Apparatus for Measuring the Energy Input in Cutting Fibers of Fish Muscle

Abstract

The construction and operation of an apparatus for measuring the amount of energy expended in cutting muscle fibers is described. The measured energy permits a quantitative comparison of the toughness of different samples. Measurements on a model system of paraffin wax show a variation of ±5%. With muscle fibers of raw and cooked salmon, lingcod and beef, the variation in these measurements was sometimes as high as ±20%.