 CATTLE - BEEF, VEAL
 HOGS - PORK
 SHEEP - LAMB, MUTTON
 RABBIT
 VENISON
 OTHER GAME

 Skeletal- provides support locomotion; primary component of carcass; attached to bone
 Cardiac and skeletal – striated muscles
 Smooth muscle: visceral muscle, digestive system, reproductive system
 Protein – 15-20%, high biological value

 MYOFIBRILS - alternating thick and thin protein filaments, contractile muscles
 Small bundles (20-40 fibers) - 1 primary bundle represents grain
 Primary bundle surrounded by connective tissue
 Several primary bundles for larger secondary bundle with blood vessels and nerves

COLLAGEN
ELASTIN
RETICULIN

 Primarily protein
 Flexible non-elastic fibers
 White or colorless
 Contracts to thick mass when heated
 More tender - cook with moist heat
 Some hydrolyzed to water soluble gelatin
 Older animals - collagen coil less solubilization due to cross-linkages

 Lesser component
 More elastic than collagen
 Holds bone and cartilage together
 Not softened to gelatin
 Yellow color

 Very small fibers
 Network around muscle cells
 Found in younger animals

 Energy storage
 Dependent on animal feed, hormones, age, genetics, breed, biological state, nutritional status, part of carcass cut is from
 Percent increases with age
 Deposited around organs, under skin, between and within muscles


Held by strands of connective tissue
Melted contributes to juiciness
 sensation of tenderness and flavor

 Adipose tissue -around heart, kidney
 Suet - hard fatty tissue around organs, more saturated
 Subcutaneous fat - under skin, more unsaturated
 Intermuscular fat - between muscles (seam fat)
 Intramuscular fat - within muscles (marbling)
 Mainly triglycerides
 Fat – 5-40% (lean 7-10%)

 45-75% (lean = higher water content)
 Decreases with maturity and increased fat
 In muscle fiber - less in connective tissue
 Decreases when muscle fibers broken due to chemical, mechanical, enzymatic tenderization or salting, or change in pH
 Curing increases water content
 Protein releases water as it coagulates

 Negligible
 Stored in liver as glycogen
 In muscle and blood as glucose

 Vitamin B complex - no Vitamin C
 Fat soluble in liver
 low in A & D in red meat
 Iron in heme and myoglobin pigments
 Zinc and phosphorus in muscle, some copper

 Contractile proteins - actin (in thin filaments) and myosin (in thick filaments)
 Form actomyosin cross-links
 Overlap of thick and thin filaments
 Few overlaps = tender meat
 Many overlaps = tough meat

 Minimize cross-links by hanging carcass
 Control pre-rigor temperature
 Natural aging or conditioning - hang in 34-
38F for 1-4 weeks
 Higher temperatures used but increases growth of bacteria - use ultraviolet light to reduce
 Proteases added to break down cross-links

 Round hollow bone (leg) – less tender
 Flat, blade shaped bone – less tender
 T-bone shape – tender

 Higher amount of connective tissue less tender the meat
 Least used muscles have less collagen (rib and loin)
 Age increases cross-linkages
 less tender

 Marbling = fat throughout the muscle
 Higher marbling
 increase in tenderness

 MYOGLOBIN - holds O
2 in muscle
 Primary pigment in meat
 Increases with age, level of muscle exercise
 Varies with species, sex, and muscle
 Oxymyoglobin - myoglobin exposed to O
2
; bright red
 Metmyoglobin - oxidation of iron molecule = brownish red color
 HEMOGLOBIN - transport O
2 and CO
2

 Indicates
 Freshness
 Amount of iron
 Kind, species
 Age of animal at slaughter
 Doneness after cooking
 Curing

GRADING

 MANDATORY
 Inspected and passed
 Safe to eat and without adulteration
 Exam of carcass and viscera did not indicate presence of disease – sight, touch, smell
 Not meant to imply freedom from all disease causing microorganisms
 Inspection of processing plants

 Plants have HACCP plan
 SOPs for written sanitation requirements
 Tests for salmonella on raw meat and poultry products
 Slaughter plants test for E.coli O157:H7 on carcasses

 For beef and poultry
 Raw or partially cooked food
 1994 from USDA
 Decrease risk of foodborne illness
 Mandated for products and labeled in
USDA or state inspected processing plants and at retail stores

 Processed meat and poultry
 USDA defined content claims

 VOLUNTARY PROGRAM -Indicates quality and yield
 Evaluation of marbling, maturity, texture, appearance
 Prime - very well marbled
 Yield - Boneless yield (1-5 Best to worst)
 Different for type of meat (beef, veal, lamb, mutton)

 ALL meat contains bacteria
 Approval of steam pasteurization to decrease risk of E. coli
 High intensity pulsed light
 Irradiation - approved for pork to destroy
Trichinella
 Hormones - to promote &/or increase lean muscle, decrease fat

 Hormones - to promote &/or increase lean muscle, decrease fat
 Must be discontinued for specified period of time prior to slaughter
 Random samples by FDA to monitor
 Antibodies - treat existing disease, prevent disease, promote growth
 Subtherapeutic doses - 1989 National
Academy of Sciences

