LPT 321: Meat Science (1+1)

MITOCHONDRIA

• Mitochondria are oblong organelles located in the sarcoplasm. They are frequently referred to as the “power house of the cell" because, they “capture” the energy derived from carbohydrate, lipid and protein metabolism and then provide the cell with a source of chemical energy.
• They contain the enzymes that the cell uses in the process of oxidative metabolism.
• There exists a considerable variation in mitochondrial numbers and size in muscle fibres.
• Skeletal muscle mitochondria are relatively abundant at the periphery of the fibre near the poles of the nuclei and are especially abundant at the myoneural junctions.
• Additionally, a number of mitochondria are located between the myofibrils, adjacent either to the Z lines, the I bands or to the A-I band junctions.