Rigor mortis is the third stage of death, characterized by the stiffening of the limbs. Under normal conditions, rigor mortis in humans can set in 4 to 5 hours after death. However, rigor mortis only occurs in biological death, i.e., the cells and tissues die at a molecular level, and resuscitation is not possible.
Clinical death, on the other hand, is where specific vital organs of the body, such as the heart or brain cease to function, but the other organs are left relatively intact. In such cases, the individual can be resuscitated if time constraints are met.
For instance, specific medical procedures require the exsanguination of various body parts. In such scenarios, clinical death is induced, and the patient is revived after the completion of the surgical process. However, organs like the brain can only survive for 3 minutes without oxygen before succumbing to cellular death. Moreover, exsanguination results in the structure of the heart losing cellular integrity as the surrounding cells die because of oxygen deprivation.
Besides medical relevance, implications of rigor mortis are also observed in the meat industry. The onset of this phenomenon directly affects the quality of meat. When an animal is alive, it uses ATP as its energy currency (Adenosine Triphosphate) to satisfy its cellular energy needs. However, after slaughter, the muscles of the animal loses ATP, and the ability of muscles to contract is lost. Following this, lactic acid starts accumulating in the muscles. As a result, the acidity level of the muscles increases, eventually leading to muscle stiffness.
Physical activity before the slaughter of the animal also affects meat quality. For instance, if the animal was stressed, rigor mortis sets in sooner, and the quality of the meat becomes poorer. If the animal is well-rested, well-fed and relaxed just before slaughter, rigor mortis sets in late and the animal produces fine quality meat.
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