 PRIMAL OR WHOLESALE
 SUBPRIMAL - boneless cut from primal
 RETAIL - cut from either
 Most tender = Rib, short loin, sirloin
 Medium tender = Chuck, round
 Least tender = flank, brisket, foreshank, short plate, tip

 Meat changed by mechanical, chemical, or enzymatic treatment altering the taste, appearance, and keeping quality of the product

 Flaked, ground, chunked
 Reformed
 Shaped
 Salts, phosphates, nonmeat binders added to hold protein particles together

 Increases shelf life
 Forms pink color
 Produces salty flavor
 Contains nitrite – control growth of
Clostridium Botulinum
 Smoking – heat processed, dehydrates for microbial growth

 Improve tenderness and flavor
 Destroy pathogens

 Peptides denature, reunite to coagulate
 releases water and melted fat
 Muscle fibers tighten
 Connective tissues become more tender

 Small amount of connective tissue
 Cook short time at high temperature
 Dry heat
 Longer at lower temperature

 Prolonged cooking methods
 Will depend on amount of collagen, method of cooking, cooking time and temperature

 DRY HEAT- broiling, frying, pan frying, roasting, stir-fry
 MOIST HEAT - reduces surface drying, allows collagen to become gelatin
 Braising, pressure cooking, stewing, steaming, cover with water

 MECHANICAL - cuts muscle fibers and connective tissue
 Electrical - ultrasonic vibrations stimulate muscle to breakdown ATP to Lactic Acid and decrease pH
 Natural enzymes - from tropical plants
 Papain - papaya Bromelain- pineapple
 Ficin - figs Acid marinades

 Ducks
 Geese
 Guinea hens
 Pigeons or squab
 Chicken
 Turkey

 All domestic birds intended for human consumption

 Comparable to beef, lamb, pork
 Good source of iron, phosphorus, B vitamins
 Dark meat: more iron, zinc, riboflavin more fat, connective tissue, myoglobin less protein
 Light meat richer in niacin
 Chicken/turkey breast lower in cholesterol and fat
 Fat content increases with age

 Wholesome Poultry Act of 1968
 Mandatory
 Sanitary processing and freedom from disease
 Operate with HACCP

 1997 labeling rule
 Defines terms fresh and frozen
 Hard chilled
 2002 label percent of absorbed or retained water
 Nutrition labels required either as posters, brochures, or labels

 US Grades A, B, C
 Conformation
 Fat
 Freedom from blemishes & broken bones
 Voluntary

 Young, tender birds - same methods as tender cuts of beef
 Frying for young, tender poultry
 Roasting for older bird
 Microwave not recommended due to uneven distribution of microwaves and nonuniform response of chicken
 Spoils readily - not aged, high salmonella

 Volatile carbonyls - aroma of cooked poultry
 Sulfur compounds give meaty-brothy taste
 Fresh - better taste and higher aroma than reheated or after frozen storage
 Yield - varies by age
 usually 1# = 2 servings

 Fresh water
 Salt water
 Shellfish

 Fins
 Flat or round fish
 Based on fat content

 Fat content <5%:
 Bass
 Flounder
 Halibut
 Perch
 Sole
 Fat content 5-20%
 Albacore
 Herring
 Mackeral
 Salmon
 Shad
 Sardines
 Smelt
 Tuna

 Skeleton - hard shell on the outside
 Invertebrate
 Crustaceans - segmented armor: crabs, crayfish, lobster, prawn, shrimp
 Mollusks - Soft unsegmented body calcified shell: abalone, clams, mussels, oysters, scallops, octopus, squid, periwinkle, snail

 Clams
 Crab
 Lobster
 Oysters
 Scallops
 Shrimp

 Excellent source of protein-quality and quantity equivalent to meat
 Shellfish slightly sweet due to glycogen
 Saltwater fish - iodine
 Excellent source of phosphorus
 Low in iron, calcium (except for salmon with bones)
 Fish with vertebrae low in B vitamins

 Mostly unsaturated
 Salt water fish contain polyunsaturated
Omega 3 & Omega 6

 Steaks cut perpendicular to backbone
 Fillets cut parallel to backbone
 Whole
 Drawn
 Dressed
 Sticks
 Butterfly

 Minced fish
 Cured
 Canned

 FDA

Office of Seafood
 Required to follow HACCP system since
1997
 For processors, repackers, and warehouses – not retailers
 Standards for contaminants
 FDA administers National Shellfish
Sanitation Program

 US Dept. of Commerce – National Oceanic
Atmospheric Administration
 Quality grades – US Grade A, US Grade B, substandard
 Appearance, uniformity, absence of defects character, flavor, odor
 Breaded items – proportion of edible fish to breading and presence of bone

 Spoilage occurs rapidly due to powerful digestive enzymes, fat content, composition
 Marine toxins - scrombroid poisoning and ciguatera
 Rarely botulism
 Oysters pathogens from water with untreated sewage
 Parasites killed with cooking

 Highly perishable
 Odor and appearance clue to freshness
 Eyes clear and bright, gills pink, flesh bounces back to touch
 All fish classified as tender