Effect of dietary energy and protein levels on fatty acid composition of intramuscular fat in double-muscled Belgian Blue bulls.

Seventy six Belgian Blue (BB) bulls, with double-muscled conformation, were randomly allocated to six dietary treatments in a 2 × 3 factorial experiment. The treatments included low (N(L)=127 g CP/kg DM), medium (N(M)=153 g CP/kg DM) and high (N(H)=172 g CP/kg DM) levels of dietary protein in combination with low (E(L)=7.38 MJ ME/kg DM) and high (E(H)=8.

Early post-mortem conditions and the calpain/calpastatin system in relation to tenderness of double-muscled beef.

Early post mortem temperature, pH, sarcomere length, colour, water holding capacity, calpain/calpastatin activities and myofibrillar protein concentrations (semi-quantative SDS-PAGE), measured at different times post mortem on 153 double-muscled Belgian Blue White bulls, were related to shear force (SF) measurements. The M. longissimus thoracis tenderised up to 8 days post mortem.

Quantification of beef myofibrillar proteins by SDS-PAGE.

A semi-quantitative determination of beef myofibrillar proteins using sodium, dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis is described. Bovine serum albumin was used as internal standard. Results indicate a linear relationship between densitometric readings after staining with Coomassie brilliant blue R(250) and protein content.

Effects of exogenous protease effectors on beef tenderness development and myofibrillar degradation and solubility.

The effects of in situ postrigor injection (24 h postmortem) of exogenous aspartic, serine, and cysteine proteinase effectors into cylindrical beef longissimus samples on tenderness and myofibrillar protein degradation and integrity were studied. Injection of phenylmethanesulphonylfluoride (PMSF) and pepstatin did not influence shear force or protein degradation measured 8 d postmortem, confirming that neither serine nor aspartic proteinases affect tenderization. Injection of leupeptin, an epoxysuccinyl peptide (E-64), or N-acetyl-Leu-Leu-norleucinal (calpain inhibitor I) blocked tenderization completely, as observed by higher (P < .

Effects of double-muscling on carcass quality, beef tenderness and myofibrillar protein degradation in Belgian Blue White bulls.

Carcass properties and meat quality characteristics of 32 Belgian Blue White double-muscled bulls (DM) were compared with those of 59 bulls of the same breed with normal conformation (N). DM showed superior carcass quality as revealed in increased dressing percentage, meat production yield, conformation grade, muscle/fat and muscle/bone ratios (all P < 0·001). Longissimus dorsi (LD) shear force values, drip and cooking losses at 8 days post mortem (pm) were significantly higher (P < 0·001) for DM, whereas sarcomere lengths were not different.

The effect of electrical stimulation on beef tenderness, protease activity and myofibrillar protein fragmentation.

From six one-year-old White red bulls, one randomly assigned carcass half was subjected to high voltage electrical stimulation (HVES) at 1 h post morten (pm). Longissimus dorsi (LD) steaks from control (C) and stimulated sides (ES) were removed at 24 h pm, stored at 4 degrees C and sampled at 1, 6, 8 and 12 days pm. HVES caused an immediate fall of pH with about 0.

Quantitation of bovine immunoglobulin G2 by a competitive fluorescence immunoassay.

Bovine immunoglobulin G2 (IgG2) was quantitated by fluoroimmunoassay (FIA) based on competition with fluorescein-conjugated IgG2 for Sepharose-bound anti-IgG2 antibodies. The optimal range was 0.1 to 1 microgram IgG2.