Post-mortem kinetics of meat tenderness and the components of the calpain system in bull skeletal muscle

Eight strip loins (M. longissimus dorsi) from pasture fed Friesian bulls were aged at 15 °C for a range of times from 1 to 120 h. pH declined from 6.29 (SE 0.119) one hour post slaughter to an ultimate pH of 5.48 (SE 0.013). The activities of the components of the calpain system (μ-calpain, m-calpain and calpastatin) were determined after separation on a DEAE-sephacel column. There was a dramatic decline in μ-calpain activity post slaughter with a complete disappearance within 48 h. The rates of decline in m-calpain and calpastatin activity were slower with 30% and 50% remaining 120 h post slaughter, respectively. The rapid decline in μ-calpain activity relative to the calpastatin activity is likely to reduce the degree of tenderisation and ultimate tenderness of the meat.