The objectives of this review were to examine the present knowledge pertaining to muscle fiber type characteristics. Here we describe the molecular diversity of myofibrillar proteins, especially myosin, troponin, and tropomyosin in skeletal muscle, as well as discuss the diversity of the myofibrillar protein isoforms in relation to the characteristics of each muscle fiber type. Additionally, this review specifically
focuses on recent developments contributing to our understanding of how the effects of the fiber characteristics and protein isoforms influence postmortem metabolismand meat quality.