Lecture 3

Question 1

List the beef quality traits for raw meat (5)

Answer 1

Beef quality traits 
raw meat 
-muscle colour; bright cherry red vs dark
-fat colour; white vs yellow
-sc fat; trimmable external fat 
-im fat; marbling (intra)
-im fat; seam fat (inter bw muscles)

Question 2

List the beef quality traits for cooked meat (3)

Answer 2

Beef quality traits;
cooked meat
-tenderness; MOST IMPORTANT post-mortem muscle fibre shortening, marbling, WHC (water holding capacity)
-flavour intensity; marbling and ageing
-juiciness- Im (intra) moisture and marbling

Question 3

How does breed effect beef quality?

Answer 3

Breed; bos taurus are moe tender than bos indicus

tenderness is achieved by 1/2 BT (min) and max 1/4-3/8 BI

Question 4

What factors effect beef quality? (8)

Answer 4

factors effect beef quality

• breed
• sex
• muscle type, location and function
• grain feeding vs pasture feeding
• age
• stress and temp
• lesions from im injections
• disease

Question 5

How does age effect beef quality

• when it the best age
• compare old to young
• when it too old

Answer 5

age;
equal fat thickness endpoint is within the age range from 9-30 months
younger cattle are more tender than older cattle
more than 30 month of age, tenderness decrease because of increase in CT (connective tissue)

Question 6

Outline the features for the following cuts of meat
steak and roast
mince
small goods

Answer 6

• steak and roast; attractiveness, tenderness, juicness
• mince; fat content and colour
• small goods; fat content and water holding capacity

Question 7

How do you test for tenderness?

Answer 7

Tenderness test; Warner bratzler shear force borer

Question 8

List and explain the factors which affect tenderness

6

Answer 8

factors which affect tenderness

• temp; max tenderness is @ 15C during rigorous mortis and then it must be chilled
• pH; max tenderness is @ 5.5-6.5 pH
• genentics; Bos indices is less tender than bos taurus
• age; increase age; decrease tenderness
• type of muscle; CT effects tenderness
• IM (intra) fat; marbling dilute CT within muscle which causes more tenderness

Question 9

List the 4 factors which affect odour and taste

Answer 9

factors affecting odour and taste;

• genetics; there is a differ in odour
• age; increase age increases flavour intensity
• conditioning; long periods of storage or freezing= loss of flavour
• diet

Question 10

Explain what causes the colour of meat

Answer 10

Colour;
colour of meat is due to state of myoglobin
higher level of muscular activity, higher conc of myoglobin in meat
older animals have darker meat and younger livestock
free range has darker than stall fed

Question 11

Explain WHC

Answer 11

water holding capacity and juiciness;
high WHC = better quality meat
weep; post mortem, muscle contracts, ph drops and this releases water
high levels if IM fat increase WHC of meat and is more juicey as well