While we are concerned with quality of meat as a food, it is vitally important that we understand the basic functions of metabolism as it pertains to the muscle. The use of chemical energy in the form of adenosine tri-phosphate (ATP) to convert to mechanical energy (contraction) is the basic function of muscle in the live animal. This chapter reviews the basic concepts of the generation of ATP in the muscle and the unique way in which this influences muscle tissue. The basic metabolism falls into one of the two very basic types: glycolysis or oxidative phosphorylation. The chapter briefly reviews each of these processes. It also discusses the steps in muscle contraction. The steps include the formation of a nerve impulse, the transfer of that nerve impulse to the muscle cell or fiber, the mechanisms of converting chemical energy into mechanical energy, and muscle relaxation. This edition first published 2013 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
