Natural actomyosin was extracted from frozen minced cod muscle storedfor up to 62 weeks at -20
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C with 0.6 M NaCl, and the insoluble aggregates, when formed, weresolubilized successively with2% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and 2% SDS + 5%
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-mercaptoethanol (ME) solutions, givingextracted fractions S1 (NaCl), S2 (SDS), and S3 (ME + SDS),precipitates insoluble in 0.6 M NaCl(P1) and 2% SDS (P2), and a precipitate not soluble in any of theagents used (P3). SDSpolyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) of fraction S1 showedthat the proportion of themajor proteins changed during frozen storage. Size exclusionchromatography showed a decreasein the peak containing myosin heavy chain (MHC) and actin (Ac).Transmission electron microscopy(TEM) of S1 showed at the outset a filamentous morphology associatedwith globules interconnectedcrosswise. As storage progressed, the number and size ofaggregates increased. In fractions S2and S3, the major proteins detected by SDS-PAGE were MHC and Ac.TEM showed a greaterabundance of ring-shaped structures than in S1. TEM of theinsoluble fractions showed a sarcomere-like structure, more pronounced the milder the solubilizing treatmentand the longer the storagetime.Keywords: Aggregation; frozen storage; actomyosin; cod; mince; Gadusmorhua; microstructure