UNIT 3 COMPOSITION OF MEAT

Structure
3.0 Objectives
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Chemical Composition of Meat
3.2.1 Water
3.2.2 Mcat Prote~n
3.2.3 Meat Fat
3.2.4 Carbohydrates in Meat
3.2.5 M~nerillsIn Meat
3.2.6 Vitnm~nsin Meat
3.2.7 Othcr Minor Components of Meat
3.3 Factors Affecting Composition of Meat
3.3.1 Spcclca
3.3.2 Breccl
3.3.3 Scx
3.3.1 Age
3.3.5 Anatomical Location of Muscles
3.3.6 Training and Exercise
3.3.7 Plane of Nutrition
3.4 Let Us Sun1 Up
3.5 Key Words
3.5 Some Usefill Books
3.6 Answers to Check Your Progress

3.0 OBJECTIVES
After reading this unit, you will be able to:
describe different components of mammalian skeletal muscle and meat; and
identify the factors affecting the composition of meat.

3.1 INTRODUCTION
We all know that meat is a very nutritious food which meets our daily need of various
important nutrients like protein, fat, minerals and vitamins. We have studied in the
previous i ~ nt it liar muscles are converted into meat through some post mortem changes.
Thus. the composirlon of'muscle is reflected in the composition of meat. The proximate
composition in Ineat includes moisture, protein, fat, carbohydrate,mineral and vitamin.
We must know the cheinical composition of any food to assess its nutritive value.
This is also true tor meat. The caloric value of meat mainly depends upon the protein
and t i t content of meat. Different species meats differ in their caloric value due to
the difference i11their chemical composition. Beside this factor (i.e., species of meat
animal),breed. age, sex, plane of nutrition, exercises etc. also intluence the composition
of meat. Now we will study the composition of meat and the factors responsible for
making differelice among different meats in this unit.

3.2 CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF MEAT

Muscle is Ihe principal component of meat and meat is the post-mortem aspect of muscle.
Thus, chemical composition of muscle is reflected in the proximate composition of meat.
Str~ictureof Muscle and Table 3.1: Approximate composition of typical mammalian muscle (% fresh weight)
Composition of Meat (Lawrie 1973)
I I I
I Component I Percent I
WATER (range 65 to 80) 75.0
PROTEIN (range 16 to 22)
A. Myofibrillar
-
19.0

Myosin
Actin 2.5
Tropomyosin 1 . 06 1
M protein and C protein 0.2

a , p and y actinin
I
0.5 '
Desmin, F and I protein etc. 0.4

r s o l u b l e sarco~lasmicand mitochondria1 enzyme

Myoglobin 0.3
Haemoglobin, Cytochromes and tlavoproteins 0.7
C Stroma 2.0
Collagen and reticulin I .0
Elastin 0.05
Other insoluble proteins 0.95
LIPIDS (variable range 1.5 to 13.0)
Neutral lipids, Phospholipids, Cerebrosides
Cholesterol
NON-PROTEIN NITROGENOUS SUBSTANCES 1.05
Creatine and Creatine phosphate 0.55

Peptides (anserine, carngsine etc.)

Other [creatinine, urea, inosine monophosphate (IMP),
adenosine triphosphate (ATP), adenosine diphosphate (ADP),

CARBOHYDRATES (range 0.5 to 1.5) 1.2

I
Glycogen (variable range 0.5 to 1.3), Glucose, Intermediate
products of cell metabolism [hexose and triose phosphates,
lactic acid, citric acid, fumaric acid, succinic acid,
acetoacetic acid etc.]
INORGANIC CONSTlTUENTS 0.05
-
Potassium 0.35
7

1 -
Total phosphorus [phosphates and inorganic phosphorus]
-
1 0.2 1
Maenesium
Sodium 0.05
Others
[calcium, iron, cobalt, copper, zinc, nickel, manganese etc.] 0.03
VITAMINS (various fat and water soluble vitamins, quantitatively minute).
 There is a wide variation in meat composition from different animals as depicted in Composition of Meat
Tuhlr (3.2).
Table 3.2: Composition of different species meat

