Postmortem (PM) and mu-calpain-induced degradation of specific skeletal muscle proteins was monitored by SDS-PAGE and Western blotting. Samples were removed from bovine longissimus thoracis (LT) at approximately 45 min PM for the preparation of at-death (0-d) myofibrils (MF). The LT was excised at 1 d PM, vacuum-packaged, and stored at 2 degrees C. Samples were removed for Warner-Bratzler shear force analysis and biochemical analysis at 1, 3, 7, 14, 28, and 56 d PM. The protease mu-calpain was purified from bovine skeletal muscle and used to digest at-death MF at pH 5.6, 4 degrees C, 100 microM CaCl2. Degradation of the proteins titin, nebulin, filamin, desmin, and troponin-T was monitored in the PM and mucalpain-digested samples by using SDS-PAGE and Western blotting. The PM samples that had significantly lower shear force (LSF) values (P < .05) at 1 d PM exhibited faster degradation of these five proteins than the higher shear force (HSF) samples. In LSF samples, the intact titin band (T1) was absent by 7 d PM and nebulin was absent by 3 d PM. In LSF samples, some filamin was degraded by 3 d PM, but in HSF samples degradation was not apparent until 14 d PM. In LSF samples, desmin was degraded more rapidly PM than in HSF samples. Troponin-T was broken down PM to yield two major polypeptides of approximately 28 and 30 kDa; these polypeptides appeared earlier PM in LSF samples. Degradation products, similar to those observed PM, for all five proteins also were detected in Western blots of mu-calpain-digested MF, suggesting the calpain system plays a key role in PM protein degradation. ABSTRACT:Postmortem (PM) and m-calpaininduced degradation of specific skeletal muscle proteins was monitored by SDS-PAGE and Western blotting. Samples were removed from bovine longissimus thoracis ( L T ) at approximately 45 min PM for the preparation of at-death (0-d) myofibrils (MF). The LT was excised at 1 d PM, vacuum-packaged, and stored at 2°C. Samples were removed for WarnerBratzler shear force analysis and biochemical analysis at 1, 3, 7, 14, 28, and 56 d PM. The protease m-calpain was purified from bovine skeletal muscle and used to digest at-death MF at pH 5.6, 4°C, 100 mM CaCl 2 . Degradation of the proteins titin, nebulin, filamin, desmin, and troponin-T was monitored in the PM and m-calpain-digested samples by using SDS-PAGE and Western blotting. The PM samples that had significantly lower shear force (LSF) values ( P < .05) at 1 d PM exhibited faster degradation of these five proteins than the higher shear force (HSF) samples. In LSF samples, the intact titin band ( T 1 ) was absent by 7 d PM and nebulin was absent by 3 d PM. In LSF samples, some filamin was degraded by 3 d PM, but in HSF samples degradation was not apparent until 14 d PM. In LSF samples, desmin was degraded more rapidly PM than in HSF samples. Troponin-T was broken down PM to yield two major polypeptides of approximately 28 and 30 kDa; these polypeptides appeared earlier PM in LSF samples. Degradation products, similar to those observed PM, ...

Samples were removed from bovine longissimus (L), semitendinosus (ST) and psoas major (PM) muscles at 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 10 or 13 days postmortem stored at 2°C or 25°C. Myofibril fragmentation index (MFI) and Warner-Bratzler (W-B) shear-force values were determined on steaks from each muscle. Myofibril fragmentation index (MFI) was determined quantitatively by measuring the absorbance of a myofibril suspension. It was observed that MFI increased during postmortem storage for L and ST, but increased only slightly for PM. These results paralleled those changes in myofibrils observed with phase and polarized light microscopy. Both MFI and W-B shear-force values changed greatly from 1 to 3 days postmortem with a lesser change occurring after 3 days in L and ST muscles. In PM muscle, however, only a slight change in MFI and W-B shear-force occurred during postmortem storage. Elevated storage temperature (25°C) caused an accelerated change in both MFI and W-B shear-force in L and ST muscles; however, storage temperature had little effect on PM muscle. L and ST muscles responded similarly to postmortem storage, but PM muscle was characteristically different from the L and ST muscles. These findings demonstrate the differences and similarities of muscles to postmortem storage and further elucidate the role of myofibrillar proteins in meat tenderness.

Summary Lifetime patterns of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism were compared in starved and sucrose‐fed adults of the parasitoid Macrocentrus grandii (Goidanich) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). As expected, sucrose‐fed individuals lived longer than did starved individuals. Macrocentrus grandii males and females eclosed with levels of simple storage sugars (presumably primarily trehalose) and glycogen that were below maximum levels recorded from sucrose‐fed parasitoids. Both of these nutrients dropped to very low levels in starved individuals within 4 days post‐emergence and were maintained at high levels in sucrose‐fed individuals throughout their lives. Lipid reserves at emergence represented the highest lipid levels for both sexes in the two diet treatments, with levels declining over the lifetimes of males and females from both diet treatments. Our results therefore suggest that dietary sucrose is used to synthesize trehalose and glycogen, but not lipids in M. grandii. Also, in contrast to the patterns observed for the simple sugars and glycogen, lipid levels in starved individuals did not drop below levels observed in sugar‐fed individuals. The average number of mature eggs carried by females at emergence was 33 and increased to approximately 85 in sucrose‐fed and 130 in starved females by the age of 5 d in the absence of hosts. The egg maturation rate was therefore higher in starved than in sugar‐fed females. Potential explanations for this unexpected result are discussed.