Electrical impedance and tenderisation in bovine meat.

The electrical properties and the muscle fibre mechanical resistance of different beef muscles were measured between 1 and 14 days post-mortem. Electrical measurements used different electrode types working by contact with or penetration of muscle. Measurements from the different electrode types were strongly correlated (0.83< r(2) <0.96). Both impedance (Z) and the ratio Z(1 kHz)/ Z(100 kHz) decrease during ageing. These parameters show an almost linear relationship with muscle fibre mechanical resistance. However, the slope of these curves for one muscle changed among animals. Therefore, these electrical parameters are not useful for the prediction of the state of ageing. Meat electrical anisotropy decreases both when frequency increases and with ageing. Electrical anisotropy measured at 1 kHz is significantly (r=0.59, N=129 P<0.01) correlated to muscle fibre mechanical resistance. The mean anisotropy decreases linearly with muscle fibre mechanical resistance in the same way for Semimembranosus and Pectoralis Profundus muscles. When meat is fully aged it is almost electrically isotropic. Electrical anisotropy is, therefore a potential parameter to evaluate meat ageing, but improvements in accuracy are needed before it can be used.

[1]  G. Eikelenboom,et al.  Evaluation and Control of Meat Quality in Pigs , 1987, Current Topics in Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science.

[2]  Ralston Lawrie,et al.  Developments in meat science , 1980 .

[3]  M D Garrido,et al.  Objective meat quality measurements of ham: A practical classification method on the slaughterline. , 1994, Meat science.

[4]  G. Offer,et al.  The mechanism of drip production: Formation of two compartments of extracellular space in muscle Post mortem , 1992 .

[5]  H J Swatland,et al.  A review of the relationships of pH with physical aspects of pork quality. , 1988, Meat science.

[6]  D. Troy,et al.  Postmortem changes in muscle electrical properties of bovine M. longissimus dorsi and their relationship to meat quality attributes and pH fall. , 2000, Meat science.

[7]  T. Jenkins,et al.  Estimation of Fat-Free Soft Tissue in Lamb Carcasses by use of Carcass and Resistive Impedance Measurements , 1988 .

[8]  R. G. Kauffman,et al.  Use of electrical conductivity to predict water-holding capacity in post-rigor pork. , 2000, Meat Science.

[9]  A. Fischer,et al.  pH and conductivity: comparative measurements on pig carcases and their relationship to drip loss , 1992 .

[10]  H. Swatland.  Observations on rheological, electrical, and optical changes during rigor development in pork and beef. , 1997, Journal of animal science.

[11]  G. Smith,et al.  MECHANICAL MEASUREMENTS OF MEAT TENDERNESS USING THE NIP TENDEROMETER , 1973 .

[12]  P. D. Jolley,et al.  The amount and composition of the proteins in drip from stored pig meat. , 1990, Meat science.

[13]  Remote Monitoring of Postmortem Metabolism in Pork Carcasses , 1987 .

[14]  D. Brodie,et al.  A note on the use of impedance measurements for the prediction of carcass composition in lambs , 1988 .

[15]  S. Bañón,et al.  Objective assessment of pork quality. , 1994, Meat science.

[16]  Assessment of lamb carcass composition from live animal measurement of bioelectrical impedance or ultrasonic tissue depths. , 1996, Journal of animal science.

[17]  L. J. Hansen,et al.  DEVELOPMENT OF THE ARMOUR TENDEROMETER FOR TENDERNESS EVALUATION OF BEEF CARCASSES , 1972 .

[18]  M. Marchello,et al.  Bioelectrical impedance can predict skeletal muscle and fat-free skeletal muscle of beef cow primal cuts. , 1994, Journal of animal science.

[19]  P. Warriss,et al.  Use of the Tecpro Pork Quality Meter for assessing meat quality on the slaughterline. , 1991, Meat science.

[20]  I. F. Penny.  The effect of temperature on the drip, denaturation and extracellular space of pork longissimus dorsi muscle , 1977 .

[21]  R. Currie,et al.  An assessment of extracellular space measurements in post-mortem muscle. , 1983, Meat Science.

[22]  M J Marchello,et al.  Bioelectrical impedance: a nondestructive method to determine fat-free mass of live market swine and pork carcasses. , 1992, Journal of animal science.

[23]  A. Fortin,et al.  A Comparison of Methods to Detect Pork Quality 24 Hours Post Mortem from Measurements Made Within One Hour of Slaughter , 1984 .

[24]  R. Currie,et al.  Rigor related changes in mechanical properties (tensile and adhesive) and extracellular space in beef muscle. , 1980, Meat science.

[25]  D. P. Raymond,et al.  The Use of the Electrical Characteristics of Muscle for the Objective Detection of PSE and DFD in Pork Carcasses Under Commercial Conditions , 1988 .

[26]  J Charpentier,et al.  [Differentiation of fresh and frozen meats by two-frequency impedance measurements]. , 1972, Annales de biologie animale, biochimie, biophysique.

[27]  J. Culioli,et al.  Mechanical properties of meat. , 1994, Meat science.

[28]  P. Hegarty,et al.  Evidence for a relationship between ATP hydrolysis and changes in extracellular space and fibre diameter during rigor development in skeletal muscle. , 1974, Comparative biochemistry and physiology. A, Comparative physiology.

[29]  J C Forrest,et al.  Development of technology for the early post mortem prediction of water holding capacity and drip loss in fresh pork. , 2000, Meat science.

[30]  J. Prentice.  The conductivity of milk—the effect of the volume and degree of dispersion of the fat , 1962, Journal of Dairy Research.

[31]  D. G. Topel,et al.  Chemical composition of chops from pale, soft, exudative (PSE) and normal pork loins , 1979 .

[32]  Anistropy and Postmortem Changes in the Electrical Resistivity and Capacitance of Skeletal Muscle , 1980 .

[33]  I. F. Penny.  Use of a centrifuging method to measure the drip of pork longissimus dorsi slices before and after freezing and thawing , 1975 .