81 Page

Poultry
Nature of Poultry
Poultry, which consist of domestic birds specially bred for the
table, includes chicken, duck, goose, pigeon, and turkey. The
production of poultry may be adapted to most areas of the world. At
present, it is main source of meat of the diet of many people
throughout the world.
A poultry farm can produce meat in 8 weeks and eggs in 24
weeks. Furthermore, poultry meat is low in calories in relation to other
nutrients present in it. Hence, it is good food for those on weight
control diets,convalescents, and old people who are not physically
active.

CLASSIFICATION OF POULTRY

TURKEY
CHICKEN

DUCK

PIGEON GOOSE

Food Selection and Preparation

 82 Page

CHICKEN
Throughout the year, chickens are available, fresh or frozen.
When sold oven-ready they are plucked, drawn, and trussed.

1. A Pullet is a baby chicken, four to six weeks old and weights at

most, 1 lb. It is suitable for roasting and grilling.

2. Double Poussin (Broiler).This is six to ten weeks old and weights

about 2 lbs.

3. A spring chicken (Frier) is about six weeks old, with an average

weight of 2 1/2 lbs.

4. A Roasting chicken (Roaster) is the most popular size for a

family.

5. A Broiler Fowl is an older bird usually a laying hen, about 8

months old, weight 6 lbs. meaty but also fat; it is suitable for stews or
casseroles.

6. A Capon is a surgically unsexed male chicken (usually under 8

months old age) that is tender-meated with soft, pliable, smooth-
textured skin.

7. A Stag is a male chicken (usually under 10 months of age) with

coarse skin, a toughened and darkened flesh, and considerably
harden breast-bone cartilage. It shows a condition of fleshing and a
degree of maturity intermediate between a cock or a roaster.

8. A Cock or roaster as mature male chicken with coarse skin,

toughened and darkened meat, and hardened breast bone tip.

DUCKS
Most ducks are marketed as ducklings or young ducks. Duck
does not reserve as many people as a chicken of similar weight does.
A 6 b. duck is only enough for 4 people. A duck is a fatty bird that is
best roasted.

Food Selection and Preparation

 83 Page

A broiler duckling or frier duckling is a young duck usually under 8

weeks of age of either sex, with tender meat, a soft bill, and a soft
windpipe.

A roaster duckling is a young a duck, usually under 16 weeks of age

of either sex that is tender-meated and has a bill that is not
completely hardened and a windpipe that is easily dented.

A mature duck or old duck is usaully o 6 months of either sex, with

toughened flesh, and a hardened bill and hardened windpipes.

TURKEYS
Turkeys re not readily available in the market although they
may be classified into:

A frier roaster is a young immature turkey (16 weeks of age 4.8 lbs.)
of either sex that has tender meat with soft pliable, smooth-textured
skin and flexible breast bone cartilage.

A young hen is a young female turkey (5-7 months weighing 8.4 lbs.)
that is tender-meated with soft pliable, smooth-textured skin and
breast bone cartilage that is somewhat less flexible than in fryer-
roaster turkey.

A young tom is a young male (5-7 months weighing 12 lbs. of over).

A yearling hen is a fully matured male, under 15 months of age that

is also tender-meated with soft pliable, smooth-textured skin and
breast bone cartilage that is somewhat less flexible than in frier
roaster turkey.

A mature or old turkey is an old turkey male or female usually more

than 15 months old with coarse skin and toughened flesh.

Food Selection and Preparation

 84 Page

PIGEONS

A squab is a young immature pigeons or either sex, and is extra

tender-meated.

A pigeons is a muture one of either sex, with course skin and

roughened flesh.

GOOSE
It is a fatty with creamy white flesh which is light brown cooked.

It has slightly gamey flavor. It is marketed young and usually weight

6-12 lbs. but again it serve less per found than chicken.

Gosling is a young goose not more than 6 months old.

