1. The Meat We Eat
Meats Unit
Animal Science

2. Terminology

3. Meats: the edible flesh of mammals used for food
Terminology
Meats: the edible flesh of mammals used for food

4. Poultry: the edible flesh of poultry used for food

5. Beef: the meat from mature bovines that are generally over 12 months of age.

6. Veal: the meat from very young calves, usually less than 3 months of age.

7. Mutton: the meat from mature ovine carcasses that fail to show a break joint on the front foreleg.

8. Lamb: meat from lambs or young sheep,up to about one year of age that shows a break joint in the foreleg.

9. Pork: meat associated with all ages of hog carcasses.

10. Chevon: meat from mature goats.

11. Cabrito: meat from young goats.

12. Carcass
part of meat animal that is left after the hide, hair, feet, head, and entrails have been removed

13. Wholesale Cuts
major parts of a carcass; boxed and sent to distributors

14. Retail Cuts
cuts of meat ready for purchase and use by consumers

15. Immobilization
process of rendering an animal oblivious to pain

16. Kosher
any food produced, killed, or prepared according to Jewish dietary law

17. Exsanguination
removal of an animal’s blood

18. Rigor Mortis
physiological process following death; where muscles stiffen and lock into place

19. Shroud
cloth used to wrap the carcass during aging

20. Aging
process of maturing and getting older; improves flavor and tenderness

21. Primal Cuts
most valuable cuts on a carcass

22. Adipose
technical term for fat tissue

23. Mastication
act of chewing

24. Elastin
protein substance found in tendons, bones, connective tissue

25. Oxidation
any chemical change that includes oxygen

26. Rancid
putrefied state of foods

27. Microbes
minute plant or animal life; some good some bad

28. Faculatative
microbes that can grow with or without free oxygen

29. Curing
treating meat to retard spoilage

30. Irradiation
preservation process that uses low levels of radiation to kill pathogens in food products

31. Withdrawal Period
length of time that must transpire between the time drugs are given and animal is slaughtered

32. Rendering
process during which condemned carcasses are placed under heat severe enough to kill any organisms that can cause problems

33. Quality Grade
grade given to beef carcasses that indicates eating quality

34. Marbling
desired distribution of fat in the muscular tissue

35. Meat Inspection

36. The Meat Inspection Division of the USDA was created in 1906.

37. Inspectors are civil service veterinarians or non-professional lay inspectors.
All are government employees, meaning the program is financed by the public.

38. The federal government requires supervision of establishments which slaughter, pack, render, and prepare meats and meat products for interstate shipment and foreign export. Individual states have responsibility for intrastate shipments, however state standards cannot be lower than federal levels.

39. The purpose of inspection is:
a. Safeguard the public by eliminating disease or otherwise unwholesome meat from the food supply.
b. To enforce the sanitary preparation of meat and meat products.

40. The purpose of inspection is:
c. To guard against the use of harmful ingredients or residue in meats from drugs, growth promotants, pesticides, etc.
d. To prevent the use of false or misleading names or statement labels.

41. The Wholesome Meat Act of 1967 updated and strengthened the Meat Inspection Act of 1906.

42. A. States were given the option of conducting their own inspection service or turning the responsibility over to the federal government.
B. Most states simply apply the federal regulations to their own programs.

43. Types of Inspection

44. Antermortem:
inspection is made in pens or as animals are moved from the scales after weighing; obviously diseased or otherwise unhealthy animals not fit for human consumption may be marked “Suspect” or “Condemned”.

45. Postmortem:
inspection is made at the time of slaughter and includes careful examination of the carcass and viscera (internal organs); all good carcasses are stamped “U.S. Inspected and Passed”. Those failing inspection are stamped “U.S. Inspected and Condemned”.

46. Regulations do not apply to farm slaughter.

47. Inspection vs. Grading

48. Inspection:
a. is required.
b. is objective.

49. Grading:
a. is optional.
b. is subjective.

50. Types of Grading

51. Grading:
a. Quality Grading.
b. Yield Grading.

52. General Meat Science Info.
The average person in the US eats almost 200 lbs of red meat and poultry.
Beef Production is # 1
Pork Production is # 2
Poultry Production is # 3
The US produces over 85 million hogs per year
The average American eats about 2.5 lbs of lamb/mutton per year

53. General Meat Science Info.
The average American eats about 90 lbs of chicken and 22 dozen eggs per year
Poultry consumption is on the rise due to it being healthier than red meat.
Meat prices are affected by weather, feed prices, federal import policies, and consumer demands
Federal Meat Inspection Act was implemented in 1906

54. General Meat Science Info.
Inspection is mandatory, grading is voluntary
Humane Slaughter Act of requires that prior to slaughter, animals be rendered completely unconscious with a minimum of excitement and discomfort, by mechanical, electrical, or chemical (CO2 gas) methods.
Carcasses are chilled for at least hours after evisceration and before being graded and processed

