APPLICATION OF THE BLOOD GLUCOSE METER IN THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN FRESH AND FROZEN MEAT

Abstract

ABSTRACT: A new application of the “blood glucose meter” is developed, aimed to distinguish untreated fresh meat from that untreated but frozen, using the post-slaughtered blood glucose concentration as parameter.  This factor is affected by the enzymatic activity of  the glycogen phosphorylase (GP), one of the enzymes involved in the muscle transformation of glycogen into glucose, that has an early post-mortem increment of the activity, followed by a gradual diminution. The capacity of freezing to stop GP, and then to alter the concentration of glucose into the blood extracted from the meat is used as discriminating factor in the analysis.