Ultrasound-Assisted Curdlan Curing Reduces Water Loss of Rabbit Meat: Water Retention Performance, Myofibrillar Protein Structure, and Processing Adaptability

Improving the water-holding capacity (WHC) during the processing of rabbit meat can effectively enhance the texture of the final product, but it remains a practical challenge. This study aims to develop an ultrasound-assisted curdlan curing strategy to reduce the water loss of rabbit meat during the processing. Herein, the water retention performance, myofibrillar protein (MP) structure, and processing adaptability of rabbit meat as affected by the ultrasound-assisted curdlan curing treatment were investigated. Compared with the control group, ultrasound-assisted curdlan treatment increased WHC by 14.0% and reduced cooking loss by 15.4%. Moreover, this combined treatment showed significantly higher WHC and lower cooking loss than curdlan or ultrasound treatment alone (p < 0.05). Moreover, the ultrasound-assisted curdlan curing resulted in higher ultraviolet absorption and fluorescence intensity of myofibrillar proteins (MPs) in rabbit meat, but the intensity of the main protein band observed in SDS-PAGE was lower. Furthermore, the rabbit meat treated with the ultrasound-assisted curdlan curing maintains the highest water content (75.2% for steaming, 74.7% for boiling, 74.4% for microwaving, 70.1% for roasting, and 71.8% for air-frying) under various thermal processing methods. Therefore, the ultrasound-assisted curdlan curing offers a feasible route to improve water retention in rabbit meat, providing an applicable basis for reducing water loss in meat production.