Protective Effects of Surfactants against Freezing Denaturation of Rabbit Myofibrils

Abstract

The denaturation of rabbit skeletal myofibrils caused by freezing and thawing was measured by the change of Ca²⁺-ATPase activity. The changes in activity were high at concentrations of myofibrils less than 0.2mg/ml. The rate of denaturation was increased by the repetition of freezing and thawing, or by prolonged freezing time. The denaturation caused by freezing and thawing was protected in the presence of non-ionic surfactants such as Tween 20. The addition of 0.3 % Tween 20 was effective for the protection against denaturation. The effective concentration for non-ionic surfactants were lower than for sugars. The addition of Tween 20 and glycerol showed a synergistic effect for the protection of freezing-thawing denaturation.