COMPOSITION OF POULTRY MEATS

The nutritive value of poultry is similar to that of other meat
producing animals. The proteins supplied by poultry are complete and
contain amino acids essential in building body tissues. In
addition,poultry is a very good source of B-Vitamins-thiamine,
riboflavin, and niacin. Chicken fat is yellow mainly because of the
presence in it of carotenoids, xanthophylls and carotene.

The fat contains of a goose, a duck, a squab, or a turkey I higher

than that of a chicken. The fat of a poultry is deposited in the muscle
of tissue, in thick layers under the skin and the abdominal cavity. The
fat of all types of poultry is of a soften consistency than that of other
meats. It also has a lower melting point.

Food Selection and Preparation

 85 Page

HOW TO BONE THE CHICKEN

Chickens are easy to bone if one follows these simple

instructions not too difficult once you have tried it, but care should be
take not to pierce the skin except for initial slits. Here are the step-by-
step procedures.

1. Place the bird breast down in the board and make an incision in
the entire length of the spine, through the both skin and flesh.
push the skin and flesh back as you cut.

2. Work the skin off the neck down, so you can get the neck bone to
extend way beyond it.

3. Start the ball and socket joint of the shoulder, cutting it free and
boning the shoulder blade, full the wing bone through the inside,
bringing the skin with it.

Food Selection and Preparation

 86 Page

4. Strike for the ball and socket joint of the leg and pull the bone
through.

5. Continue to work the meat free, from one side of the

body, then from the other, until the center from of the breast bone
reached. Get the whole skeleton out with each content all in one
piece.

PRINCIPLES OF SELECTION
In the Philippines, poultry is marketed in these forms: live,
whole, dressed, drawn and pieced ready to cook. It is important to
know the characteristics of each form to insure proper selection when
purchasing poultry.

Live Poultry. When selecting live poultry, choose those that

are alert, healthy, well feathered and well formed. They should have a
good fat covering and free from broken bones, bruises, and blisters.
Sluggish looking bird should not be purchased.

Whole Poultry. Similar qualities to those of live poultry should

be considered here except that this poultry is not alive. Most poultry
in this form are those that are haunted as game birds.

Dressed Poultry. Most of the chickens available in most

market in this form. This are slaughtered poultry with head, feet,
viscera intact, and blood and feathered removed. The good dressed
poultry have moderate fat covering. Free from pin feathers, no
missing skin or parts. Those with slimy, off odors, and discoloration
should be avoided.

Food Selection and Preparation

 87 Page

Drawn Poultry. These are dressed poultry with the visceral

organ, feet and head removed. Drawn poultry are usually available in
supermarkets, either chilled or frozen. Freezing is done in local
poultry processing plants which insure quality control.

Ready To Cook Poultry Parts. Several pieces of a single

poultry parts are usually available in packed in one carton, wrapped,
and are chilled or frozen. Wings, drumsticks, tights, back, breasts,
legs, halves, quarter and internal organ, such as liver with hearts.

POULTRY CUTS
Whether the bird in questions is a chicken, a turkey, a duck or a
goose, the same terminology applies.

Drumstick
The drumstick is a firm favourite for barbecuing or
frying, either in batter or rolled in bread crumbs.
Drumsticks are very good value too.

Wing
Wings do not supply very much meat, but are ideal
and very popular party or finger food. They can be
fried, roast or barbecued, with or without a marinade
or glaze.

Thigh
The thigh is suitable for casseroling and other slow-
cooking methods. Thigh meat has a lot of flavour,
and is often the cut recommended for curry or
oriental dishes.

Leg
This comprises of the drumstick and thigh. Large
pieces with bones, such as this, are suitable for
slow-cooking, such as casseroling or poaching.

Food Selection and Preparation

 88 Page

They can also be roast, and some people use the

roast legs to make home made soup or stock.

Breast or Fillet
The tender white meat of the breast is the most
popular part of the chicken. It is available either on
the bone, or as a fillet. Chicken breast can be
simply cooked in butter or can be stuffed, coated or
wrapped for extra flavor. It is an extremely versatile
cut.

