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The effect of beef carcass electrical stimulation on the thermal stability of intramuscular collagen was determined. Differential scanning calorimetric determinations of thermal shrinkage temperature revealed that electrical stimulation lowered the shrinkage temperature of collagen by an average of .6 C in the population of cattle studied. No difference between Hereford x Angus crossbreds and Charolais crossbreds were found, but the extent of the reduction of collagen shrinkage temperature caused by electrical stimulation was greater in animals that did not receive high grain diets or received grain for only a short period than in those fed grain for up to 210 days. Furthermore, panel tenderness and Warner-Bratzler shear tests showed that stimulation-induced tenderization was also greater in animals fed no grain or fed grain for a short time. No evidence of stimulation effects on myofibrillar proteins was observed from data on sarcomere length or myofibrillar fragmentation index. The reduction of thermal stability of bovine intramuscular collagen by electrical stimulation may result from a decrease in the number or strength of the collagen cross-links.

This study investigated the effect of electrical stimulation on quality and palatability of cattle fed a high energy diet for various lengths of time. Stimulation improved tenderness in cattle that were fed a high energy diet for times ranging from O-210 days. However, the greatest improvement was in cattle that were not fed the high energy diet. The amount of improvement in tenderness decreased as time on a high energy diet increased. Flavor and juiciness scores, sarcomere length, and myotibril fragmentation index were not affected by electrical stimulation. Stimulation significantly improved lean color, firmness and texture and decreased the incidence of heat-ring in muscle at 24 hr postmortem.

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