ABSTRACTElectrically stimulated ovine muscles, restrained from shortening during rapid chilling at 0‐1 or 15‐16°C, had lower Warner‐Bratzler (WB) shear force values after 1 and 2 days aging at 0‐1°C than un‐stimulated controls, but were not significantly different at ≥4 days aging. Direct measurement of muscle fiber length showed that contraction values obtained for muscles assigned to go into rigor at 0, 15, 30 or 40°C were significantly less for stimulated muscles than for control muscles at 0°C, but of same magnitude or at rigor temperatures ≥15°C. WB shear force values indicated that, at temperatures ≥15°C, increase in tenderness due to stimulation became small after 7 days aging at 0‐1°C, whereas at 0°C aging further increased improvement due to stimulation. Results were thus consistent with electrical stimulation reducing myofibrillar shortening at rigor temperature<15°C but at temperature ≥15°C stimulation had the sa
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