Species and muscle differences in L-carnitine levels in skeletal muscles based on a new simple assay

• Published in: Meat science 2004-11, Vol.68 (3), p.357-362
• Main Authors: Shimada, Kenichiro, Sakuma, Yoshinori, Wakamatsu, Junichi, Fukushima, Michihiro, Sekikawa, Mitsuo, Kuchida, Keigo, Mikami, Masayuki
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: assays; beef; Biological and medical sciences; carnitine; chicken meat; enzymatic method; enzymatic treatment; Food industries; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; goat meat; horse meat; L-Carnitine; Meat and meat product industries; Muscle fiber type; muscle fibers; Myoglobin; new methods; oxygen; pork; rapid methods; sarcoplasmic reticulum; venison
• ISSN: 0309-1740; 1873-4138
• DOI: 10.1016/j.meatsci.2004.04.003

We have adapted the enzymatic method [Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 176 (3) (1991) 1617] for the safe and rapid assay of L-carnitine (L-CA) in skeletal muscle using a microplate reader. The concentration of L-CA in fresh semitendinosus muscle from broiler chicken, pig, beef cattle, deer, horse and goat muscle were 0.69, 1.09, 1.86–3.57, 4.57, 4.95 and 11.36 μmol/g wet weight, respectively. The animals which had higher concentration of L-CA, also had the highest amounts of myoglobin as an index to the redness of the muscle. Furthermore, we investigated this relationship between white muscle, M. pectoralis profundus, and red muscle, M. soleus, in laying hens. The L-CA and myoglobin concentration in red muscle were significantly higher than those in white muscle ( p