Meat muscle physiology

This review aims at giving an overview of the NMR applications in meat science. This may be an idealistic scope, as meat science is not a strictly delimited area. In studies of the conversion of muscle to meat, initialised early post mortem, the limits to in vivo muscle physiology are vague, and therefore the differentiation of which studies belong to which discipline is subjective, and consequently studies have been included where we found it natural. Overall, the review attempts to demonstrate and discuss the different NMR methodologies (relaxometry, imaging, spectroscopy) and their potential applications within meat science based on the existing literature. In the end, conclusions will be drawn, and future perspectives are considered. 

Athletes associate performance with diet. Meat became a staple of ancient Greek and Roman athletes as they attempted to achieve the strength and endurance of carnivorous members of the animal kingdom. As knowledge of nutrition and muscle physiology increased, athletes became convinced that to increase muscle mass and strength required increased dietary protein. However, nutrition textbooks (1,2) and the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA s) established by the National Academy of Sciences (.3) state that there is little or no need for extra protein for exercise. 

The perception of flavor is a fine balance between the sensory input of both desirable and undesirable flavors. It involves a complex series of biochemical and physiological reactions that occur at the cellular and subcellular level (see Chapters 1-3). Final sensory perception or response to the food is regulated by the action and interaction of flavor compounds and their products on two neur networks, the olfactory and gustatory systems or the smell and taste systems, respectively (Figure 1). The major food flavor components involved in the initiation and transduction of the flavor response are the food s lipids, carbohydrates, and proteins, as well as their reaction products. Since proteins and peptides of meat constitute the major chemical components of muscle foods, they will be the major focus of discussion in this chapter. 

Raw muscle in a specific postmortem physiological stage and/or stored under proper temperature conditions has been strictly selected and used as the raw material for some specific IM meat products due to the eventual physical properties of the finished items (Chang et al, 1991). Examples include Zousoon and cooked-dried pork pieces or cubes (Leistner, 1987 ... 

Myoglobin is a heme protein found in muscle cells and in meat in a concentration of 2-7 mg/g wet weight (5). The physiologically active form, myoglobin or... 

Rehfeldt, C., I. Fiedler and N.C. Stickland, 2004b. Number and size of muscle fibres in relation to meat production, p. 1-37. In M.F.W. Te Pas, M.E. Everts, and H.P. Haagsman, (eds.). Muscle Development of Livestock Animals, Physiology, Genetics, and Meat Quality, CAB Int., Wallingford, Oxon, UK. 

---