Quantitative determination of type I myosin heavy chain in bovine muscle with anti myosin monoclonal antibodies.

Bovine type I muscle fibers were characterized by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with a monoclonal antibody specific for slow myosin heavy chains (MHC 1). Two bovine muscles, the Masseter and Cutaneus trunci, were analyzed by different complementary techniques: electrophoresis, immunoblotting and immunohistiology. The results showed that the two muscles have extreme characteristics. The Masseter contains only slow MHC and the Cutaneus trunci is composed solely of rapid MHC (MHC 2a and 2b). A standard for this ELISA was obtained by mixing the two muscles and was used as a reference in the determination of the percentage of MHC 1 in a given muscle. In this study, the Longissimus thoracis of 27 Charolais cattle were examined. The different conditions under which assays were carried out were described and the accuracy of the measurement was calculated. In view of the results, ELISA was chosen for the analysis of muscle fiber types in large numbers of animal specimens. This technique could be used in several research projects to study the muscle characteristics that determine beef quality.