55. General Meat Science Info.
Specialty meats such as the brain, kidneys, sweetbreads, the tail, and the tongue do not accompany the carcass and are considered by-products to be sold separately as specialty items
Meat specifically red meat is a great source of iron
Fat contributes to product juiciness, tenderness, and flavor of meat

56. General Meat Science Info.
Muscles are very tender at the time of slaughter, however rigor mortis begins and muscles become progressively less tender until rigor mortis is complete.
Rigor mortis: 6-12 hours in beef, 1-6 hours in pork,
Beef is typically the only meat that is aged; aging has a positive effect on beef for the first 7-10 days, after that it causes a negative effect on spoilage and taste

57. General Meat Science Info.
Lamb and pork is not aged because of their relatively young age at time of slaughter and still being naturally tender
Light meat of poultry is leaner and has a more mild flavor than dark meat. Dark meat is more flavorful because it has more fat in it.
Skins are nondigestible and are high in fat.
Genetics play a major role in the tenderness of beef.

58. General Meat Science Info.
Stressful conditions just prior to slaughter cause major problems with meat.
Meat should be frozen fast to reduce the chance of losing moisture and protein.
Consumers relate meat color to freshness.
Aging changes the flavor of meat.

59. General Meat Science Info.
Electrical stimulation can be used instead of aging. This improves tenderness, color, texture, and firmness; as well as makes the hide easier to remove.
Age- is determined by maturity of the cartilage and bones. Cartilage hardens and turns to bone as the animal ages. Younger animals are generally more tender.
Examples of a retail cut are: pork chops, t-bones, leg of lamb
Trimmings of retail cuts are made into sausage or ground meat

60. General Meat Science Info.
Meat is highly perishable and spoils quickly. Fresh meats will only stay good in the refrigerator for about 2-4 days
The more lean the meat is, the more it is going to cost.
The degree of tenderness or grade has no relationship to the nutritional value but does affect the price.

61. Meat Science
Cincinnati, Ohio-1st center of meat packaging industry- was known as “Porkapolis”
- “The Jungle” by Upton Sinclair- book that provoked the USDA to get involved in meat inspection. 
- After sticking an animal two major physiological changes occur –heartbeat increases and blood vessels restrict.
- If a carcass is going to be aged then the animal needs additional fat. (Feed another two weeks.)

62. Meat Science
Most packers accept carcasses up to 1000 lbs but standard limit is 950 lbs.
- Four types of fat: subcutaneous, intermuscular, mesenteric, and intramuscular.
- Lamb is expensive compared to beef and pork.
- Veal- Italians are big fans; its much like chicken—how you prepare and cook gives it is flavor.
- “Tanked”- not fit for human consumption—a whole steer is then worth $20.

63. Meat Science
Packers want to buy just the carcass and producers want to sell the whole animal based on the live weight.
- Poultry are stunned not killed before processing.
- We cook crawfish and lobster while still alive.
- If an animal doesn’t bleed out properly it is condemned.
- If cattle are fed too hot of ration (high energy) causes liver abscesses.

64. Meat Science Excel- 2nd largest packer located in Garden City, KS.
- Yield grade 1 = best 5 = worst 5 = least amount of edible meat
- Cattle don’t put on fat uniformly, put it on in patches.
- Can’t finish boars- meat smells like urine and tastes awful.
- Cattle prices in the US have been higher since the closing of the Canadian border. (Mad Cow)

65. Meat Science
Marbling doesn’t improve tenderness, but all other attributes.
- Should not sit meat out to thaw = spoilage.
- Most people overcook pork—scared of getting sick as with beef and poultry.
- Shouldn’t salt meat till its cooked—will pull all the juices out.
When grilling steaks should only be turned once, but pork can be turned repeatedly.

66. Meat Science
Chinese use high heats due to lack of refrigeration and bacterial growth. They use pork fat instead of oil.
- Lamb is tenderer due to slaughtering at such a young age. (4-5 months)
- PSE is found in extremely heavy muscled hogs.
- PSS (Porcine Stress Syndrome) causes PSE.

67. Meat Science
Koreans want really fat meat so they buy our chucks and shoulders.
- Enhanced products = added water
- Excel kills ~ 8 million head of cattle a year = 146,000 a week or 30,000 a day
- Put sugar non hams to keep muscle tissue soft—doesn’t change flavor.
- The average US ham weighs ~20 lbs.

68. Meat Science
- Docile cattle grade better; less chance of dark cutters.
-Animals carry just over half their weight in the forequarter.
- Fat cattle have less water in their carcasses-more specifically in the muscle tissues.
- Slaughter cattle in the US as a whole are getting fatter and lighter muscled.

69. Meat Science - Muscle tissue provides mobility for the animal.
- Muscles with sufficient oxygen have a red appearance; lack of oxygen = dark red or purple.
- Muscles are about 65-80% water.