A highly active protease exists in squid muscle. After comminution the muscle can autolyze to such a degree that its rheological properties show extensive change, SDS gel electrophoresis showed that this change is concomitant with progressive myosin degradation but Differential Scanning Calorimetry of autolyzed cornminutes showed no change in the characteristic thermal transitions relative to a control sample. Similarly sensory assessment of a cooked autolyzed comminute did not reflect the extent of change exhibited in the raw state. This preliminary evidence suggests that proteolysis of a raw muscle comminute need not affect its sensory properties.