MUSCLE COMPOSITION AND

IT’S MODIFIERS
 Types of Muscle
• Three types of muscle:

Skeletal muscle Cardiac muscle

Smooth muscle

2
 A. Skeletal (Striated) Muscle
• Connects the various parts of the skeleton through one or more
connective tissue tendons
• During muscle contraction, skeletal muscle shortens and moves
various parts of the skeleton
• Through graded activation of the muscles, the speed and smoothness
of the movement can be gradated
• Activated through signals carried to the muscles via nerves (voluntary
control)
• Repeated activation of a skeletal muscle can lead to fatigue
• Biomechanics: assessment of movement and the sequential pattern of
muscle activation that move body segments
 B. Smooth Muscle

• Located in the blood vessels, the respiratory

tract, the iris of the eye, the gastro-intestinal
tract
• The contractions are slow and uniform
• Functions to alter the activity of various
body parts to meet the needs of the body at
that time
• Is fatigue resistant
• Activation is involuntary
 C. Cardiac Muscle

• Has characteristics of both skeletal and

smooth muscle
• Functions to provide the contractile
activity of the heart
• Contractile activity can be gradated
(like skeletal muscle)
• Is very fatigue resistant
• Activation of cardiac muscle is
involuntary (like smooth muscle)
Components of skeletal muscle

d) myofibril c) muscle fibre b) muscle fibre bundle a) Muscle belly

 Muscle Fibres
• Cylinder-shaped cells that make up skeletal muscle
• Each fibre is made up of a number of myofilaments
• Diameter of fibre (0.05-0.10 mm)
• Length of fibre (appr. 15 cm)
• Surrounded by a connective tissue sheath called Sarcolemma
• Many fibres are enclosed by connective tissue sheath Perimycium to
form bundle of fibres
• Each fibre contains contractile machinery and cell organelles
• Activated through impulses via motor end plate
• Group of fibres activated via same nerve: motor unit
• Each fibre has capillaries that supply nutrients and eliminate waste
 DESCRIPTION AND COMPOSITION OF MUSCLE AND
ITS MODIFIERS
Striated muscles – cardiac and skeletal
muscles
Non striated muscles – smooth muscles
 Smooth muscles
•Linings of gastrointestinal tracts and circulatory system
•Gizzard of birds

Cardiac muscle
•Heart
•Distributing and collecting blood

Skeletal muscle
•Skeleton
•Locomotion and posture control
TYPES OF SKELETAL MUSCLE
•Large one/small one –DEPENDS ON FUNCTION AND LOCATION
•having different shape, colors and concentrations of tendons
•Shapes- Fusiform,multipennate -large middle portion-tapers at the end.
•Long head of the triceps brachii- eg:fusiform
•Flat or sheet like-Cutaneous trunci
•Round shaped- quadriceps femoris
•Irregular-tensor fasciae latae
Flat or sheet like
muscle – cutaneus Triangle shaped –
trunci Long head of the triceps
brachii Tensor
Round shaped - fasciae latae
quadriceps femoris
Longest and largest – longissimus thoracis et lumborum
GROSS COMPOSITION
 MOLECULAR COMPOSITION

•free fatty acids, glycerol, triglycerides, phospholipids,

non-protein nitrogenous components such as DNA, RNA,
ammonia, amine groups, and vitamins, glycogen granules
and ATP, Myoglobin
PROTEINS
•Four groups of protein
•Myofibrillar protein – 60%
•Sarcoplasmic protein – 29%
•Stroma protein – 6%
•Granular proteins – 5%
 MODIFIERS OF MUSCLE COMPOSITION

•Genetics
•Stage of growth
•Sex of animal
•Exercise
•Disease
•Fat
•Proteins
•Fibre
 MODIFIERS OF MUSCLE COMPOSITION

Fat- influential role -Individual muscle fibers

remain constant in their composition-fresh
muscle may vary from 1% to 15% in lipid
content.

As animals mature -muscles stop growing

-intramuscular fat may accumulate around
the vascular system - decreasing the relative
mass of other components.
 MODIFIERS OF MUSCLE COMPOSITION
The nature of the connective tissue matrix also
affects the accumulation of fat.

Loosely arranged muscles such as the latissimus

dorsi - having parallel connective tissue strands -
contain more fat than tightly compacted muscles
such as the peroneus longus.

latter’s connective tissue strands - physically

preventing excess fat accumulation.
 MODIFIERS OF MUSCLE COMPOSITION
Nutrition affects muscle composition - controlling
the total lipid accumulation- depending on the
total caloric intake and expenditure.

submaintenance diets -fat is mobilized (rather than

deposited) from muscles.

