Quercetin attenuates acrylamide-induced damage to largemouth bass myofibrillar protein and associated gut health impairments.

Thermal processing can enhance the nutritional quality and flavor of aquatic products; however, hazardous compounds such as acrylamide formed during the process may exert adverse effects on proteins and intestinal health. In this study, myofibrillar protein (MP) extracted from Largemouth Bass was used as a model to systematically investigate the regulatory effects of quercetin on acrylamide-induced protein damage and intestinal health impairment. The results showed that AA treatment significantly increased the particle size of MP, promoted protein aggregation, and markedly reduced the α-helix content, indicating severe structural disruption. Quercetin pretreatment effectively mitigated these structural alterations, with the most pronounced effect observed at a concentration of 3%, where the particle size decreased to 106.98 μm and the α-helix content increased to 22.42%. Furthermore, results from in vitro digestion and gut microbiota fermentation revealed that AA significantly decreased the digestibility of MP (from 76.68% to 54.87%, p < 0.01), reduced Caco-2 cell viability, and increased the apoptosis rate. Pretreatment with 3% quercetin markedly improved protein digestibility (71.88%), enhanced Caco-2 cell viability, and inhibited apoptosis. Overall, this study elucidates the detrimental effects of acrylamide on MPs and intestinal health and demonstrates the potential of quercetin in alleviating acrylamide-induced damage, providing a theoretical basis for the application of natural bioactives in improving the nutritional quality of aquatic products and controlling hazardous compounds during processing.