FOOD SCIENCE ›› 2019, Vol. 40 ›› Issue (21): 72-77.doi: 10.7506/spkx1002-6630-20181025-296

• Basic Research • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Differences in Myofiber Characteristics and Meat Quality of Different Yak Muscles

YANG Yuying, ZHANG Yimin, MAO Yanwei, LIANG Rongrong, DONG Pengcheng, YANG Xiaoyin, ZHU Lixian, LUO Xin, ZHANG Wenhua, CAO Hui   

  1. (1. College of Food Science and Engineering, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an 271018, China; 2. Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Meat Production and Processing, Quality and Safety Control, Nanjing 210095, China;3. National Beef Cattle Industrial Technology System, Zhongwei Station, Zhongwei 755000, China;4. National Beef Cattle Industrial Technology System, Baoji Station, Baoji 721000, China)
  • Online:2019-11-15 Published:2019-12-02

Abstract: The meat quality of three yak muscles: Longissimus lumborum (LL), Psoas major (PM) and Semimembranous (SM) was compared by considering their myofibril characteristics as well as quality traits (Warner-Bratzler shear force, sarcomere length, meat color, cooking loss rate and pH). The myofiber characteristics were measured by histochemical analysis and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Meanwhile, the correlation between meat quality traits and myofiber characteristics was analyzed. A significant difference was observed among yak muscles in meat quality traits. PM muscle had higher pH, a* value and better tenderness than the other muscles. However, the water-holding capacity (WHC) of LL was better than the other muscles. Similarly, there was a significant difference in myofiber characteristics among the muscles (P < 0.05). PM had higher number of type I fiber (50.8%) and higher relative mRNA expression of MYH7 but significantly lower fiber diameter (P < 0.05) than the other muscles. The percentage of the number of type I fiber was highly correlated with meat quality traits; it was negatively correlated with shear force, but it was positively correlated with sarcomere length and cooking loss. The area of type I fiber was negatively correlated with L* value (P < 0.05). These results suggest that the quality of yak meat could be improved by increasing the proportion of type I fiber in muscles.

Key words: yak, myofiber characteristics, meat quality, yak muscles

CLC Number: