THE ESTIMATION OF THE AGE OF CATTLE BY THE MEASUREMENT OF THERMAL-STABILITY OF TENDON COLLAGEN

Two measures of the thermal stability of tendon collagen (thermal transition temperature and isometric tension) have been studied as a function of age of cattle. The aim was to assess their potential for estimating the age of an animal from which a sample of meat originated. The variation in thermal transition temperature between animals was too large for reliable estimation of animal age by this method. The maximum isometric force generated during heating of strips of tendon from the longissimus dorsi muscle was found to increase linearly with age. Measurements of isometric tension at pH 6.0 had the least variation between animals from 2 to 16 years of age, but were not suitable for younger animals. At pH 7.5, the entire age range could be measured, and although the variation between animals was increased, the accuracy of the age determination still compared favourably with that of dentition.