Meat Source Protein (%) Moisture (%) Fat (%) Ash (%)
I I I

I
Chicken I 20-23 1 74 -76 1. 2 I 1 I
LAITI~
- - 18 71.5
Pork 18 77 4

I 3.2.1 Water

I
Muscle contains approximately 75 per cent water (ranges from 65 to 80%) by weight.
Water is the principal constituent of the extra cellular fluid and numerous chemical
constituents are dissolved or suspended in it. Becauseof this, it serves as the medium
for the transport of substances between the vascular bed and muscle fibers.

3.2.2 Meat Protein

Generally lean meat contains 16to 22 per cent protein. Meat proteins are superior
P to plant protein because proteins of high biological value are present in meat in a
concentrated form. Muscle proteins are broadly divided into following three
categories:
Soluble in water or dilute salt solutions (the sarcoplasmic proteins)
Soluble in concentrated salt solutions (myofibrillar proteins)
Insoluble in salt solution at low temperature (proteins of connective tissue and
other fom~edstructures)
Myoglobin, hae~noglobinand various enzymes constitute sarcoplasmic protein,
whereas. ~nyofibrillarproteinscompriseof actin, myosin, tropomyosin,troponin, a ,
p and Y -actinin, C-proteins, M-proteins etc. Major connective tissue proteins are
collagen, elastin and reticulin.
We have already studied that proteins are made up of amino acid chain and 20
amino acids are very common. Animals can not synthesize amino group which forms
amino acid. Therefore, proteins must be provided in the diet of animal so that they
can synthesize their own amino acids. Meat proteins are rich source of essential
amino acids viz., phenylalanine, valine, tryptophan, threonine, methionine, leucine,
isoleucine and ly sine which are very much essential for human.
Generally, proteins are very much susceptible to denaturation at their isoelectric point
(~.e.,
the point at which electrical charges on their amino and carboxyl groups exactly
cancel one another),at relatively low temperature and on exposure to acid conditions.
Denatured meat becomes insoluble in aqueous solution and this property affects the
structure and characteristics of meat, its appearance and ability to hold or bind water.
This is very important for comminuted meat products where meat is mixed with
other components to form gels and emulsions.

3.2.3 Meat Fat

The fat content of meat varies greatly from species to species (ranges approximately
1.5 to I 3 per cent). Fat is found in meat as intracellular deposit or as marbling or
intramuscular in the adipose tissue depots associated with the loose connective
Structure (11' Muscle and tissue septa between the bundles. Meat fats are generally simple triglyceride in
Composition of Meat
nature, but beef and mutton have mixed triglycerides. Caloric value of fat depends
on fatty acid composition. Meat mainly contains saturated and mono unsaturated
fatty acids. Commonly occurring saturated fatty acids of meat are palmitic acid and
stearic acid. Oleic, linoleic and linolenic acids are major unsaturated fatty acids in
meat.
Table 3.3: Compositionofamino acids of different meats
(Schweightand Payne-1956) (Expressed as % of crude protein)
- -
Amino acids Category Beef ' Pork Lamb
Isoleucine Essential - 5.1 4.9 4.8
I
Leucine Essential 8.4 7.5 7.4
Lysine Essential 8.4 - 7.8 7.6
Methionine Essential 2.3 2.5 2.3
Cystine Essential 1.4 1.3 1.3
Phenylalanine Essential 4.0 4.1 39
Threonine Essential 4.0 5.1 4.9
Tryptophan Essential 1.1 1.4 1.3
Valine Essential 5.7 5.0 5.0
Arginine Essential for infants 6.6 6.4 6.9
Histidine Essential for infants 2.9 3.2 2.7
Alanine Non-essential 6.4 6.3 6.3
Aspartic acid Nan-essential 8.8 8.9 85
Glutamic acid Non-essential 14.4 14.5 14.4
Glycine Non-essential 7.1 6.1 (i.7
Proline Non-essential 5.4 4.6 4.8
Serine Non-essential 3.8 4.0 3.9
Ty rosine Non-essential 3.2 3.0 3.2

