PART 1

• Types of Meat

  • Beef
  • Veal
  • Lamb and Mutton
  • Pork

  
• Beef


  • Steers - Male cattle that are castrated while young so that they will gain weight quickly
  • Bulls -Older uncastrated males that provide stag meat are use for breeding and later for processed meats and pet foods
  • Heifers and Cows - The meat from cows, female cattle that have borne calves is less desirable than that from steers or heifers
  • Calves - 3 to 8 months old are too old for veal and too young for beef; meat at 8 and 12 months are referred as baby beef
• Veal


  • Comes from the young calves of beef cattle between the ages of 3 weeks and 3 months
  • Fed with a milk-based diet or formula and have their movements greatly restricted, resulting in meat with an exceptionally milk flavor, pale color, and tender texture
  • Free-range veal – the meat from calves that are allow to roam in a pasture and is slightly less tender
• Lamb and Mutton


  • They are the meat of sheep
  • Lamb comes from sheep less than 14 months old
  • Mutton from those over 14 months
  • Lamb's lower leg breaks off above the joint, while mutton will break in the joint
  • Mutton is darker and tougher than lamb and has a stronger flavor

  
• Pork


  • Derived from young swine slaughtered between 5 and 7 months of age
  • Pigs are less than 4 months old
  • Hogs are older than 4 months
  • Pork has been bred to be leaner and more tender
  • 1/3 is sold fresh and some are cured (i.e., ham, sausage, luncheon meats, and bacon)
  • Salt pork and fat back are cuts of fatty tissue that are used as flavoring agents

  
• Composition of Meats

  • Muscle
  • Connective Tissue
  • Adipose Tissue
  • Bone

  
• Muscle Tissue


  • Where most of the protein in animals are found, making them as the main sources of dietary meat
  • Its characteristics are an important consideration in deciding how the resulting meat should be prepared
  • Made up of a collection of individual muscle cells called muscle fibers, that are surrounded by an outer membrane called the sarcolemma
  • Each muscle fiber is filled with cell fluid (sarcoplasm)
  • There are about 2,000 smaller muscle fibrils serving as the contractile components of the muscle fiber
  • If the muscle fibrils are small, the result is finer muscle bundles, which give the meat a very delicate, velvety consistency
• Connective Tissue


  • Part of ligaments and tendons
  • Acts as the "glue" that holds muscle cells together
  • Composed primarily of a mixture of proteins and mucopolysaccharides
  • Collagen – the most abundant protein; tough and fibrous, but converts to a gel when exposed to moist heat
  • Elastin and reticulin – connective tissue proteins
• Elastin


  Has elastic qualities
• Reticulin


  • Consists of very small fibers of connective tissue that form a delicate interlace around muscle cells
  • Reticulin fibers create a fine meshwork that supports tissues such as bone marrow, liver, and lymphatic system

  
• Types and Composition of Meats


  • To discuss the different types, compositions, and uses of meat parts
  • To describe the effects of different factors affecting meat quality
• Types of Meat

  • Beef
  • Veal
  • Lamb and Mutton
  • Pork
• Beef


  • Steers - male cattle castrated while young to gain weight quickly
  • Bulls - older uncastrated males used for breeding and processed meats/pet foods
  • Heifers and Cows - meat from female cattle that have borne calves is less desirable than steers or heifers
  • Calves - 3 to 8 months old, meat at 8-12 months referred as baby beef
• Veal


  • Meat from young calves of beef cattle between 3 weeks and 3 months
  • Fed milk-based diet or formula, movements restricted resulting in tender, pale, and mild-flavored meat
  • Free-range veal - calves allowed to roam pasture, slightly less tender
• The type and amount of connective tissue found in meat cut


  Determines its tenderness or toughness and the best type of cooking method

  
• Cuts high in connective tissue

  Are naturally tough and need to be properly prepared in order to become more tender
• Lamb and Mutton


  • Lamb - meat of sheep less than 14 months old
  • Mutton - meat of sheep over 14 months, darker and tougher with stronger flavor
  • Lamb's lower leg breaks off above joint, mutton breaks at joint

