Meat Flashcards
What is meat?
animal tissue that are suitable for use as food
2 types of meat
red/dark meat and white meat
4 big meat animals in the world
chicken, cow, pig, and sheep
Carcass
product of the slaughtering process which removes blood, viscera, head, hair, skin, and other tissues from the living animal
Dressing percentage (DP)
Percent of the live animal that ends up as a carcass (usually carried out on hot carcass weight)
Carcass percentage of live weight for animals
Pig - 70%
Cattle - 60%
Sheep - 50%
Chicken - 72%
Carcass-cutting yield
Percentage of the carcass that actually ends up as meat
Specific cuts
packed into barrels with salt and sent by ships
Hanging sides
sent on refrigerated rail cars
Primal cuts
sent to butchers
Beef primal cuts
chuck, brisket, rib, plate, short loin, flank, sirloin, tenderloin, top sirloin, bottom sirloin, round, shank
What meat is the least tender?
Muscles that function in locomotion and posture (round and shank)
Most tender primal cut
tenderloin
Middle meat
Includes the loin and rib sections that are the most tender and the most expensive
Rib example
Prime rib
Loin example
T-bone steak
Sirloin example
Trip tip steak
Pork primal cuts
Jowl, shoulder blade (boston butt), picnic shoulder, loin, spare rib, belly, ham, foot
What is the meat quality is influenced by>
Point along meat quality chain contributes to final quality (slaughter, genetics)
What is responsible for meat colour?
Myoglobin (stores oxygen in the muscle)
What does myoglobin consist of?
globular protein portion and non-protein porphyrin ring
Reduced myoglobin
makes meat a purple colour
Oxymyoglobin
makes meat bright red
Metmyoglobin
makes meat brown
Vacuum packaged meat cuts
allows for shipment of fresh, never-frozen meat (often has purplish red colour)
Oxygen permeable film
high oxygen-modified atmosphere packaging (often bright cherry red colour)
What is the main pigment in very fresh meat?
deoxymyoglobin or oxymyoglobin
What affects the quantity of myoglobin?
varies with age, species, and muscle type
Factors affecting meat colour
- Quantity and chemical state of myoglobin
- packaging methods and storage
- exposure to oxygen and pH decline
- antioxidants and microbial load
- water holding capacity
- processing and curing
What does cooking do to meat?
denatures myoglobin which is responsible for brown cooked meat colour
What temperature does meat need to be cooked at?
71 degrees celsius
What is responsible for pink colour of cured meat?
Nitrate (NO2)
Cooked cured meat pigment
nitrosyl hemochrome
Water holding capacity
ability of meat to hold its own and added water against any applied force
Pale soft and exudative meat (PSE)
has pale colour, low water holding capacity, reduced yield
Dark firm and dry meat
has dark meat, shorter shelf life but enhanced water holding capacity. Leads to poor flavour in cooked meat and meat products
Causes of PSE meat
- genetics
- environmental/management
(more common in pigs than cattle, sometimes seen in poultry)
Causes of DFD meat
Environmental/management factors like glycogen depletion
Four main carcass tissues
- Muscular tissue
- Fatty tissue
- Bones
- Connective tissues, tendons, and blood vessels
Muscle tissue
30-50% of live weight
Is affected by age, sex, breed and plane of nutrition
What is the most important component of meat?
The muscle
3 levels of organization in muscle
endomysium, perimysium, and epimysium
Endomysium
Surrounds individual muscle fiber
Perimysium
Surrounds bundles of fiber
Epimysium
contains the whole muscle
Myofibril
made up of sarcomere units which contain thick and thin filaments
The more stretched a sarcomere is, the more _______
tender
Connective tissues
type of biological tissue that supports, connects, or separates different types of tissues and organic in the body (contributes to toughness of meat cuts)
2 types of connective tissues
- connective tissue proper
- specialized connective tissue
Fat/adipose tissue
fat occurring in specialized connective tissue
4 major depots of fat tissue
subcutaneous - outside of carcass
intermuscular - between muscles
intramuscular - within a muscle (marbling)
perinephic (kidney and mental (visceral) fat
Bone tissue
around 15-30% of the carcass weight
Meat composition of T-bone steak
Water 51g
protein 29g
fat 17g
ash 1%
Kcal 182-243
Meat composition of beef round steak
water 72g
protein 23g
fat 3g
ash 1%
Kcal 150
Major component of tenderness
- Muscle fibre-related
- connective tissue related
Minor component of tenderness
adipose tissue
Mechanical disruption
disrupting the muscle structure by pounding, grinding, blade tenderizing
Olfactory and gustatory cues
taste and aroma
Basic processing procedures
curing and comminution
Comminution
breaks down connective tissue and fat
Maximum fat levels in beef
extra lean - 10% fat
lean - 17% fat
medium - 23% fat
regular - 30% fat
Whose responsibility is meat expection?
Canadian food inspection agency (CFIA)
Grading
Grading done on carcasses that places different values on them for pricing
Purpose of grading
Facilitate trade, ensure producers receive fair return, and define common carcass quality objectives
2 parts of beef grading
- quality grade
- yield grade
Highest quality beef
Canada prime
Quality grades
‘A’ - retail leave meat with minimal marbling
‘B’ - youthful carcasses that don’t meet one or more of criteria
‘D’ - not youthful
‘E’ - mature bulls
Pork grading system
Pork with the highest lean yield and a particular weight range will receive highest index and command the highest price
Poultry grading system
Canada A grade (best)
Canada utility grade (major tears or missing skin)
Canada C grade (mature birds)
Meat industry trends
- case ready or retail ready
- more branded meat items
- On-package production claims
- changing consumer demographics
