Electron microscopy of contractile bands in low voltage electrical stimulation beef

This study was designed to explore the effects of low voltage electrical stimulation and delay chilling on the ultrastructure of beef longissimus muscle. The results showed that 44.9% of sarcomeres in the ES samples had contractile zones, and 16.9% of sarcomeres adjacent to contractile zones were stretched in 100 views of electron microscopy. The ultrastructures of 60.9% of sarcomeres changed when the samples were electrically stimulated and then delay-chilled. Contractile bands play an important role in meat tenderization during postmortem aging. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.