Aging or Ripening The aging of the meat is achieved by storing the meat at ambient temperature until the muscle gradually recovers from rigor mortis due to its enzymatic breakdown. The meat used after aging is tenderer leading to less cooking time and improvement in flavor.
How does rigor mortis affect meat?
Rigor mortis is a loss of muscle extensibility marking the conversion of muscle to meat. In other words, living muscles can be stretched and they return to their resting length when released. Meat cannot be stretched and has very little elasticity. A strong attempt to stretch a length of meat will merely rip it.
Why does meat have to be frozen after rigor mortis has set in?
Meat is generally frozen once rigor mortis is completed but, if meat is frozen before glycolysis is completed and the level of ATP within muscle tissue is still more than 1 µmol per gram of tissue, actin and myosin are not bound together at this stage to form the actomyosin complex.
What can rigor mortis be used for?
Rigor mortis is a postmortem change resulting in the stiffening of the body muscles due to chemical changes in their myofibrils. Rigor mortis helps in estimating the time since death as well to ascertain if the body had been moved after death.
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