Calorimetric Changes During Development of Rigor Mortis

Abstract
Postmortem thermal behavior of tilapia dorsal muscle was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and postmortem biochemical changes were determined by pH and ATP/IMP ratio. A large exothermic DSC peak near 50°C, observed soon after sacrificing, was the most striking difference between thermograms of pre‐rigor muscle compared to that of post‐rigor muscle. This exothermic peak was attributed to ATP hydrolysis based on the observed effects of added ATP, EGTA, and CaCl2.