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Anistropy and Postmortem Changes in the Electrical Resistivity and Capacitance of Skeletal Muscle¹

University of Guelph², Guelph, Ontario, Canada

Abstract

A bridge circuit and a dual trace oscilloscope were used to measure the resistance and capacitance between a pair of needle electrodes inserted into samples of bovine or ovine muscle. Resistance was inversely proportional to temperature and data were converted to equivalent resistivity (ohms/cm) at 0 C. Adipose tissue was a major source of resistance, whereas even major layers of epimysium were equivalent to muscle tissue. The resistivity of muscle was anisotropic with minimum resistivity along the myofiber axes and maximum resistivity across the myofiber axes. Resistivity across the myofibers was greater when electrodes were perpendicular to myofiber axes. In some situations resistivity showed a transient increase lasting up to 2 to 8 hr postmortem. In all situations, resistivity eventually declined. Capacitance declined postmortem and was absent in conditioned beef. The partitioning of electrolytes between intra- and extracellular compartments was proposed as the cause of these changes.

¹ Research supported by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food and by a grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

² Dept. of Animal and Poultry Science.