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Muscle Biology Laboratory

1805 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706
Telephone: (608) 262-0463 FAX: (608) 265-3110
Director: Dr. Marion Greaser

Meat-Muscle Biology Building

About the Program

Faculty & Staff

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About the Program

The mission of the Meat/ Muscle Biology Program is two fold: (1) to improve the quality of muscle foods through research concerned with mechanisms regarding product enhancement, deterioration, and safety in fresh and processed meats; (2) to develop new knowledge about muscle structure and function that may be applied to animal science and human health.

Significant Accomplishments of the Laboratory

1949: Experimentally biopsied muscle from living animals to study quality
1957: Improved beef grading standards
1957-1970: PSE pork characterized and related to the porcine stress syndrome
1957-1972: Exercise physiology related to improved porcine quality
1961: Marbling shown to improve palatability
1961: Designed an improved rigorometer to quantify onset of rigor mortis
1963: Liquid nitrogen first used to chill pre-rigor pork to prevent PSE
1967: First transmission electron micrograph of wiener emulsion produced
1967: Eye lens nitrogen first used to estimate chronological age of livestock
1968: Demonstrated that muscularity increased dressing & lean yield
1968: Demonstrated that stretching pre-rigor muscles improved tenderness
1968: Described topographically the variations in fat deposition
1971-1984: Described growth, development & distribution of adipose tissue
1972: First purified, characterized & named troponin subunits tni, tnt & tnc
1972-1984: Identified fiber types microscopically as they related to quality
1974: Histologically showed how swine hair growth affects its removal
1976: First described methods to purify cardiac troponin subunits
1977: Established first equation to predict "fat-free lean' in pork carcasses
1978: Described tenderizing effects of carcass electrical stimulation
1980: Used x-ray diffraction to first show structure of troponin c
1980-1985: Described fate of nitrites in processed meat
1985: Developed one of first monoclonal antibodies against titin
1986: First used non-pressured filter paper to measure water-holding capacity
1987-1994: Described PSE condition in turkey muscle
1989: Modified a method to separate muscle proteins with gel electrophoresis
1989: Observed fate of listeria monocytogenes in meat
1992: Fed vitamin E to cattle to maintain color & extend shelf life in beef
1994: Developed a method to purify the full length native titin in muscle
1996: Injected sodium bicarbonate into pork to improve quality

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Faculty and Staff: Search the UW Staff Directory

Borchert, Larry
Buege, Dennis
Claus, James (Jim)
Greaser, Marion
Richards, Mark
Russell, Ronald
Timm, Terry
Trumble, Laura

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Graduate Program Information

  • Application Information
  • Degree Requirements for Meat/ Muscle Biology majors
  • Courses

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Links to Meat/ Muscle Biology Research and Resources

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