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Updated: Feb 14, 2026

Measurement of Protein Import Capacity of Skeletal Muscle Mitochondria
Published on: January 7, 2022
Presence of oxygen and mitochondria in skeletal muscle early postmortem
Eric M England1, Sulaiman K Matarneh1, Rachel M Mitacek2
1Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, United States.
Abstract:
Anaerobic glycolysis dominates energy metabolism postmortem. Even so, however, recent studies suggest mitochondria can modify postmortem energy metabolism and may contribute to pH decline, possibly affecting the transformation of muscle to meat and fresh meat quality development. Because oxygen is a necessary component of mitochondrial function, oxygenation of porcine and bovine longissimus thoracis et lumborum was determined postmortem using NIR spectroscopy. The ratio of oxy- to deoxymyoglobin decreased with time postmortem in both species. Metabolic analyses of muscle samples collected over the same timeframe also revealed fluctuations in TCA intermediates. Finally, mitochondria collected from muscle of electrically stimulated carcasses differed from those of non-stimulated muscle. Collectively, these data support the thesis that muscle mitochondria function early postmortem and may play a more active part in pH decline and possibly meat quality development.
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