title: Minimal electrical stimulation is effective in low stressed and well fed cattle.
abstract: Four groups of carcasses of eighty grain fed low stressed steers (~12 months old, 240 kg carcass weight) received no stimulation or had low voltage stimulation for 15, 45 and 90 s. M. longissimus was aged for 2 and 14 days at 2 °C. Shear force, sarcomere length, water holding capacity, purge, muscle fibre detachment, sarcomere breaks and colour shelf life over 7 days was measured. Both 45 s and 90 s stimulated samples completed rigor above 35 °C and 15s stimulated and non-stimulated samples below 35 °C. The greatest muscle fibre detachment occurred for 15s stimulated samples which were the most tender at all times with non-stimulated samples toughest at 2 days of ageing and all samples being tender at 14 days of ageing. The 45 and 90 s stimulated samples consistently exhibited a brighter red colour at 2 days of ageing with no differences in colour intensity for the samples aged 14 days.
authors.affiliation: Animal Production Institute, Agricultural Research Council, Private Bag X2, Irene 0062, South Africa. Electronic address: pstrydom@arc.agric.za.
authors.forename: Phillip E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Strydom
authors.forename: Lorinda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Frylinck
mesh_terms: D000003:Abattoirs; D000821:Animal Feed; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D003116:Color; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D002149:Energy Intake; D063427:Food Quality; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008297:Male; D008460:Meat / Q000032:analysis*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000737:chemistry*; D012518:Sarcomeres / Q000737:chemistry; D013312:Stress, Physiological; D013696:Temperature
keywords: Colour; Electrical stimulation; Meat tenderness; Purge