Heat‐Induced Tendering of Turban Shell ( Batillus cornutus ) Muscle

The foot, opercular and visceral muscles were excised from the turban shell Batillus cornutus , and their heat‐induced changes in toughness and ultrastructure were compared. When heated up to 30°C, the toughness of foot muscle decreased in the upper and middle regions, but increased in the lower region. The toughness of these three regions decreased at temperatures between 50‐70°C, where collagen might be denatured. Some changes in toughness were also observed in the opercular muscle by heating up to 30°C, whereas the toughness of visceral muscle remained unchanged over a wide range of temperature. Transmission electron microscopy showed that the intrinsic structure of collagen fibrils in each muscle was lost at 60°C, with partial swelling.