Methods of Expressing Collagen Characteristics and Their Relationship to Meat Tenderness and Muscle Fiber Types

Abstract

ABSTRACTMeat from five muscles from eight steers and eight bulls was evaluated for the amount of fat, moisture, collagen, and soluble collagen. Regardless of method of expression, bulls had more total collagen than steers and varied within muscles in their collagen content. The quantity of total collagen was found to be highly correlated to sensory tenderness ratings, whereas, the quantity of soluble collagen was strongly correlated to instrumental textural properties. Correlation coefficients between quantity of total collagen and soluble collagen and percentage red muscle fibers were 0.54 and 0.32, respectively, for bulls and –0.31 and –0.46, respectively, for steers. The correlation between percentage collagen solubility and tenderness was –0.71 for bulls and –0.36 for steers.