MEAT

• MEAT


  Refers to the muscle of animals used as food
• Animals commonly domesticated for meat

  • Ox for Veal and Beef
  • Sheep for Lamb and Mutton
  • Pig for Pork
• Veal


  Meat from calf
• Beef


  Meat from the older ox
• Nutritional studies show that meats are high-grade protein sources versus plants
• The current consumer trend toward "healthy" food means less red meat in the diet and more complex carbohydrates which are provided by plants
• PORK is more popular than beef and carabeef combined
• CARABEEF consumption is low second to pork but higher in beef
• Structure and composition of meat muscle

  • Muscle fiber
  • Microfibrils
  • Sarcomere
  • Sarcoplasm
  • Sarcolemma
  • Perimysium
  • Connective tissue
  • Endomysium
• Marbling


  Fat penetrates between the muscle fiber bundles in well-fed animals
• Meat post-mortem changes

  1. Pre-rigor stage

  2. Rigor mortis

  3. Post rigor stage
• The extent of pH drop in meat varies depending on the glycogen reserves of the animal prior to slaughter
• Fishes generally exhibit shorter rigor mortis period
• Optimum acceptability of meat such as beef is attained when stored 2 to 3 weeks at 2°C following the dissolution of rigor
• Factors affecting rate of meat spoilage


  • Condition of slaughter
  • Health and condition of animal prior to slaughter
  • Temperature and relative humidity of storage
  • pH or acidity of the meat
• Lean meat


  • Important source of high quality protein
  • Contains all the essential amino acids
• Meat can be regarded as an important source of vitamin B1 and B2, with pork exhibiting much higher percentage of B1 than other meats
• Meat is an excellent source of iron and phosphorus
• Liver


  Rich in iron and concentrated source of vitamin A
• Carcass


  Slaughtered animals prepared for the market by cutting into manageable sizes
• Meat tenderness


  • Initial penetration of the meat by the teeth
  • Ease with which the meat breaks into fragments
  • Amount of residue left after chewing
• Pork is more tender than beef, and older meats are tougher than younger ones
• Tough cuts come from muscles that get much exercise in the live animal
• Methods of tenderizing tough meat cuts

  • Mechanical methods (pounding, cutting into smaller portions, slicing thin, grinding)
  • Marinating
  • Use of proteolytic enzymes (papain, bromelin)
• Aging


  Practice of storing meat carcasses, usually beef, at chill temperature just above 0°C for 10-14 days at 70% relative humidity prior to cutting
• Types of aging

  • Dry aging
  • Fast aging
  • Vacuum pack aging
• Meat juiciness


  Associated with the water-holding capacity of meat
• Factors affecting meat juiciness

  • Initial pH and rate of pH decline after slaughter
  • Aging
  • Intramuscular fat or marbling
  • Method of commercial freezing
  • Species
• Meat grading


  Good conformation means a high meat to bone ratio and a high percentage of the tender cuts
• Market forms of meat

  • Fresh meat
  • Chilled meat
  • Frozen meat
  • Cured meat
  • Processed meat
• Myoglobin


  Red soluble protein present in the muscle cell
• Hemoglobin


  Red protein in blood that supplies oxygen for the various body activities of the animals while alive
• Curing


  Process of mixing meat with saltpeter or potassium nitrate, salt and sugar
• Nitrite


  Produced by oxidation of potassium nitrate that reacts with the myoglobin to form nitrosomyoglobin which remains pink even after cooking
• Reasons for cooking meat

  • To improve palatability quality
  • To increase tenderness
  • For sanitary purposes
• High heat toughens and shrinks the muscle fiber proteins causing excessive moisture loss, so it is generally advantageous to cook meat at lower temperatures
• Roasts cooked at low temperatures have higher yields than those cooked at high temperatures because meat shrinks less and loses less water at these lower temperatures
• Liquid or steam is a better conductor of heat, and moist heat penetrates meat faster, so meat should be simmered not boiled to avoid overcooking
• Dry heat cooking methods

  • Broiling or grilling
  • Roasting
  • Pan-broiling
• Heart, kidney, tongue, and tripe all require tenderizing prior to braising or simmering