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Updated: May 27, 2026

Exploring the Longissimus Muscle: Unraveling its Correlation with Meat Quality in Bos indicus and Crossbred Bulls
Published on: July 12, 2024
Effect of subcutaneous fat and high temperature conditioning on bovine meat tenderness
M Koohmaraie1, S C Seideman, J D Crouse
1US Department of Agriculture, ARS, Roman L. Hruska US Meat Animal Research Center, PO Box 166, Clay Center, Nebraska 68933, USA.
Abstract:
Effects of subcutaneous fat cover and high temperature conditioning on tenderness of meat were studied using 16 steer carcasses. Longissimus subcutaneous fat cover was completely removed from eight carcasses and the right and left sides were stored at either 0°C or 26°C. After 6 h at 26°C, the sides were transferred to the 0°C room; and after 24 h, all sides were transferred to a 1°C room for the duration of the experiment. Cold temperature and removal of fat cover reduced (P < 0·05) the longissimus muscle temperature at 6, 9 and 12 h post-mortem. The pH of the longissimus muscle was lower (P < 0·05) as the result of high temperature conditioning and fat cover 6, 9 and 12 h post-mortem. Consequently, conditions existed which would have been expected to promote cold shortening, yet high temperature conditioning and fat cover had no consistent effects on myofibrillar fragmentation index, sarcomere length or shear values.
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