The effect of epimysial connective tissue on factors related to tenderness of beef Semitendinosus

Previous investigations have revealed consistently unacceptable levels of toughness in beef semitendinosus (ST; eye of round). It is possible that the fusiform architecture of the ST permits moisture loss during cooking as the epimysial connective-tissue (CT) layer shrinks with heating. This investigation of the effects of the presence/absence of the epimysium demonstrated significantly (P < 0.01) greater shear values in samples with an intact external CT layer However, the reduction in shear with epimysium removal was small (4.45%) and would not have been sufficient to bring a large proportion of ST steaks into the range of acceptable eating quality. The ST is atypical of skeletal muscle with regards to its biomechanical function and native elastin content, and this possible contributor to toughness requires further investigation in order to develop a suitable method for tenderness improvement.