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) playvery important role in meat fat. Now-a-
days people are very much health conscious and we think that meat fat is dangerous
to health without knowing scientific explanation behind this. We often use two words
for meat viz., omega-3 (n-3) fatty acid and omega-6 (n-6) fatty acid. In case of
PUFA, if first double bond occurs three carbon atoms away from the methyl end of
the molecule then it is called omega-3 fatty acid and similarly, PUFA with that bond
at six carbon atom way from methyl end, then it is called omega-6 fatty acid. Linoleic
acid is omega-6 fatty acid and linolenic acid is omega-3 fatty acid. For man, a
dietary ratio of 4 or 5: 1 for n-6: n-3 PUFA is desirable. The ratio is important in
relation to the incidence of cardio-vascular disease. For example, omega 3 fatty
acids reduce blood clotting and omega-6 fatty acids counteract this effect. Animal
synthesizes arachidonic acid from linoleic acid and uses 1 inolenic acid to synthesize
eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) acids. A diet rich in linoleic
acid leads to deficiency of EPA and DHA. EPA and DHA can reduce the incidence
of disease significantly. Scientists are trying to increase the proportion of poly
unsaturated fatty acids to saturated fatty acids (P: S ratio) in meat considering their
effects on human health. In non-ruminants like pig and poultry, the body fat closely
reflectsthe characteristicsof thedietary fat. Thus, it is not difficult to get the desirable
P:S ratio in pork or chicken. But, this is not possible in beef or mutton, as major part
i of unsaturated fat supplied through diet of cattle and sheep (i-e.,ruminants) get
saturated through the process of hydrogenation by rumen microorganisms.
Comjmition of Meat

I
I Most animal fats are solids at room temperature because triglyceridesof animal fat
1 contain mainly saturated fatty acids. Fat of pig is called lard which is soft in nature
due to more proportion of unsaturated to saturated fatty acids. Beef fat is harder
than pork because beef fat contains up to 25% stearic acid i.e., saturated fatty acid.
The saturation of lamb or mutton fat may account for the 'greasy' mouth feel
associated with eating it since the melting point of ths fat is often above the temperature
I of the mouth.
Table 3.4: Qpical fatty acid compositionof fats of diierent meats

Fatty acid % Fatty acid in fat

Cattle Sheep Pigs
Palinitic (C 16: 0) 29 25 28
Stearic (C 18 : 0) 20 25 13
Hexaclcconic (C 16 : I ) 2 3
Oleic [C 18 1 I (n-9)l ', 42 39 46
Linoleic [C 18 : 2 (n-6)] 2 4 10
Linolenic [C I8 : 3 (n-3)1 0.5 05 0.7
Archidonic [C 20 : 4 (n-6)] 0.1 1.5 2

I Besides these. phospholipids, sphingomyelins,glycolipids and cholesterol are also

present in meat. Phospholipids have an important role in cellular metabolism and are
mainly found in cell wall. The nature of fatty acids present in phospholipids is
unsaturated. Sphingomyelins and glycolipids are found in nerves and cell membranes
respectively. Cell membranes also contain some cholesterol which is precursor of
steroid hormones. Now-a-days, cholesterol is getting more importance due to its
relation with cardiovascular disease, though relation between dietary intake of
cholesterol and blood cholesterol level is not well-established. Organ nieats are
imputant source of cholesterol. Beef fat contains about 0.1% cholesterol.

