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The Sarcomere01:08

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A sarcomere is a microscopic segment repeating in a myofibril. The sarcomere fundamentally consists of two main myofilaments: thick filaments called myosin and thin filaments called actin. These filaments interact by sliding past each other in response to stimulus. In addition to myosin and actin, several other proteins, such as tropomyosin, troponin, titin, nebulin, myomesin, α-actinin, and dystrophin, play crucial roles in regulating, structuring, and functioning of the sarcomere.
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Actin and Myosin in Muscle Contraction01:16

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Actin and myosin are contractile proteins that form the sarcomere found in skeletal muscle tissues for regulating muscle contraction. Actin, a globular contractile protein, interacts with myosin for muscle contraction. The skeletal tissue appears striped or striated under a microscope due to the repeated arrangement of contractile proteins actin and myosin along the length of myofibrils. Dark A bands and light I bands repeat along myofibrils, and the alignment of myofibrils in the cell causes...
Skeletal Muscle Anatomy00:55

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Exploring the Longissimus Muscle: Unraveling its Correlation with Meat Quality in Bos indicus and Crossbred Bulls
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Exploring the Longissimus Muscle: Unraveling its Correlation with Meat Quality in Bos indicus and Crossbred Bulls

Published on: July 12, 2024

Beef tenderness and sarcomere length.

F J Smulders1, B B Marsh, D R Swartz

  • 1Muscle Biology Laboratory, University of Wisconsin, 1805 Linden Drive, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA.

Meat Science
|November 8, 2011
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Electrical stimulation influences beef tenderness by affecting muscle glycolysis rates. Slow glycolysis, particularly in non-stimulated carcasses, leads to significant tenderness variability due to muscle shortening.

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Area of Science:

  • Meat Science
  • Food Science
  • Animal Science

Background:

  • Muscle quality in beef is significantly influenced by post-mortem glycolysis.
  • Electrical stimulation is a common method to control post-mortem changes in beef carcasses.
  • Variability in beef tenderness remains a challenge for the industry.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of varying muscle glycolytic rates on beef tenderness.
  • To determine the relationship between post-mortem pH decline, sarcomere length, and beef tenderness.
  • To evaluate the effectiveness of electrical stimulation in managing beef tenderness.

Main Methods:

  • Sixty beef carcasses received electrical stimulation post-decapitation; seven were controls.
  • Short loins were analyzed at 48 hours for tenderness and sarcomere length (SL).
  • Muscle glycolytic rates were assessed via 3-hour pH (pH(3)) measurements.

Main Results:

  • Slow glycolysing muscles (pH(3) > 6.3) exhibited a wide tenderness range (5 units) and a strong correlation between tenderness and SL (r=0.84).
  • Faster glycolysing muscles (pH(3) < 6.3) showed a narrower tenderness range (2.5 units) with negligible correlation to SL (r=0.16).
  • Muscle shortening affected tenderness variability only during slow glycolysis.

Conclusions:

  • Slow glycolysis, common in non-stimulated beef, leads to significant tenderness diversity.
  • Electrical stimulation can modulate glycolysis and potentially reduce tenderness variability.
  • Controlling post-mortem glycolysis is crucial for predictable beef tenderness outcomes.