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Relation of Porcine Muscle Fiber Type and Size to Postmortem Shortening¹

Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana 47907

Abstract

NORMAL muscle is composed of at least two different fiber types, red and white. Red muscle fibers are usually myoglobin-rich, small in diameter, high in oxidative enzyme activity and contract slowly; whereas, the white muscle fibers are usually myoglobin-poor, large in diameter, high in phosphorylase activity (Dubowitz and Pearse, 1960) and contract rapidly. Red muscles, which possess a high proportion of the small red fibers, were reported by Beecher, Briskey and Hoekstra (1965) to have longer post-rigor sarcomeres than white muscles. Postmortem temperature and tension development within a muscle are also known to be associated with sarcomere length and fiber diameter. Locker and Hagyard (1963) observed that bovine muscle shortened to a greater extent at 0 C than 14 to 19 C. Galloway and Goll (1967) measured postmortem tension in porcine muscle and reported shortening to be maximal at 2 and 37 C and minimal at 16C. Fiber diameter in bovine muscle has been observed to be inversely related to tenderness and sarcomere length (Locker, 1960; Herring, Cassens and Briskey, 1965).

¹ Journal Paper No. 4030 from the Purdue University Agricultural Experiment Station.