PROTEÍNAS DO COMPLEXO CALPAÍNA E A MACIEZ DA CARNE

The objective of this study was to evaluate the association of expression of calpain complex (µ-calpain, m-calpain e calpastatin) protein with meat tenderness in Nellore cattle. A population of 90 Nellore cattle was used and three experimental groups were selected by shear force (SF): tender meat (3.5 ± 0.6 kg; n = 6), intermediate meat (5.8 ± 0.8 kg; n = 6) and tough meat (8.2 ± 1.7 kg; n = 6). Protein expression was evaluated by Western blot analysis. Expression of the µ-calpain and m-calpain proteins did not differ between experimental groups (p>0.05). Expression of the calpastatin protein also did not differ significantly between the experimental groups (p>0.05). The present results suggest that meat tenderness in Nellore cattle does not depend only on the expression of the calpain complex protein in the different experimental groups.