This may be a silly question, but I'm no scientist or meatcutter, so here goes. Does muscle decrease or increase in size when frozen? I've ofter wondered if the necks on deer that have been frozen are any different than the size of the same deer when it was fresh? I know that water expands, but do the cells in muscle?
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Yes, the cells do expand. How much? I don't know. Depends on the water content of the cells and the make of the muscle. If you ever looked at muscles, they are in groups divided by a whitish layer called the fascia. This fascia governs how much expansion can occur in a muscle group. (Look up Compartment Syndrome in a medical book for some interesting reading on this).
This expansion is in fresh frozen tissue and not in that which is freeze dried.
But you have an interesting question, I don't have proof, but I don't think this expansion would greatly affect the measuring process. I would though if possible always measure the specimen fresh and somewhat position how it is to be mounted.
You answered your own question. Cells are composed of water and water expands when frozen. I haven't had it significanlty expand a fish measurement though, so I hardly doubt it is has an affect on neck measurement. Actually, when deer die their muscles relax, blood flow stops, cells begin to degenerate, oxygen stops being fed to the muscles. Death probably affects the size of the muscles more than freezing ever would. After all we are trying to recreate a living animal when performing the art of taxidermy. Just like any bodybuilder's muscles inflate when they are pumped up so do rutting whitetails when chasing does, rubbing trees, fighting, etc. When a bodybuilder relaxes, his or her muscles deflate, or reduce back down to their normal size(which is certainly bigger than average) as do a deer's muscles.