  
• Muscles used for movements (i.e., neck, shoulders, legs, and flank)

  Contain more collagen and tend to be tougher than muscles from the loin, or lower back, and rib areas, which get less exercise
• Pork


  • Derived from young swine slaughtered between 5-7 months
  • Pigs less than 4 months, hogs older than 4 months
  • Pork bred to be leaner and more tender
  • 1/3 sold fresh, rest cured (ham, sausage, bacon)
  • Salt pork and fat back are fatty cuts used as flavoring

  
• Collagen concentration


  Increases as animals age, which is why meat from older animals is tougher
• Composition of Meats

  • Muscle
  • Connective Tissue
  • Adipose Tissue
  • Bone

  
• Tougher cuts


  Require slow, moist heating at low temperatures to convert, or hydrolyze, the tough connective tissue to softer gelatin
• Muscle Tissue


  • Where most protein in animals is found, main source of dietary meat
  • Characteristics important in deciding preparation
  • Made up of individual muscle cells (muscle fibers) surrounded by sarcolemma membrane
  • Muscle fibrils within fibers are contractile components, smaller fibrils give finer, more delicate texture
• Connective Tissue


  • Part of ligaments and tendons, acts as "glue" holding muscle cells together
  • Collagen - most abundant, tough and fibrous but converts to gel with moist heat
  • Elastin - has elastic qualities, does not soften with heating
  • Reticulin - delicate interlacing connective tissue fibers
• The tougher cuts have more flavor than the more tender ones
• Connective Tissue and Tenderness


  • Cuts high in connective tissue are tougher, require proper preparation to become more tender
  • Muscles used for movement (neck, shoulders, legs, flank) have more collagen and are tougher
  • Loin and rib areas have less exercise and are more tender
• Elastin, which is yellowish, rubbery, and often referred to as silver skin


  Does not soften with heating, so it should be removed before preparation if possible
• Age and Tenderness


  • Collagen concentration increases as animals age, making older meat tougher
  • Tougher cuts have more flavor than tender cuts
  • Require slow, moist heating at low temps to hydrolyze connective tissue
• There is very little elastin in meats, except in cuts from the neck and shoulder, so it is less likely to affect tenderness

  
• Elastin and Tenderness

  • Elastin (silver skin) does not soften with heating, should be removed if possible
  • Little elastin in most meats, so less likely to affect tenderness
• Adipose Tissue


  • Serves as insulation and padding, helps retain moisture
  • Cover fat - on outside, often trimmed
  • Intramuscular fat (marbling) - found within muscles
• Adipose Tissue


  • Serves as insulation under the skin (subcutaneous) and as padding in the abdominal cavity for sensitive internal organs
  • Cover fat – if the fat appears on the outside of the meat
  • It helps retain the moisture of meats, but this separable fat is often trimmed from meats
  • Intramuscular or marbling – fat found within muscles

  
• Fat, Color, and Texture

  • Younger animals have white fat, turns more yellow with age due to carotenoids
  • Feeding practices affect fat saturation and hardness
  • Species and breed also influence fat softness (beef vs lamb)
• The animal's age, diet, and species


  Affect the color and texture of fat
• Bone


  • Used as landmarks to identify meat cuts
  • Bone weighs more than meat, higher bone proportion means less meat yield and higher cost

  
• Bone Marrow


  • Soft, fatty material in center of large bones
  • Yellow marrow in long bones, red marrow supplied with blood vessels
  • Valued food in many cultures, can provide flavor in soups
• 20 million pounds of antibiotics are given to animals raised for meat to shield them from disease and promote growth
• Fat is white in younger animals and turns progressively more yellow as the animals age because of the presence of carotenoid pigments in the feed
• Regulations require antibiotics be withheld prior to slaughter so any remaining residues fall below federal limits
• WHO recommended phasing out use of antibiotic growth promoters to preserve effectiveness of medicinal antibiotics