PRINCIPLES IN THE PREPARATION OF POULTRY

In the Philippine country side, poultry is still slaughtered in the

home. This practice is becoming rare in the urban area were
commercial preparation of ready to cook poultry is taken cared of by
the poultry farms business.

STEPS IN DRESSING POULTRY

1. Slaughtering and bleeding. Proper handling prior to

slaughter is essential to prevent bruising and injury to the bird. Live
birds are not fed 8-24 hours prior to slaughter to allow easier removal
of entrails. Water may be given to the live animals. This practice
flavor and tenderness of the meat slaughtering is done by slitting the
large or jugular vein in the animal throat. Bleeding may take about 1-3
minutes to effect proper draining of its blood. In the case of large
scale, slaughtering the live birds are shackled and electrically
steamed.

2. Scalding. The bled birds are scaled by dipping in hot water

at about 60 degree for 30-75 seconds. Scalding is done to facilitate
the removal of feathers. In commercial dressing of poultry, big tanks
with good temporary control are used for scalding.

Food Selection and Preparation

 89 Page

3. Defeathering. Feathers are removed by rubbing.The birds

are now called dressed poultry. Defeathering in commercial bases is
done in machines with rubberized “picking fingers”.

4. Evisceration. Slitting the abdominal part and pulling out the

entrails in one piece is called evisceration. When this is accomplished
the poultry is called drawn poultry. The head and feet are cut off
clean and the oil glands are removed.

Commercially, evisceration is done in cool rooms were the

carcasses are also inspected by an authorized veterinarian and then
chill quick frozen and vacuum packed prior to marketing.

PRINCIPLES OF POULTRY COOKERY

1.) Poultry meat lacks color. Therefore to add color to the meat and
intensify its flavour, poultry should be browned as part of cooking.

2.) Mature birds have more extractives than young ones. Thus, they
are excellent for various kinds of soup and broth. Fryers and
broilers are suitable for frying.

3.) Low to moderate heat is the best cooking temperature for poultry
because it produces a tender and flavorful product and allows little
shrinkage of meat and more retention of nutritive value.

4.) Frozen poultry should be thawed without removing the wrapping to

prevent the growth of bacteria. It should be cooked immediately.

5.) When cooking poultry, the age and fat distribution f the birds
should be considered. Young birds are more palatable when
cooked by dry heat; older birds are best cooked by moist heat.

6.) Chicken and turkey should be stuffed immediately before roasting

so that the danger of bacterial action is minimized. The cavity
should not filled completely with stuffing which will tend to swell

Food Selection and Preparation

 90 Page

and full up the air spaces and prevent the stuffing from being
thoroughly cooked.

7.) In Roasting, chicken cuts are laid with the breast side down to
produce a tender and juicy product. The breast side up position
tends to dry it out.

8.) Cooked Poultry should always be eaten as soon as possible after

being removed from the heat.

9.) Poultry leftovers, a common source of salmonella bacteria must

be refrigerated immediately. Leftovers stuffing from chicken relleno
should be removed and refrigerated separately.

10.) Basting improves the desirability of the lean meat of poultry in

terms of improve flavor, palatability and appearance.

Food Selection and Preparation

 91 Page

Fish and Shellfish

The term fish encompasses a wide assortment of aquatic animals.

Generally, fish refers to vertebrate or finfish. On the basis of
anatomical differences another class are shellfish which have instead
of a skeleton or vertebrate, a hard shell on the outside of the soft
tissues. They are crustaceans and mollusks. Crustaceans like crabs,
lobsters and shrimps are encased in a chitinous armour which, being
segmented gives the creature power of locomotion. On the other
hand, mollusks have soft unsegmented body in a calcified shell. Most
mollusks are bivalves-abalone, clams, mussels and oysters. The
snails are mollusks although not a bivalve. Other mollusks include
octopus, cuttlefish, squid and sea cucumber.