3 -2.4Carbohydrates in Meat
Though carbohydrate is a minor component of animal tissues in terms of overall
composition, but it plays a very important role in conversion of muscle to meat.
Main carbohydrate of meat is glycogen which is a polymer of glucose. It is found
pai-ticularly in the inuscle and organ meat like liver. In well fed animals, liver contains
50 ing glycogen per gram of liver tissue. Generally 10-20mg of glycogen is present
in 1 gram of ~nuscle.In fasting stage of animal before slaughter, liver glycogen is
converted into glucose to maintain blood glucose concentration at aconstant level.
In anaerobic condition, muscle glycogen is used to produce energy for contraction
E
and then broken down to lactic acid. The post-mortem changes and onset and
coinpletion ol'rigormortis greatly depend on glycogen reserve of the muscle. We
have studied these in the previous unit i.e., conversion of muscle to meat. Other
carbohydratespresent in meat are mucopolysaccharides associated with the connective
tissues, glucose and intermediatesof glycolytic metabolism like lactic acid, acetoacetic
acid etc.

3.2.5 Minerals in Meat

Numerous minerals of physiological significance are present in meat. Meat contains
sodium,potassium, magnesium, chlorine, phosphorus, iron, calcium, sulphur etc. It
is a very good source of iron because 100grams of cooked meat supplies 35 per
cent of dai l y iron recommendation. 100grams of liver supplies almost 100per cent
Structure of Muscle and of iron recommendation for an adult human. Iron is present as haernoglobin,
Composition of Meat
myoglobin and certain other enzymes in animal tissues. Calcium is mainly present in
bone and teeth of the animal, but its concentration in muscle and other edible tissues
is not sufficient to mpRt the recommended daily allowance i.e., RDA.
Table 3.5: Mineral content of raw meat (mgI100 gram meat)

Mineral Lanb Pork Beef

Sodium 75 XI 6
Potassium 295 385 355
Magnesium 15 18 I8
Iron 1.2 2.3 2.8
Calcium 10 9 II
Phosphorus 147 145 171

3.2.6 Vitamins in Meat

Generally lean meat is an excellent source of B-complex group of vitamins but is a
poor source of fat soluble vitamins like A, D, E and K and water soluble vitamin C.
Meat fats provide these fat saluble vitamins to some extent. Certain organ meats
contain vitamin C in minor quantities. All of the B-complex vitamins are present in
meat and in a concentrated fortn in liver. Contentsof Bcomplex group vary among
different speciesmeats. Pork is superior to beef, veal, lamb or poultry meat in terms
of containing Bcomplex vitamins. Thiamin content of pork is 8- 10times higher than
other meats but its vitamin B,, content is less than other. Liver of any animal is a -
good source of vitamin B, i.e., thiamin. During cooking, some of these water soluble
vitamins are lost. Generally, 100 grams of cooked meat supply 25-60 per cent of
recommended (RDA) B-complex vitamins.
Table 3.6: Vitamin Content of Various Raw Meats (per 100 gram)
(after Mc Cance and Widdorson, 1960)

Vitamin Beef Pork Mutton

A (1.U) Trace Trace Trace
B , Thiamin (mg) 0.07 1.O 0.15
B, riboflavin (mg) 0.20 0.2 0.25
Nicotinic Acid (mg) 5 5 5
Pantothenic Acid (mg) 0.4 0.6 0.5
Biotin (mg) 3 4 3
1 Folic Acid (mg) 10 3 3
B, (mg) 0.3 0.5 0.4
B,,(mg) 2 2 2
C or Ascorbic acid (mg) 0 0 0
D (1.U) Trace Trace Trace
I

3.2.7 Other Minor Components of Meat

Besides the above mentioned components of meat, there are also some non-protein
nitrogenous substances like nucleotides, and peptides etc. Nucleotides like adenosine
monophosphate (AMP), adenosine diphosphate (ADP), adenosine triphosphate
(ATP),nicotinamideadenine dinucleotide (NAD) play an important role in conversion
of muscle to meat. They are also important in the development of meat flavour as
they act as flavourenhancers. Peptides like carnosine and anserine are present in all
species but anserine is present especially in some birds and balenine in pig muscle.
These contribute to buffering capacity of meat and flavour of meat. Creatine and Composition of Meal
creatinin also play important role in post-mortem changes of meat.