Quality of nutrition can also affect the mineral and

vitamin content of muscles, but not to the extent
that fat deposition is affected
 MODIFIERS OF MUSCLE COMPOSITION

•Stage of growth affects the protein/moisture

relationship of muscle
•young animals - ratio is low (~0.1), whereas
at maturity, the relationship is about 0.3.
•Remains reasonably constant throughout the
animal’s lifetime and serves as a reliable
guide in estimating composition.
 MODIFIERS OF MUSCLE COMPOSITION

•In addition to the structural differences in

connective tissue, anatomical location of
muscles affects composition.
•Example: some muscles contain higher
concentrations of tendon and epimysial
sheaths of connective tissue.
•Difference in quantity of stroma proteins as
compared to myofibrillar, sarcoplasmic, and
granular proteins
 MODIFIERS OF MUSCLE COMPOSITION

•For example, lower limb muscles - higher

concentrations of connective tissue proteins -
supportive back muscles.
•Molecular nature of stroma proteins changes
during growth - absolute quantities do not change.
•Some muscles - gluteus medius and longissimus -
more white fibers requiring less oxygen.
•Energy needs for muscle contraction are more
anaerobic –muscles containing more red fibers
 MODIFIERS OF MUSCLE COMPOSITION

•Myoglobin concentration is lower – fat content is

lower.
•Semitendinosus - two clearly defined portions, one
having predominantly red fibers &white fibers.
•Molecular composition within this muscle varies
considerably.
•Example, the white fiber portion contains - more
lipid than the red fiber portion- suggesting that
muscle location and function affect composition
more than fiber type .
•Perhaps fiber type affects composition primarily by
its effect on postmortem tissue characteristics.
 MODIFIERS OF MUSCLE COMPOSITION

•The postmortem musculature originating from

short-term stressed animals (especially those
genetically susceptible to stress) become soft and
watery and are much more susceptible to
exudation during processing.
•Readily affected if processing is considered.
•Dark, firm, and dry (DFD) muscles that contain high
concentrations of red fibers (often the result of
long-term antemortem stress) are less susceptible
to such abnormal postmortem shrinkage
 MODIFIERS OF MUSCLE COMPOSITION

•Disease influences composition.

•Portions of muscles may be eroded away by
muscular dystrophy and replaced with fat.
• Certain inorganic elements are lost from the
tissues during stressful conditions related to
disease.
 MODIFIERS OF MUSCLE COMPOSITION

•Certain central nervous system diseases also affect

the general composition of muscle, primarily
affecting the fat component.
• Injury to muscles affects composition. When major
nerves are severed (accidentally or experimentally)
the muscle atrophies and fat accumulates in the
vacated spaces.
 MODIFIERS OF MUSCLE COMPOSITION

•Exercise stimulates fiber hypertrophy and

mobilization of lipid within muscles.
•There is little evidence suggesting changes in
other chemical components.
•Genetics affects fatty accumulation in
muscles because of its relation to rate of
maturity.
 MODIFIERS OF MUSCLE COMPOSITION

Certain species of animals, such as the

domestic duck, deposit very little fat in
muscles.
The rabbit has similar tendencies, whereas
certain breeds of pigs, cattle, and sheep
deposit large quantities of intramuscular fat.
Within species, some breeds have greater
tendencies to deposit intramuscular fat.
 MODIFIERS OF MUSCLE COMPOSITION

•Fat in muscles is related to the total fatness

of the body.
•When carcasses from obese animals are
examined, there is generally more
intramuscular fat than from those possessing
leaner carcasses.
•some animals have a very high potential for
developing intramuscular fat as compared to
total body
 MODIFIERS OF MUSCLE COMPOSITION

whereas other animals deposit large

quantities of subcutaneous fat but deposit
very little intramuscular
 MODIFIERS OF MUSCLE COMPOSITION

•Muscles grow at different rates and mature at different

physiological times. This in itself affects composition.

• These differences are small, but if a muscle matures earlier

and also has the structural potential for accumulating fat,
then it will have a higher fat content at a given age than
another muscle that matures at a later stage.

• This variation is also responsible for differences in

protein/moisture ratios among muscles.

• Control of various body processes by the endocrine system

affects fat deposition in muscles.