Elkes Thesen

Elke Albrecht

Wegner, J.; Albrecht, E.; Fiedler, I.; Teuscher, F.; Papstein, H.-J.; Ender, K. (2000) Growth and breed related changes of muscle fiber characteristics in cattle. J. Anim. Sci. 78:1485-1496
Xie, C. P.; Albrecht, E.; Wegner, J.; Brockmann, G.; Kazala, C.; Weselake, R.; Ender, K. (1999): Leptin, a palatability molecule?-A Review. Arch. Tierz. 42:191-199

Wegner, J.; Albrecht, E.; Ender, K. (1998): Morphologische Aspekte des subkutanen und intramuskulären Fettzellwachstums beim Rind Arch. Tierz. 41: 313-320

Ender, K.; Albrecht, E. und Wegner, J. (1997) Die Video-Bildanalyse zur Messung qualitätsrelevanter Merkmale des Rindfleisches. Arch. Tierz. 40: 148-154

Albrecht, E.; Wegner, J.; Ender, K. (1996): A new technique for objective evaluation of marbling in beef. Fleischwirtschaft 76: 1145-1148

Elke Albrecht teach us how to use a new program on the computer (1994).

Elke Albrecht's Thesis, University of Rostock, 1997

Studies of intramuscular fat tissue and bundle structure of muscle in cattle by computer image analysis

The goal of the presented work was to create a new developing technique using computer image analysis, to assess the quantity, structure and distribution of intramuscular fat objectively, as well as to grasp the bundle structure of the muscle morphometrically. This should help to derive general tendencies, to investigate differences between breeds and muscles during growth and to produce relationships to the meat quality.
When looking at stained muscle slices of the M. longissimus dorsi (M.l.d.) and the M. semitendinosus (M.st.) from cattle of the breeds German Angus (DA), Galloway (Ga), Black Pied cattle (SR) and White-blue Belgian (WBB) parameters of the intramuscular fat were derived in 5 stages of age (2, 4, 6, 12 and 24 months) with the computer image analysis. In addition muscle structure characteristics were determined at slice of the M.st.
In the result of the computer image analysis, a complex of new characteristics originates to the intramuscular fat. With it, the quantity of the stored fat is grasped as proportion of fat areas and as number of the fat areas. The size of the fat areas, the proportion of the 3 biggest fat areas, the proportion of round fat areas, the area related proportion of the long fat areas, the maximum skeleton line length and the number of its branching points are characteristics that describe the structure of the fat storages quantitatively. The distribution of the fat areas in the muscle cross section is determined as number and area distribution. Also fat depots with only few fat cells that become visible first through the staining can be grasped and measured precisely.
During growth, the quantity of the stored fat increases through the increase of the number and the enlargement of the fat areas. The structure of the fat storages is determined through two development trends. On the one hand, the bigger the fat areas become and the increasing proportion of long fat areas as well as ascending of the maximum skeleton lines length lead to a coarser structure. On the other hand continually new small, round fat areas arrive, so that the proportion of the round fat areas remains constant and their fine structure causes a decrease of the proportion of the 3 biggest fat areas. The distribution of the fat areas becomes more regular with increasing proportion and number of the fat areas.
Between the breeds, differences appear in the quantity, structure and distribution of the fat areas in both muscles. The fat storage in the WBB remains essentially more inferior up to the age-group 24 months than in the other breeds. The DA is marked by bigger fat areas particularly. With the Galloways, the regular distribution of the fat areas is accentuated in the M.l.d., and the fine structure is accentuated in the SR.
When comparing the muscles it becomes clear that the quantity of the stored fat areas in the M.st. is lower, the structure is more rough, and the distribution of the fat areas is more even than in the M.l.d.
From the relationships among each other that the image analytic parameters derive, the proportion of fat areas is determined to 95% of the number and the size of the fat areas. Structure and distribution of the fat areas are only low depending on the quantity of the stored fat. The structure characteristics show relationships in middle magnitude among each other. The distribution is connected especially narrow with the proportion of the 3 biggest fat areas. Therefore, the concentration of the fat in few big fat areas leads to an uneven distribution. It becomes clear under anatomical points of view, that the storage of fat begins in the profound half of the muscle cross section, and the continuous new entity of fat areas leads to a more even distribution in the muscle.
The changes of the bundle structure during the growth are certain through the enlargement of the primarily bundles and the muscle fibers. The number of the muscle fibers per bundle and the number of the bundles in the muscle cross section remains constant. The structure of the muscle is already fixed according to that to an early stage of the development. The WBBS show a more than 2,5 number of the muscle fibers per primarily bundles opposite the 3 other breeds. The SR shows the smallest muscle fiber bundles. Between the image analytic proportion of fat areas and the chemical fat content, narrow relationships are verifiably natural. A positive influence on the tenderness and the sensory score of the meat can be determined with higher proportion of fat areas, finer structure and more regular distribution of fat.
The introduced technique was developed in order to explore bases of the intramuscular fatty tissue development. It can also be appointed with corresponding development for use in the meat quality evaluation.