3.3 FACTORS AFFECTING COMPOSITION OF

MEAT
Meat obtained from all type of meat animals of all age groups and both sexes are not
same from the view point of chemical composition.Following factors influence the
composition of meat:

3.3.1 Species
Species of meat animal affects the composition of meat greatly. It is also evident
from the table containing the composition of different species meat (Table 3.2). For
example, total nitrogen content (fat-free) i.e., nitrogen factor for pork has ranged
from 3.45to 3.6,for mutton it is 3.50and for beef it ranges from 3.4to 3.65.Again,
pig muscles have more linoleic acid than cattle or sheep whereas sheep muscles have
relatively higher content of stearic acid.

3.3.2 Breed
Breed exerts important intrinsic influence on biochemical composition of muscle as
we1l as meat. For example, intramuscular fat percentage is greater in case of beef
cattle (i.e.,cattle reared for meat purpose) than that of dairy cattle (i.e., cattle reared
for milk purpose). Duroc pig has higher content of saturated and monounsaturated
fatty acids and lower polyunsaturated fatty acids in intramuscular fat than British
Landrace pig.

3.3.3 Sex
Chemical composition of meat also varies with the sex of the meat animal. Generally,
intran scular fat content of male animal is less than female and that of castrated
animal is more than the sexually entire animals.

3.3.4 Age
The composition of meat varies with the advancement of age of the meat animal
irrespective of species, breed and sex. There is a trend of general increase in most
parameters other than water with the increasing age. With increasing age, there is
great increase in intramuscular fat and in myoglobin content, lesser increase in total
and sarcoplasrnic nitrogen and the decrease in moisture. Connective tissue content
of muscle varies greatly with the age of the animal. In young, salt soluble collagen
concentration is higher than the adult one because the degree of intra and intermolecular
cross-linking between the polypeptide chains in collagen increases with increasing
animal age.

3.3.5 Anatomical Location of Muscles

Anatomical location of muscles is the most complex intrinsic factor affecting the
composition of meat. Certain chemical parameters of beef muscles from different
anatol-nical locations are given in the following Table (Table 3.7).
itructure of Muscle and Table 3.7: Chemical parameters of various beef muscles
:omposition of Meat
Muscle Moisture Intramuscular Total Nitrogen HY~XY
(%) fat (9%) (% fat free) proline (pgtg)
Longissirnus dorsi 76.51 0.56 3.54
//
(lumbar)
Psoas major i7.34 1.46 3.30 350
Triceps 77.23 0.73 3.45 loo0
(lateral head)

(Source : Lawrie's Meat Science, 6thedition by Lawrie, R.A.)

3.3.6 Training and Exeruise

Composition of meat also dependa on training and exercise of the animals to some
extent. The muscles which are used more during exercise and training, are darker in
colour due to more myoglobin codtent. Systematic training over a period of time
results in increased stores of muscle glycogen and ultimately leads to lower ultimate
pH(post-mortem).

3.3.7 Plane of Nutrition

Level of nutrition affects the composition of meat as it has a general effect on the
growth of the meat animals. Fat of the animals which are maintained on a high plane
of nutrition, is synthesized from carbohydrates and this fat has lower iodine number.
In poorly fed and emaciated animals, linoleic acid is more and palmitic acid is less. If
pigs are fed with high level of unsaturated fat, then there will be deposition of
unsaturated intramuscularfat in their body. In sheep, high plane of nutrition increases
the content of intramuscular fat and decreasesmoisture percentage. Undernutrition
leads to marked increase in the water content of muscles, increase in the percentage
of intramuscular collagen and decrease in salt-soluble and acid-soluble components.

