• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.114-120
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• 1994

To clarify the effect of storage temperature on the morphological and histological changes of plaice, Paralichthys olivaceus muscle at early stages after killing, the changes in breaking strength of muscle, morphological observation of myofibrils and histological observation of extracellular spaces during storage at $0^{\circ}C\;and\;10^{\circ}C$ were studied. The maximum breaking strength of samples stored at $0^{\circ}C$ was reached within 10hrs and then it dropped significantly (p<0.05) from 10hrs to 25hrs of storage. However, breaking strength was not increased in fresh muscle stored at $10^{\circ}C$ and gradually decreased after 10hrs storage. In myofibrils prepared from dorsal muscle immediately after death, A-band, I-band, H-band and Z-line in sarcomere were clearly distinguishable from each other. Due to muscle contraction, it was not easy to distinguish H-band from I-band observed in sarcomere stored at $0^{\circ}C$ after 10hrs storage. But, in the case of samples stored at $10^{\circ}C$, H-band could be observed dimly until 15hrs of storage. The changes in morphological myofibrils were closely related to increase of breaking strength. No extracellular space was observed among muscle cells immediately after killing. Stored samples at $0^{\circ}C$ showed extracellular spaces after 15hrs storage. On the other hand, samples stored at $10^{\circ}C$ didn't show any extracellular spaces until 15hrs storage and showed extracellular spaces after 24hrs storage. It was thought that the post-mortem tenderization of plaice muscle was closely related to the gradually disintegration of the extracellular matrix structure after killing.