Salmon fillet texture is determined by myofiber-myofiber and myofiber-myocommata attachment

Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) fillets were stored on ice for a maximum of 14 d to determine which muscle structures are associated with changes in texture and rigor. Texture was measured as shear force and the changes correlated with structural alterations. Texture decreased significantly within 24 h in parallel with loss of attachment of muscle fibers. Loss of rigor stiffness by 5 d was associated with myofiber detachment from the myocommata. These results show that fillet texture depends on several distinct structures and events, initially including breaks in the cell cytoskeleton and loss of fiber-fiber attachment and later breaks in the connective tissue and fiber detachment from the myocommata.