Ultrastructural changes during aging in M. longissimus thoracis from moose and reindeer

Game meat is commonly consumed in Europe but few studies have examined the quality related parameters. In this study we examined the changes in ultrastructure at four times postmortem in M. longissimus from moose (Alces alces) and reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus). The moose were slaughtered during a hunt and reindeer by Swedish standard practices for this semi-domestic animal. Ultrastructural changes occurring in all animals included separation of the sarcolemma from myofibrils, I band breaks, and cytoskeleton breaks; however both I band breaks and cytoskeletal breaks were less common in moose and reindeer than values reported for sheep and beef. Fiber area in the longissimus thoracis muscle was approximately 3270 μm(2) for moose and 1170 μm(2) for reindeer indicating that the tenderness of reindeer meat may be largely determined by fiber size.