Cysteamine Induced Changes in the Properties of Intramuscular Collagen and its Relation to the Tenderness of Meat Obtained from Mature Chickens

The effect of cysteamine administration on the properties of intramuscular collagen from mature chickens was investigated. The cysteamine administered mature chickens were more tender than control concomitant with the increase of thermal labile collagen and of pepsin solubilized collagen. However, neutral salt and acid soluble collagens did not increase with the cysteamine administration. The muscles from the cysteamine administered chickens contained more collagen than the control, although no significant depression of body weight and breast muscle weight was seen. Aldehyde content of acid soluble collagen was increased by cysteamine administration. The insoluble collagenous residue of the cysteamine administered group was more susceptible to pepsin digestion than that of the control group. The extremely large difference was noted in the absorption spectrum, the thermal behavior of viscosity, and the amino acid composition of acid soluble collagen between the cysteamine administered and control birds. Electron microscopic observation also showed the great difference between both groups of collagen.