Early Research on the Fibrous Microstructure of Meat

The older scientific literature on the histology of skeletal muscle de scribes the trans verse fragmentation of myofibrils to form sarcomere disks and the attachment of Z lines to the sarcolemma in contracted muscle. These phenomena may now be explained by recent research on the cytoskeletal framework of muscle fibers, particularly desmin and vinculin. The formation of sa rcomere disks might be developed as a simple method to study cytoskeletal integrity in meat. In early research, contraction bands and the disappearance of transverse striations during contraction caused considerable confusion with ordinary light microscopy. These problems were largely resolved by the use of polarized light, and polarized light microscopy may be a useful technique for the study of contraction bands and the measurement of sarcomere length in meat. Initi al paper received October 23, 1984 . Final manuscript received January 12, 1985. Direct inquiries to H.J. Swat land. Telephone number: (519) 824-4 120 Ext. 3670.