Introduction Tenderness is the most important factor in acceptance of meat. However, the most tender cuts comprise less than 25 percent of carcass weight. Improving tenderness of less-tender cuts would add value to the whole carcass. Inhibition of glycolysis may improve tenderness. The inhibition of glycolysis prevents lactic acid formation, maintaining a high pH, which should provoke an increase in tenderness and water-holding capacity.
Many compounds inhibit glycolysis at different steps of the pathway.
However, effects of these inhibitors on other quality traits, such as color, are unknown. A preliminary experiment was conducted to determine the effect on pH, tenderness and color of several glycolysis-inhibiting compounds. Procedure Figure 1. Two beef animals were slaughtered at the University of Nebraska Meat Laboratory. These levels were selected on the basis of previously published research and anticipated regulatory limits.