Myofibrillar Characteristics of Porcine Stress Syndrome

Authors

P. K. Basrur
Sandra Frombach
W. N. McDonell
H. D. Geissinger

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Abstract

Porcine Stress Syndrome (PSS) is a genetic trait causing considerable economic loss to the swine industry through stress related death and the poor quality meat known as pale, soft, exudative (PSE) pork . A scanning and transmission electron microscopic examination of muscle biopsies from stress susceptible pigs revealed contracture bands , wide separation of myofibers and focal distortion and dissolution of myofibril s . The changes affecting myofibrillar characteristics and intra and intercellular accumulation of material suspected to be myoplasmic fluid in biopsies of halothane reactors suqqest that the myopathic alterations presaging the carcass deterioration into pale, soft , exudative pork are integrants of this syndrome and that the PSE trait may not be a postmortem change triggered by the environmental factors just prior to or during slaughter.

Recommended Citation

Basrur, P. K.; Frombach, Sandra; McDonell, W. N.; and Geissinger, H. D. (1983) "Myofibrillar Characteristics of Porcine Stress Syndrome," Food Structure: Vol. 2: No. 1, Article 12.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/foodmicrostructure/vol2/iss1/12