Postmortem Delay Time and Heating Rate Affect Tenderness and Ultrastructure of Prerigor Cooked Bovine Muscle

Abstract

The response of prerigor bovine muscle to different heating conditions was determined. Samples were fast-heated at six postmortem times or at five heating rates at four early postmortem times. All samples were heated to 70°C internally. Prerigor muscle cooked at progressively shorter postmortem times and faster heating rates had correspondingly lower shear values. In prerigor fast-heated samples, phase contrast microscopy revealed transverse bright stripes along the myofiber while scanning electron microscopy showed transverse surface wrinkles, bulges, interior contraction bands, and stretched areas. Postmortem time and heating should be controlled to improve beef tenderness.

Effect of Calcium Chloride Marination on Electrophoretical and Structural Characteristics of Beef, Horse, Rabbit and Chicken Meat

“…8) presented more fractures than the other three species. All samples showed Z-line and M-band degradation, in agreement with the reported by Wu et al [31] Nonetheless, Shimada and Takahashi [32] reported that the damage in Z-line is due to the liberation of phospholipids in pork and beef calcium-marinated samples, reducing the importance of calpains role in meat tenderisation. On the other hand, Ho et al [33] reported that changes in myofibrillar structure were mainly due to I-band degradation as reported by who described that myofibril structures in postmortem muscle are replaced by an amorphous, non-uniform bands adjacent to I-band ruptures, increasing intermyofibril gaps, as compared to premortem tissue.…”

Effect of Postmortem Phases on Lamb Meat Quality: A Physicochemical, Microstructural and Water Mobility Approach

“… Wheeler and Koohmaraie (1994) reported that the WBSF of ovine longissimus muscle increased from 5.10 kg at 3 h postmortem (per-rigor) to 8.66 kg at 24 h postmortem (rigor mortis), and then decreased to 4.36 kg by 72 h postmortem (post-rigor). Wu et al (1995) found that pre-rigor bovine stemomandibularis muscle was more tender than post-rigor control muscle cooked to 70°C internally. The amount of free water increased during rigor mortis and resolution, which caused an accumulation of water on the cut surface and higher drip loss ( Devine et al, 2014 ).…”

Physicochemical and Sensory Characteristics of Calcium Chloride‐Treated Horse Meat

“…However, a direct relationship between softening and chemical structure of myofibrillar proteins was demonstrated. [5] There are two types of calpains: calpain I or m, requiring 50 to 70 mM Ca 2þ for activation, and calpain II or m, requiring 1 to 5 mM Ca 2þ . [6] Softening of bovine meat activated by 1 to 5 mM Ca 2þ without notably altering other sensory characteristics was observed.…”