CSIRO PUBLISHING Animal Production Science, 2014, 54, 464–481 Review http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/AN13088 Regulation of post-mortem glycolysis in ruminant muscle D. M. Ferguson A,C and D. E. Gerrard B ACSIRO Division of Animal, Food and Health Sciences, Locked Bag 1, Armidale, NSW 2350, Australia. BDepartment of Animal and Poultry Sciences, Virginia University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA. CCorresponding author. Email:
[email protected] Abstract. As a tissue, muscle has the unique ability to switch its metabolic source of ATP, the energy currency underpinning muscle function. During oxygen debt, such as that occurring immediately following the death of animals, anaerobic metabolism is initiated in an attempt to restore homeostasis within the muscle. The cascade of biochemical events that are initiated is paramount in the context of meat quality. This review revisits this reasonably well-known subject but takes a new perspective by drawing on the understanding outside the traditional discipline of meat science. Our understanding of the intrinsic regulators of glycolytic flux has improved but knowledge gaps remain. Further efforts to understand how the glycolytic enzyme kinetics are influenced by both pre- and post-slaughter factors will be beneficial in the ongoing quest to maximise fresh meat quality. Additional keywords: muscle, post-mortem glycolysis, ruminant. Received 8 March 2013, accepted 6 January 2014, published online 11 March 2014 Introduction This highly efficient and robust means of providing ATP Transformation of muscle to meat involves several physiological rapidly in working skeletal muscle cells is retained, at least in and biochemical processes evoked by the animal and its tissues part, during the transformation of muscle to meat.