Effect of shortening during cooking on the tenderness and histology of beef

In muscles which have gone into rigor at 15°C or 37°C without shortening, prevention of cooking shortening leads to greater toughness than in samples cooked free. This tenderness difference is not seen in cold shortened muscles. A histological study showed that heat shrinkage of collagen imposes an irregular “cooking crimp” in unshortened muscle, cooked free. This is quite distinct from cold induced crimp. Cooking cold shortened muscle under restraint completely removes the cold crimp. A striking “crossed‐diagonal” orientation of the perimysial collagen in the cooked meat is described.