Resonance vibration ameliorating tenderness of yak longissimus thoracis et lumborum: A novel physical tenderization technology

Abstract

Physical tenderization technologies for beef have been of particular interest to the meat industry. Here a novel tenderization technology by mechanical resonance vibration was proposed. The fundamental natural frequency (NFf) of the yak longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LTL) was obtained through a hammer impacting on the muscle, and was reported to be 24.89 Hz. The tensile stress and Warner–Bratzler shear force of the yak meat were decreased by using the obtained NFf as the frequency of resonance vibration (RV), and only linear elastic deformation was found in stress-strain behavior of the vibrated meat. The variation of mechanical properties in post-rigor meat is responsible for the disappearance of the M-bands, shortening of the A-bands, and lengthening change in I-bands, rather than of the sarcomere length. The research demonstrated that RV treatment resulted in the M-band disappearance, the extensively detachment of endomysium from the myofibers, and the destruction of the linkages between α-actinin and thin filaments as well as other linkages.