Effect of Cooking Temperature on the Fracture Behaviour of Pre-Rigor Bovine Sternomandibularis Muscle

Abstract

Microscopic techniques showed that cooking temperature affects the fracture behavior of bovine sternomandibularis muscle and confirmed the role of the perimysium/endomysium interface (PEI) as the primary fracture site in cooked meat. Fractures occurred along the undenatured perimysium core in raw meat and at the PEI in meat cooked at 60 and 90°C. In the 90°C samples, the gelatinized perimysium remained affixed to the endomysium at one side of the fracture only, while in the 60°C samples the perimysium detached itself from the endomysium at both interfaces. These differences may be explained by the variations in melting temperatures known to exist between the connective tissue fractions. Knowledge of the events occurring during the fracture of cooked meat may permit a better understanding of its perceived textural properties.