EFFECTS OF ELECTRICAL STIMULATION ON μ-CALPAIN AND CATHEPSIN B+L ACTIVITIES IN POSTMORTEM BOVINE LONGISSIMUS MUSCLE

摘要

IntroductionConsumers are aware of variability in beef product quality. According to one US study, 50% of consumers rated tenderness to be the single most important attribute of beef eating quality (Miller et al., 1995). High-voltage electrical stimulation (HV-ES) has been found to improve beef tenderness (Elgasim et al., 1981; Marsh et al., 1987), while the effect of low-voltage electrical stimulation (LV-ES) seems to be more variable (Hildrum et al., 1999). Despite concerns over its effectiveness, LV-ES of carcasses is in widespread use to enhance meat tenderness.