Exam 3: Meat Palatability

Question 1

What is a high quality meat-eating experience?

Answer 1

• Juiciness
• Tenderness
• Flavor

As meat prices go up, expectations also go up

Question 2

Why is tenderness important in high quality eating experiences?

Answer 2

• Essential for consumer acceptance
• Adds value

Usually the more tender a cut, the more expensive it is

Question 3

What influences tenderness?

Answer 3

• Contractile state of the muscle
• Enzymatic protein degradation
• Amount and type of connective tissue

At 24 hours post-mortem the muscle is at maximum toughness

Question 4

What affects sarcomere shortening?

Answer 4

Temperature
* Chilling too quickly –> cold shortening
* Chilling to slowly –> maximum rigor

Question 5

The higher calpain activity, the ___ tender meat is

Answer 5

More

• Activated by calcium
• Inhibited by calpastatin

Question 6

How does the amount of desmin relate to tenderness?

Answer 6

The more desmin, the tougher the muscle is

Question 7

What influences calpastatin levels?

Answer 7

• Breed
• Beta-agonists
• Callipyge disease

Question 8

What happens to connective tissue over time?

Answer 8

It degrades

Amount and type of connective tissue influences tenderness

Question 9

Does marbling influence tenderness?

Answer 9

No, only 10% of variation in tenderness is explained by marbling

For “acceptable” tenderness, you need at least 2% marbling

• Lubercates the mouth
• Reduces density

Question 10

How can we manage tenderness pre-harvest?

Answer 10

Genetics
* Breed influence
* Myostatin gene
* Callipyge gene
* Genetic markers: markers for calpain and calpastatin

Management
* Pre-harvest stress –> Influences rate of rigor
* Implants
* Beta-agonists
* Age at harvest: More connective tissue as the animal ages
* Feed quality –> marbling deposition

Question 11

How can we manage tenderness post-harvest?

Answer 11

Manage contractile state
* Prevent/decrease sarcomere shortening: Electrical stimulation, Fat cover, Stretching

Changing muscle properties
* Aging
* Blade tenderization
* Needle injection
* Tumbling
* Marination
* Non-meat additive: Pineapple (Bromelin), Papya (Papain), calcium-based ingredients

Cooking
* Cooking method: Slow cooking (breaks down connective tissue)
* Degree of doness

Question 12

Why is juciness important?

Answer 12

• Juciness can cause unacceptable eating experiences
• Juciness enhances other traits: Enhances flavor acceptability 3-fold

Least researched trait

Question 13

What is the definition of juiciness?

Answer 13

A combination of perception and the force applied to the meat

Perception: What you see

Question 14

What influences juiciness?

Answer 14

• pH of muscle: Driver of initial juiciness
• Level of intramuscular fat (marbling): Driver of sustained juiciness
• Post-harvest impacts

Question 15

What is the relationship of water holding capacity and pH?

Answer 15

Water holding capacity decreases as pH nears the isoelectric point (pH 5.1)

Question 16

How does direct heat cooking affect juiciness?

Answer 16

It often dries out the product

Question 17

How does moisture-based cooking affect juiciness?

Answer 17

It increases juiciness (increases moisture content)

Question 18

What trait becomes most important when tenderness is within an acceptable range?

Answer 18

Flavor

Question 19

What is flavor?

Answer 19

Taste + Aroma
* Taste refers to the five basic receptors: Sweet, Sour, Salty, Bitter, Umami
* Aroma is the sensation perceived when volatile compounds are sniffed through the nose

Flavor: Perception of chemical compounds reacting with receptors in the

Question 20

T/F: Taste receptors have axons

Answer 20

False, taste receptor cells do not have axons

Question 21

What is the biggest driver of flavor?

Answer 21

The nose

Question 22

What is the difference between smell and taste?

Answer 22

• For taste, food needs to be placed directly on your tongue
• Smell,