Project Number: 5438-31430-003-07
Project Type: Trust

Start Date: Sep 01, 2003
End Date: Aug 31, 2005

Objective:
Determine the amount of variation in muscle fiber angle in various muscles and in steaks that contain these muscles so than an experimental design can be developed to map the muscle fiber angles in 20 muscles. Determine the muscle fiber orientation throughout major beef muscles. Develop a three-dimensional map illustrating the fiber angle for each muscle. Determine the fiber angle relative to the steak surface of these muscles as typically cut into steaks. To determine the optimum approach for adapting slice shear force to multiple muscles. To determine the repeatability of slice shear force measurement in multiple muscles.

Approach:
Thirty USDA Select carcass sides will be selected at a commercial packing plant and transported to the MARC abattoir. The 20 muscles (longissimus thoracis et lumborum, gluteus medius, psoas major, biceps femoris, semimembranosus, semitendinosus, adductor, rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus intermedius, vastus medialis, gracilis, spinalis dorsi, triceps brachii, infraspinatus, supraspinatus, pectoralis, trapezius, seratus ventralis, and latissimus dorsi) will be removed from fifteen of the sides and vacuum-packaged. Each muscle will be dissected from origin to insertion. The muscles will be cut into slices. The muscle fiber orientation will be determined for each slice such that a three-dimensional map of the muscle fiber orientation for each muscle can be created. In addition, the other fifteen sides will be cut into boneless subprimal cuts and, subsequently, into 2.5-cm thick steaks that would be typical for each cut. The muscle fiber angle relative to the cut surface of the steaks will be determined for each muscle.

Project Team

Koohmaraie, Mohammad

Related National Programs

Food Animal Production (101)