Editing Rigor mortis (section)

== Applications in meat industry ==
Rigor mortis is very important in the [[meat industry]]. The onset of rigor mortis and its resolution partially determines the tenderness of [[meat]]. If the post-slaughter meat is immediately chilled to 15&nbsp;°C (59&nbsp;°F), a phenomenon known as cold shortening occurs, whereby the muscle sarcomeres shrink to a third of their original length. <!-- the muscles don't actually shrink, just change shape This will lead to the loss of water from the meat along with many of the [[vitamins]], [[minerals]], and [[water-soluble]] proteins. The loss of water makes the meat hard and interferes with the manufacturing of several meat products like [[cutlet]] and [[sausage]].{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}}-->

Cold shortening is caused by the release of stored [[calcium]] ions from the [[sarcoplasmic reticulum]] of muscle fibers, in response to the cold stimulus. The calcium ions trigger powerful muscle contraction aided by ATP molecules. To prevent cold shortening, a process known as electrical stimulation is carried out, especially in beef carcasses, immediately after [[Animal slaughter|slaughter]] and [[skinning]]. In this process, the [[Cadaver|carcass]] is stimulated with [[alternating current]], causing it to contract and relax, which depletes the ATP reserve from the carcass and prevents cold shortening.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M3wmO3ynTUwC&pg=PA13|title=New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research|publisher=The Royal Society of New Zealand|author=The Royal Society of New Zealand|page=13|year=1976}}</ref>