Ultrastructural Changes and Shear Force of Duck Meat during Aging at 0˚C

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ultrastructural and shear force changes of duck breast and leg meat during aging at 0˚C. Pekin ducks (45 d old) purchased from Greemud Co. were used for this experiment, and were stored at 0˚C for 7 d in order to determine the changes of the meat structure using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and shear force. At day 0, A-band, I-band, M-line and Z-line of sarcomeres were seen clearly, but sarcomeres started to lose structure and become extended in length from day 2. With extended aging periods, myofibrils were destroyed and symptoms of aging became more obvious. In the duck breast meat, some myofibrils were also destroyed at the Z-line, but were mainly destroyed at the M-line. The change in structure of duck leg meat over time was similar to that of breast meat. After five days and seven days of aging, mitochondria size and quantity were determined to be increased between the myofibrils. Shear force was decreased over time. From this study, aging at 0˚C was found to negatively influence the ultrastructure and shear force of duck meat.