Question

1. Mrs. Delancy went to the local meat market and bought a beef tenderloin (cut from the loin, the region along the steer's vertebral column) and some tripe (cow's stomach). What type of muscle was she preparing to eat in each case?

Answer 1

Answer: Mrs Delancy was preparing to eat skeletal muscle from the beef tenderloin, while she was preparing to eat digestive smooth muscle with the cow tripe.

Skeletal muscle is one of three major muscle types, the others being cardiac muscle and smooth muscle. It is a form of striated muscle tissue, which is under the voluntary control of the somatic nervous system. Most skeletal muscles are attached to bones by bundles of collagen fibers known as tendons.

In the rest of the digestive tract, it consists of smooth muscle (three layers in the stomach, two layers in the small and large intestines) and associated nerve fibers. The smooth muscle is responsible for movement of food by peristalsis and mechanical digestion by segmentation.