Age related Ca-Mg content and strength in turkey tendon.

The age related variation in magnesium and calcium content and mechanical properties of turkey tendon from ages 9-14 weeks has been studied. The results show that magnesium content decreases with age during this period and calcium content remains essentially constant. This is in accord with a previously proposed mechanism of calcification, namely, that the local concentration of magnesium and calcium may be an important factor relating to the initiation of calcification in a given tissue. The tensile strength of the turkey tendon has been found to decrease with age during the precalcified period of 9-12 weeks, after which there is an increase in tensile strength coincident with the onset of calcification. The ultimate elongation decrease of approximately 4% between 9 and 13 weeks is attributed to the difference in extensibility of the "wavy" collagen fibers observed in uncalcified turkey tendon vis a vis the straight fiber bundles in turkey tendon specimens observed at the onset of calcification.