Electrical Stimulation of Mutton

Electrically stimulated ovine muscles, restrained from shortening during rapid chilling at 0-1 or 15-16°C, had lower Warner-Bratzler (WB) shear force values after 1 and 2 days aging at 0-1°C than un-stimulated controls, but were not significantly different at ≥4 days aging. Direct measurement of muscle fiber length showed that contraction values obtained for muscles assigned to go into rigor at 0, 15, 30 or 40°C were significantly less for stimulated muscles than for control muscles at 0°C, but of same magnitude or at rigor temperatures ≥15°C. WB shear force values indicated that, at temperatures ≥15°C, increase in tenderness due to stimulation became small after 7 days aging at 0-1°C, whereas at 0°C aging further increased improvement due to stimulation. Results were thus consistent with electrical stimulation reducing myofibrillar shortening at rigor temperature <15°C but at temperature ≥15°C stimulation had the same effect as a few days aging.