Tenderness and Associated Characteristics of Stretched and Contracted Bovine Muscles

SUMMARY— The effects of muscle contraction state, carcass maturity, and post-mortem aging (4°C) on tenderness were studied on excised semitendinosus muscles of six A- and six E-maturity bovine carcasses. Fiber diameter was shown to be curvilinearly related with sarcomere length (R = .95 and .87 for A- and E-maturity groups, respectively). As muscles were shortened they had a larger percent area of fibers and a smaller percent area of both edomysial and perimysial material. Muscles of the A-maturity group were more tender (P < .01) than those of the E-maturity group. Post-mortem aging resulted in tenderization in both A- and E-maturity groups at all states of contraction f-48 to +48% of the preexcised length); however, tenderness of contracted muscles did not reach acceptable levels even in 240 hr of aging. Tenderness was shown to be linearly related to fiber diameter (R = .82 and .87 for A- and E-maturity groups, respectively); however, the relationship with sarcomere length was curvilinear (R = .90 and .75 for A and E maturities, respectively). Post-mortem contraction of muscles was very effective in causing decreased tenderness, whereas the magnitude of tenderness increase was smaller than normal when muscles were stretched.

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