Finfishes are classified into 3 groups: (a) rounded demersal fish

which live on or near the sea bed and which include round fish like
cod,haddock. Whiting; (b) flat demersal fish such as sole, plaice and
many more; (c) Pelagic fish which swim near the surface of the sea
and include those fish known as “flat fish”.

Nutritional Importance of Fish

Fish is an excellence source of protein, and is interchangeably
with meat in both quantity and quality. Fish is rich in fat, provides
energy and is easy to digest.

Fats fish are rich in unsaturated fatty acids which are readily
digestible. Fish fats are also rich in the fat-soluble vitamins A and D.

Food Selection and Preparation

 92 Page

A contemporary interest in fish fat is due to its content of omega

3 fatty acids which is alleged to have many health benefits. Fish may
indeed contain materials of health benefits. These are some facts:

1. Fish products are low risk,safe band approved foods.

2. Evidence of longevity in countries high in fish diet have been
presented.
3. Fish and shellfish are sources of high quality protein.
4. Overall fat levels are low ang saturated fatty acids are low in
relation to total fatty acids.
5. Cholesterol content is low at 30-50 percent mg/100g except in
circumstaceans.
6. Fish and shellfish are unique sources of omega 3 fatty acids
which are not provided by other foods..

FINFISH

Structure And Composition

The fleshy edible portion of fish is made up of muscular tissues,
small amounts of connective tissues and fat.

The muscular tissues actually consist of muscle fibers which ar

threadlike cells. The muscle fiber bundles are arranged between
sheets of connective tissue is called myocommata. The layered white
muscle bundles are called myotomes which are actually the blocks of
fish meat that comes off as the fish is picked with the fork. On the
side of the fish is a small portion of red muscle which is actually the
dark meat one finds on the skin. This portion contains red pigment
called myoglobin hence the color. The undesirable odor of dried fish
stored for long periods is due to this oxidative deterioration which is
also called oxidative rancidity.

Determination of Fish Quality

The criteria of freshness are:
 A mild seaweed-like odor that is not objectionable;
 The eyes are cleared full not sunken;

Food Selection and Preparation

 93 Page

 The skin is shiny and tight

 Grills are bright red
 Flesh is firm

Market Forms of Fin Fish

1. Live fish – These are fishes which can be marketed alive.

2. Whole or round fish - Most fresh fish is distributed in local market

fish stalls as whole or round fish. Shortly after catch, fish is chilled in
ice prevent spoilage.

3. Drawn fish - This is a whole fish with the entrails removed.

4. Dressed fish - dressed fish has been scaled and eviscerated. Often
the head, tail and fins are also removed.

5. Fillets - These are the two meaty sides of the fish cut from the
backbone. A fillet cut from one side of the fish is called a single fillet.
A butterfly fillet consists of two single fillets held together by uncut
flesh and skin in the belly portion of the fish.

6. Deboned - This is the form most convenient in the case of bangus.

7. Steaks - These are cross section slices of dressed large fishes. A

portion of the backbone is usually the only bone in a fish steak.

8. Sticks - These are fillets or steaks cut further into smaller

uniform pieces like sticks hence the name.

9. Flaked - Fish meat separated from the whole fish is called flaked
fish.

Fish Cookery
In the Philippines,there re various fish which may be classified
for either dry or moist heat method of cookery. Some fish recipes are
a combination of both.

Food Selection and Preparation

 94 Page

Dry heat cookery. This includes broiling, baking, frying and toasting.
In dry heat cookery of fish, it is important to avoid overcooking,
otherwise he fish would be dry and loses its acceptability. The skin
must be crisp but the flesh must be moist and juicy.

Broiling or ihaw – usually done over smoldering charcoal and is

conveniently done outdoors or in an open shed. Fish to be broiled
may be wrapped in fresh banana leaves to prevent it from scorching.

Baking – it is done in an oven with a temperature from 135 degree to

177 degree C (270 degree to 350 degree F).

