One protein at a time

Proteins are the machinery of life. Every cell in the human body contains protein — muscle, bone, skin, hair, tissue — and they are an essential part of our diet.

In an article published in the April edition of North & South magazine, Lincoln University's Professor Jim Morton talks about studying an enzyme called calpain for 30 years to understand how processing technologies can result in more tender meat. Calpain is an enzyme found in muscle, and it is responsible for the ageing of meat.

“If we are using prime animals for meat, it will give us a tender product. However, our national beef herd is made up of lots of animals who are not designed to be meat animals, like dairy and older cattle. So I became interested in learning about methodologies that would make meat tender through a shorter process," says Professor Morton.

Read the full story in North & South here.

Professor Jim Morton