Check Your Progress

1) Sarcoplamic proteins are soluble in ........................... solution and
myofibrillar proteins are soluble in ........................................solution.
2) Main carbohydratepresent in meat is ............................................
3) Thiamin content of porkis ....................times higher than other meats.
4) Major unsaturated fatty acids in meat are ............, .............. and

5) Nucleotides in meat act as .............................................e~hancer.

6 ) Write the approximate composition of mammalian skeletal muscle on per cent
fresh weight basis.

...................................................................................................................
7) Enlist the factors affecting the con~positionof meat.
 Composition of Me
3.4 LET US SUM UP
The compositio~iof muscle is reflected in composition of meat. Major part of meat
is composed by water, protein and fat. Beside these, there are minerals, carbohydrates,
vitamins and non-protein nitrogenous substances. Muscle contains 65 to 80 per
cent water and 16 to 22 per cent protein by weight. Meat protein is a very rich
source of essential amino acids for human. Sarcoplasmic proteins are soluble in
water or dilute salt solution; myofibrillar proteins are soluble in concentrated salt
solution whereas connective tissue proteins are insoluble in water or salt solution
especially at low temperature.
Another major coinponent of meat is fat which ranges from 1.5 to 13 per cent by
weight. Generally, meat contains simple triglycerides but beef and mutton contain
some mixed triglycerides also. Palmitic and stearic acid are major saturated fatty
acids ancl oleic, linoleic and linolenic acids are major unsaturated fatty acids present
in meat. Meat is also a source of cholesterol which is considered as a causative
factor for cardio vascular diseases. Main carbohydrate of meat is glycogen which
plays great role in post-mortem changes. Meat provides important minerals in good
quantity for developinent of huinan health. It is a rich source of B-complex vitamins
also. AI l these above said components of meat are greatly influenced by several
factors, like, species, breed, sex, age, plane of nutrition, training and exercise of
meat animals and location of muscles in the animal's body.

3.5 KEYWORDS
Essential amino acids
Omega3 fatty acid
Omega-6 fatty acid
: Amino acids which are not synthesized in the body
but essential in nature and Obtained from diet.
Example of essential amino acid for human; valine,
tryptophan, lysine, leucine, methionine,
pheny lalanine,threonine and isoleucine.
: Fatty acid in which first double bond occurs three
carbon atoms away from the methyl end of the
molecule. Example, linolenic acid.
: Fatty acid in which first double bond occurs six
carbon atoms away from example, linoleic acid.
: Poly unsaturated fatty acid i.e., fatty acid containing
many double bond (unsaturation).

3.6 SOME USEFUL BOOKS

Biswas, S. (2005). Meat and Egg Technology. 1" Edn. University Publication,
WBUAFS, Kolkata. West Bengal.
Forrest, J.C, Aberle, E.D., Hedrick, H.B .,Judge, M.D and Markel, R.A. ( 1975).
Principle ($Meat Science, W.H. Freeman and Company.
Lawrie, R.A. ( 1 998). Lawrie :Y Meat Science. 6IhEdn. Woodhead Publishing
Limited.
Warriss, P.D. (2000). Meat Science -An Introductory Text. CAB1 Publishing,
U.K.
Structure of Muscle and
composition of Meat 3.7 ANSWERS TO CHECK YOUR PROGRESS
I ) Dilute salt, concentrated salt
2) Glycogen
3) 8-10 times
4) Oleic, linoleic and linolenic acid
5) Flavour
6) Composition of mammalian skeletal muscle on per cent fresh weight basis -
Water : 75%
Protein : 19.0%
Fat : 2.5%
Carbohydrate : 1.2%
Mineral : 0.65%
Non-protein nitrogenous substance : 1.65%
7) Factors affecting the composition of meat are listed below:
Species of meat animal
Breed of meat animal
Age of meat animal
Sex of meat animal
Plane of nutrition
Training and exercise of the animal
Anatomical location of muscles