Study on the effect of reactive oxygen species-mediated oxidative stress on the activation of mitochondrial apoptosis and the tenderness of yak meat

•The ROS increased the mitochondrial oxidative stress by decreasing the activities of SOD, CAT, and GSH-Px and increasing mitochondrial lipid peroxidation.•Oxidative stress enhanced MPTP opening by augmenting the production of Ca2+ and altering the levels of Bcl-2 family proteins.•Oxidative stress mediated the activation of the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway in yak meat during postmortem aging.