longitudinal sections decreased from (91.03 ± 1.37)% and (93.39 ± 0.91)% to (41.14 ± 3.78)% and (24.36 ± 3.67)%, respectively, over a 5-day refrigeration period. The cross-sectional and longitudinal areas of shrimp myofibrils and collagen fibers were significantly positively correlated with muscle hardness and elasticity (P < 0.05), indicating that the reduction in myofibril and collagen contents during refrigeration was closely related to texture deterioration. The significant correlation between the structural degradation of cytoskeletal proteins and texture deterioration revealed their key role in texture preservation and was an important target for early monitoring and intervention of muscle softening.https://www.spkx.net.cn/fileup/1002-6630/PDF/2025-46-4-028.pdflitopenaeus vannamei; refrigeration; muscle softening; cytoskeletal proteins; masson’s trichrome staining
spellingShingle CAI Peifeng, LIAO Weilong, FENG Jun, HU Li, LI Caihong, XU Defeng
Specific Staining of Muscle Cytoskeletal Proteins in Litopenaeus vannamei and Their Role in Textural Deterioration during Refrigeration
Shipin Kexue
litopenaeus vannamei; refrigeration; muscle softening; cytoskeletal proteins; masson’s trichrome staining
title Specific Staining of Muscle Cytoskeletal Proteins in Litopenaeus vannamei and Their Role in Textural Deterioration during Refrigeration
title_full Specific Staining of Muscle Cytoskeletal Proteins in Litopenaeus vannamei and Their Role in Textural Deterioration during Refrigeration
title_fullStr Specific Staining of Muscle Cytoskeletal Proteins in Litopenaeus vannamei and Their Role in Textural Deterioration during Refrigeration
title_full_unstemmed Specific Staining of Muscle Cytoskeletal Proteins in Litopenaeus vannamei and Their Role in Textural Deterioration during Refrigeration
title_short Specific Staining of Muscle Cytoskeletal Proteins in Litopenaeus vannamei and Their Role in Textural Deterioration during Refrigeration
title_sort specific staining of muscle cytoskeletal proteins in litopenaeus vannamei and their role in textural deterioration during refrigeration
topic litopenaeus vannamei; refrigeration; muscle softening; cytoskeletal proteins; masson’s trichrome staining
url https://www.spkx.net.cn/fileup/1002-6630/PDF/2025-46-4-028.pdf
work_keys_str_mv AT caipeifengliaoweilongfengjunhulilicaihongxudefeng specificstainingofmusclecytoskeletalproteinsinlitopenaeusvannameiandtheirroleintexturaldeteriorationduringrefrigeration