Microstructural changes in rabbit meat wrapped with Pteridium aquilinum fern during postmortem storage

This work studied the microstructural degradation of rabbit semimembranosus muscle wrapped with Pteridium aquilinum fern fronds, stored at 4 °C during the first 72 h postmortem. At the microstructural level, practically all the perimysial and endomysial connective tissue was destroyed and a small degradation of the myofibrils could be observed after the first 24 h postmortem; in addition, a degradation of the sarcolemma and the generation of numerous gaps were seen. After 32 h postmortem, tissue fibres were broken, cell membranes were more strongly degraded, and the connections between the sarcolemma and the myofibrils had disappeared. After 72 h postmortem, intercellular connections became degraded inside the muscle bundles and intercellular gaps became larger. The proteolytic activity is attributed to fern endogenous enzymatic activity in addition to the typical endogenous enzymatic activity of meat postmortem.