The goal of the experiment presented here was to measure, at
macroscopic scale using a specific experimental apparatus, the
fluorescence anisotropy of bovine muscles during their maturation
period, i.e. at different post mortem times. To overcome inter-sample
variability due to muscle structure and highlight only maturation
effects, several samples were selected at each post mortem time and
means from the measurements were calculated
3.1. Sample preparation
The study used Triceps brachii caput longum (TB) muscle tissue
from a 19-month-old bull. To prepare each sample, a slice of muscle
was first cut randomly in the muscle in a plane parallel to the mean
fibre direction. Second, a disc of muscle was obtained using a hollow
punch. All samples were stored under vacuum at 4 °C for 24 h post
mortem. Precautions were taken to avoid cold-shortening during the
first 24 h post mortem. Measurements were made between 1 and 21
days post mortem