Shortening during the slow and rapid phases of rigor mortis onset determines largely the extent to which beef ages. For meat stored at 15°C for 3 days, shear-force values are uniformly low at shortenings of Oq/, to 20% of the freshly excised muscle length. However, there is a four-to five-fold increase in toughness as shortenings proceed from 20'>/, to 40%. This is followed by a decline in toughness as shortenings increase further from 40% to 55 yo. With increasing shortenings beyond 20%, progressive decreases occur in the extent to which meat ages until at 40% shortening, ageing has declined to zero.
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