Muscle Tissue Composition and Function

Muscles freed from adhering fat contain on the average 76% moisture, 21.5% N-substances, 1.5% lipids and 1% minerals. In addition, variable amounts of carbohydrates (0.05-0.2%) are present. Table 12.4 provides data on the average composition of some cuts of beef, pork and chicken. 

Muscle proteins can be divided into three large 

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The enormous scale of the challenge to build a truly biomimetic muscle can be appreciated by considering what is known about natural muscle structure. The contractions of these motors involve a highly complex and coordinated sequence of electrical, chemical, and physical phenomena within a composite, gel-like polymeric material that is known to possess a detailed hierarchical structure, stretching from the nano-scale assembly of proteins through the cellular fibrillar textures to the macroscopic tissue. The exact function of many of these features is still the subject of on-going research. In general, the skeletal muscles consist of tendons (non-active) and muscle belly (active). While tendons mainly provide muscle connectivity to hard bones,... 

The protein-N content of fish muscle tissue is between 2-3%. The amino acid composition, when compared to that of beef or milk casein (Table 13.6), reveals the high nutritional value of fish proteins. The sarcoplasma protein accounts for 20-30% of the muscle tissue total protein. The contractile apparatus accounts for 65-75% protein the connective tissue of teleosts is 3% and of elasmobranchs, such as sharks and rays (skate or rocker), is up to 10%. The individual protein groups and their functions in muscle tissue of mammals (cf. 12.3.2) also apply to fish. 

The musculoskeletal system consists of bones, blood vessels, nerves, ligaments, tendons, muscles, and cartilage, which work together to perform the structural and kinematic functions of the organism. These musculoskeletal tissues all have a composite structure of cells embedded in a matrix produced by the cells themselves. 

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