[Myoglobin content and beta-hydroxyacyl-CoA-dehydrogenase activity of different muscles of cattle and calf]

The heart, tongue, jowl, diaphragm and tail as well as shoulder, top round, the longissimus dorsi muscle of slaughtered cattle and the diaphragms of calf were examined with respect to their myoglobin content and beta-hydroxyacyl-CoA-dehydrogenase (HADH) activity. According to Gottesmann and Hamm [1] the product of these two values, the so-called MH value, can serve as the differentiation between the diaphragm and "normal cross striated skeletal muscles". Like the diaphragm, heart, tongue and jowl of cattle show higher MH values than those of "normal beef". Muscles in the tail have the same MH values as those of normal beef muscles. There are no essential differences in the MH values of various cross-striated muscle types of cows and calves. Muscles of cattle show a slightly higher myoglobin content, whereas the HADH activity is lower than in veal.