Influence of Constraint During Heating and Cooling on the Mechanical Properties of Collagenous Tissue

The mechanical properties of a collagenous tissue, the epimysial sheath of the longissimus dorsi muscle, heated to 80° C in buffered saline were studied. In particular, the effects of constraining the tissue during heating and cooling on the final properties of the tissue, and the tension developed during heating, were examined. The elasticity of the tissue after heating and cooling was found to be markedly influenced by the length at which the sample was constrained. The susceptibility of the samples to proteolytic digestion was also measured. An attempt is made to provide a theoretical basis for the observed dependence of mechanical properties on constrained length. Possible implications of these findings to meat attributes are discussed.