Animals as food part 2 Flashcards
When was carcase classification initiated?
1967
What information is recorded in carcase classification?
- weight
- Conformation class
- Fat class
- Sex/ Category
What are the confirmation classes?
- Excellent
- Very Good
- Good
- Fair
- Poor
How many thoracic vertebrae and sternum do cattle and horses have respectively?
Bovine- 13 thoracic vertebrae
7 sternum bones and more straight
Equine- 18 thoracic vertebrae
6 sternum bones
What is the definition of meat traceability?
ability to trace and follow a food, food producing animal through all stages of production
What are the legal requirements for traceability?
- Food Business operator must identify suppliers and customers
- Must keep record of name, adress, product description, date of receipt/delivery
What does meat chain traceability include requrements for?
- Animal ID information
- Movement documents
- Food chain information
- supplier documents
- veterinary certificates
- health and the ID marking of a product
What two things effect carcase quality?
- Age
- Marbling
What meat makes up the muscular system?
Skeletal muscle, connective tissue, intermuscular fat
What percentage of an animals live weight is meat?
25-45%
What 5 things make up the structure of the muscle?
» Muscle cells or fibres: spindle-shaped multinucleated
» Membrane: sarcolemma
» Endomysium: join groups of muscle cells
» Perimysium form bundles sheathed in connective tissue
» Epimysium: connective tissue covering the complete muscle
How does muscle contraction occur?
Sliding of actin and myosin filaments
Ca2+ triggers contraction
Constant stream of ATP
* Energy source for contraction through the action of CA- ATPase
* Hydrolysis is then also required for calcium transport back into the sarcoplasmic reticulum
How does muscle relaxation work?
- After muscle contraction is no longer required, the sarcoplasmic reticulum sequesters all the Ca2+ ions
- There is then a change in configuration of troponin and tropomyosin
- myosin heads cannot reach the thin filaments and contraction stops
- sustained muscle contraction or tetanus is the result of fusion of individual muscle twitches
What happens post-mortem when there is no breathing or blood circulation?
No blood supply, no oxidation/ reduction process
* Not ATP is produced this causes anaerobiosis and production of lactic acid
* no ATP then leads to rigor mortis which influences the temperature
* pH reduction leads to protein degredation, activation of autolytic enzymes and an increased water-holding capacity
What does protein-degredation lead to?
Tendering, and therefore myoglobin degredation, which goes on to effect meat colour
How does rigor mortis set in?
When respiration stops after death, there is a build up of lactic acid due to anaerobic respiration -> decrease in pH
ATP generation halts and without ATP the myosin then stays locked onto actin (rigor mortis develops)
it gradually disappears after 24 hours
What does muscle look like after rigor-mortis?
lower pH
* light surface
* exudation of fluid
* not sticky when minced
* low electrical resistance
* penetration of salts and sugars is high
What factors can effect rigor-mortis?
- Physical stress,/ fatigue and rest before slaughter
- animal health
- exercise training/ genetics
post-mortem (external temperature, carcase suspension, previous electrical stimulation, hot boning)
What causes DFD meat (dark, firm,dry)
- any animal that is stressed or exhausted
- any animal with low glycogen reserves
- very limited glycolysis
- advanced spoilage
- it is fit for food but only low quality
*
What animal typically gets DFD meat?
cattle
What species are mainly effected by PSE meat?
pigs
What factors contribute to PSE meat?
- rapid fall in muscle pH after death
- change in muscle protein- causes it to become flesh watery with excessive drip