Toasting – is easily done in a round bottom frying pan or wok without

the addition of water or oil.

Moist Heat Cookery. This involves water as added water or its oven.
It is very important that the fish is not overcooked. One sign f
overcooked fish by this method is the falling off the eyes.

Paksiw na isda is cooking fish in vinegar,some water, sliced

ginger,salt,pepper and other spices. It is actually a form of pickling.

Sinigang na isda is cooking fish in considerable amount of water,

some vegetables and an acidifying agent such as unripe tamarind.

Pesa is usually dalag cook in rice washing,ginger and considerable

amount of water to make a thin porridge.

Cooking fish in gata (coconut milk) is very common in Bicol region.

Sinaing or pangat is a specialty of Batangas. Tulingan or tuna are

eviscerated and arranged in a claypot (palayok), seasoned with salt
and acidified with a souring agent such as vinegar,sampaloc or
kamyas.

Food Selection and Preparation

 95 Page

Steaming is another moist heat method of cookery appropriate for

cooking large fish such as lapulapu, pompano and apahap.

Braising is actually a form of moist heat cookery when a fish wrapped

with aluminum foil and cooked in an oven, without the addition of
water.

Preservation Of Finfishes

A. Drying
Finfishes are commonly preserved during drying. The most
common method is whole fish or butterfly filleted fish. The loss of
moisture through drying makes the fish less susceptible to
spoilage. Dried fish may thus be stored for months at room
temperature.

B. Smoking
Smoking is another preservation method of fish but shelf - life is
only 24 hours at room temperature since the fish is not to be
extensively dried. Smoking preserves the fish somewhat but
mainly it imparts desirable characteristics to the fish. Smoked
fish is locally called tinapa.

C. Freezing
Fish are stored at freezing temperature to prevent spoilage .
The low temperature prevent bacterial spoilage.

D. Canning
Canning is preserving food by heating in hermetically sealed
containers.

Food Selection and Preparation

 96 Page

SHELLFISH

Shellfish can be classified into: crustaceans,mollusks and

cephalopods.

Crustaceans
They are shellfishes with the hard shells over the back of the
body and along the claws but have softer shells covering the lower
part of the body and legs.

During cooking, an interesting color change in most

crustaceans from their natural dull, dark blue-green color to an
attractive orange color. This change is due to the release of the
orange pigment astaxanthin, one of the many carotenoid found in
food. While the shellfish is in the raw or living state this astaxanthin is
chemically bound with a protein and is collectively called ovoverdine.

1. Crabs. In the Philippines the various types of crabs commonly

served on the table are alimango. The talangka is unique for its
small size. It is a fresh water crab obtained from rivers.

The carapace or hard shells contains “fat” or aligi. It is called

taba ng talangka and is prepared as sauce.

2. Shrimps and lobsters. Shrimps are common because lobsters

are all expensive and are marketed mainly to restaurant and
hotels. Suahe is salt water shrimp while ulang and tagunton
are fresh water shrimps.

Mollusks
These are two types of mollusks: the univalves with only one
shell and bivalves with two shells. The shells of mollusks are usually
hard all over so that they are not in any case eaten. Examples of a
univalve is kuhol while example of bivalves are clams, oysters and
mussels.

Food Selection and Preparation

 97 Page

The composition of the edible portion of mollusks is quite

different from finfishes and crustaceans even if their shells are not
normally eaten.

Tahong is a salt water mussel that is now cultured. Its meat is

considered more delicious than that of oysters by many people.

Cephalopods have reduced internall shell. Squid, cuttlefish and

octopus belong to this classification.

Market Forms of Shellfish

1. Live. Crabs, clams, mussels, oysters, snails, and lobsters should

be alive id purchased in the shell except for boiled crabs and
lobsters.

2. Whole. Most shrimps marketed locally are whole in the form n

which they are were caught but are no longer alive with the head
and thorax intact.

3. Shucked. These are bivalves or mollusks which have been

removed from the shell.

