Kansas State University. Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service
Doi
Abstract
Tenderness is a key contributor to the sensory attributes of beef, and production
practices that decrease tenderness are generally viewed as unfavorable. Zilmax (Merck
Animal Health, Summit, NJ) is a potent beta-adrenergic agonist that results in dramatic
improvements in carcass weight when fed to cattle, normally for a period of 20 days
prior to harvest. Zilmax increases muscle mass at the expense of body fat, and these
changes can have favorable effects on retail yield and overall value of beef carcasses. One
of the unfavorable side effects of Zilmax is a decrease in meat tenderness. Aging of beef
is one means of improving tenderness. During the aging process, proteolytic enzymes
degrade the myofibrillar proteins that contribute to the perceptions of tough meat.
Activity of these enzymes is stimulated by the presence of calcium ions, and various
strategies aimed at increasing intracellular concentrations of calcium have been investigated
as a means of improving beef tenderness.
The purpose of this experiment was to determine if dietary calcium could be manipulated
during the period of Zilmax supplementation as a means of improving meat
tenderness. To do this, we eliminated supplemental calcium from the diet in hopes
of inducing the secretion of parathyroid hormone. Parathyroid hormone stimulates
the mobilization of calcium deposited in skeletal tissue, and we hypothesized that by
decreasing dietary calcium we could potentially increase bone mobilization, and in so
doing increase the supply of calcium available to proteolytic enzymes within skeletal
muscle to enhance activity of these enzymes post-mortem
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