Benefits of wine-based marination of strip steaks prior to roasting: inhibition of protein oxidation and impact on sensory properties

Background: The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of red wine-based marination on the oxidative stability and overall quality of roasted beef strip steaks. Four treatments were considered, according to the type of wine (300 mL dealcoholized wine/kilogram meat): 'Cabernet Sauvignon', 'Tempranillo', 'Isabel' (ISA), and a control. The formation of potentially harmful protein oxidation products during roasting, including protein carbonyls and dityrosines, was inhibited by bioactive components of the wine.

Results: ISA marinades were particularly resistant to protein oxidation, which could be due the particular composition of this wine in phenolic compounds. Wine-based marination was also effective in controlling the formation of lipid-derived volatile compounds, such as hexanal, octane-2,5-dione, and heptan-2-one, which led to a reduced perception of rancidity by panelists. Additionally, wines contributed to spicing roasted beef with wine-derived flavors from esters, alcohols, and lactones.

Conclusions: Hence, marination may be a feasible means to alleviate the potential negative effects that oxidative reactions cause to meat proteins, improve beef quality, and diversify beef cuts into a variety of safer and more flavored meat products. Among wines, ISA appeared to be most promising in terms of antioxidant protection; however, the limited consumer acceptance of steaks treated with this wine may be regarded as a drawback to be sorted out in future studies. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.