Carbohydrate metabolism in meat animals

Oxidative energy production is by far dominant in living animal muscles, with the exception the short periods of severe stress, where the aerobic capacity is exceeded, and formation of large amounts of lactate and protons will take place. Energy consumption in muscle cells continues post-mortem with formation of large amounts of lactate and protons, because the aerobic processes for energy production are not available. Post-mortem, the fall in pH is delayed only by buffering capacity of the muscle fibres. In living animals, in addition to buffering capacity, both respiration and transport of lactate and protons out of the muscle fibres by monocarboxylate transporters participate in the regulation of muscle fibre pH which never falls as low as the ultimate pH of the meat. Understanding the regulation of pH in muscle is important both for the welfare of living animals and from the technological point of view as a factor influencing meat quality.