Post-mortem glycolysis in ox skeletal muscle. Effect of pre-rigor freezing and thawing on the intermediary metabolism

Abstract

1. Ox sternomandibularis muscle was ‘slow-frozen’ by placing it in air at −22° or ‘fast-frozen’ by immersion in liquid air or acetone–solid carbon dioxide. In all cases muscles were frozen pre-rigor. Changes in length, pH and the concentrations of P_i, creatine phosphate, hexose monophosphate (glucose 1-phosphate+glucose 6-phosphate+fructose 6-phosphate), fructose diphosphate (fructose 1,6-diphosphate+½ triose phosphate), lactate, ATP, ADP, AMP and NAD⁺ during freezing and during subsequent thawing were determined. In addition some measurements were made of the changes in α-glycerophosphate, 3-phosphoglycerate, 2-phosphoglycerate, phosphoenolpyruvate and pyruvate concentrations during slow freezing. 2. Appreciable shortening and marked changes in chemical composition took place during slow freezing but not during fast freezing. 3. During slow freezing the hexose monophosphate concentration fell and fructose 1,6-diphosphate and triose phosphate increased substantially. Increases also took place in 3-phosphoglycerate, 2-phosphoglycerate and phosphoenolpyruvate, but not in pyruvate. 4. On thawing, most of the chemical changes were similar to those in unfrozen muscle post mortem, but took place much more rapidly; loss of NAD⁺ was particularly rapid. Fast-frozen muscle metabolized at a faster rate on thawing than did slow-frozen muscle. 5. The overall changes in length during freezing and thawing were about the same in slow-frozen as in fast-frozen muscle.