EFFECTS OF DRY AND MOIST HEAT ON SELECTED HISTOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF BEEF SEMIMEMBRANOSUS MUSCLE

ABSTRACT— Samples of raw and heat-treated beef semimembranosus muscle were examined histologically to determine how deep-fat frying, oven roasting, oven braising and pressure braising to 70°C affected histological characteristics of the muscle. A panel of three persons used an ocular micrometer to measure muscle fiber width, observed color and type of connective tissue and distribution of fat and estimated quantity of connective tissue of 475 histological sections. Differences among heat treatments in muscle fiber width and relative proportion of straight and wavy connective tissue were not significant. However, there was a significantly (P<0.05) larger quantity of granular tissue in deep-fat fried, pressure braised, and oven braised samples than in oven roasted samples. Intact fat cell walls were observed in both raw and heated samples.