ISSN:
1750-3841
Source:
Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
Topics:
Agriculture, Forestry, Horticulture, Fishery, Domestic Science, Nutrition
,
Process Engineering, Biotechnology, Nutrition Technology
Notes:
The relative time course of rigor mortis was compared in the vastus lateralis (red) and the longissimus (white) muscle from untreated and magnesium sulfate injected “Stress-resistant” Chester White pigs and “stress-susceptible” Poland China pigs. In untreated animals the white muscle had a shorter time course of rigor mortis than did the red muscle. This difference disappeared when the animals ware injected ante-mortem with magnesium sulfate although both muscles from injected animals had a slower development of rigor mortis than the same muscles in control animals. Either magnesium sulfate had more of an effect on white than on red muscle post-mortem, or the differences between the post-mortem rates of glycolysis of red and white muscles were significantly minimized when struggle and stimulation associated with death had been eliminated. Red muscles in magnesium sulfate injected pigs developed more tension post-mortem than did white muscles. The development of isometric tension reached its maximum as the muscle lost all of its extensibility. Muscle from “stress-susceptible” pigs had a shorter time course of rigor mortis than the corresponding muscle from “stress-resistant” pigs of the same treatment. This difference occurred even when the two groups started with the same level of phosphocreatine and lactic acid post-exsanguination, as is the case when treated with magnesium sulfate. Therefore, even though magnesium treatment can retard glycolysis sufficiently to prevent the development of the PSE condition (Sair et al., 1970), it does not necessarily standardize the postmortem changes in all skeletal muscles of all pigs.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2621.1970.tb04812.x
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