4. Headless. Most shrimps, prawns and lobsters for exports are

marketed in the headless from the head and thorax are removed.
The head is removed mainly because it is the main source of
bacterial spoilage during transport and also because it does not
appeal to most foreign palates. Furthermore, it contains enzymes
that bring about an undesirable blackening of the shrimp called
melanosis, hence, as such they are reffered to as melanotic.

5. Cooked Shellfish. Shrimps, crabs, and lobsters may be cooked in

the shell prior to marketing.

6. Cooked Meat. The meat of shrimps, crabs and lobsters may be

marketed cooked, usually in cans.

Food Selection and Preparation

 98 Page

Patis and Bagoong

Patis and bagoong are feremented products manufactured by
salting finfishes or tiny shrimps, called alamang with about 1/3 its
volume of solar salt and allowing the mixture to ferment for months.
Patis is the fish protein hydrolysate resulting from fermentation. The
disintegrated fish flesh that settles in the bottom is the bagoong. It
may be said hat bagoong is a by-product of patis.

A TYPICAL FINFISH

Food Selection and Preparation

 99 Page

Meat and
Meat Products

Meat is the properly derived from cattle, from swine, from sheep
or goats sufficiently mature and in good health at the time of
slaughter. Flesh is any edible part of striated muscle of an animal.

Meat refers to the muscle of animals used as food.

It includes glands and organs of these animals such as

tongue,liver, heart, kidney and so on. Veal is the meat from calf, while
beef is the meat from older ox. Lamb is the meat from young sheep
and mutton is the meat from older animal. On he broad sense, meat
also includes the muscle of poultry and fish. Meat is mostly the
muscle tissue of an animal. Most animal muscle is roughly 75%
water, 10% protein, and 5% fat, carbohydrates,and assorted proteins.

MEAT QUALITY
The main determinants of meat quality are:
 Color
- red color in meat is due to oxymyoglobin.
- fat can be seen as a negative or positive is marbled.
- yellow fat is a negative
 Juiciness

 Toughness (tenderness)

 Flavor

MEAT MUSCLE
There are basically two muscle fiber types: Red and White.
Red-high myoglobin content
Food Selection and Preparation
 100 Page

 Highly developed vascular system

 Limited glycolytic activity
 Relatively high level of mitochondria

White – the reverse of the above

STRUCTURE OF MUSCLE
1. Each muscle is surrounded by the epimysium, a sheath of
connective tissue, which is continuous with the tendon that
attached to the bone.
2. The muscle is divided into bundles of fibers.
3. Within each bundle, the fibers are kept by endomysial
connective tissue.
4. The surface of the muscle fibers is known as sarcolemma.
5. The fibers are composed of myofibrils closely packed side by
side.
6. Whole muscle fibers have striated appearance.
7. The wide protein dense bands of the muscle fiber form A-band
which contains a lighter H-zone, while the M-line forms dense
band in the middle of the A-band. The light bands are known as
I-bands, each of which is bisected by a Z-disc.
8. The contractile unit is known as a sarcomere and it lies
between two Z-disc, sharing the I-bands with adjacent
sarcomeres.
9. The striated appearance of the myofibril is due to the presence
of two types of filaments – thick and thin, which are on an
overlapping pattern.
10. Thick filaments are composed of the protein myosin.
11. The major component of the thin filaments is F-actin.

Food Selection and Preparation

 101 Page

12. When muscle contracts, calcium ions are released from the
sarcoplasmic reticulum due to a nerve impulse.
13. The ions bind to the thin filament allowing the myosin in the
thick filaments to bind.
14. The muscle is shortened by successive cyclic interactions of
the myosin heads, which leads to increase overlap of the thick
and thin filaments.

CONNECTIVE TISSUE
 Holds and supports muscle.
 Structural ability is given through the connective tissue by the
properties of two major components: Collagen and Elastin.
 Collagen is a major determinant of eating quality of cooked
meat.
 Elastin is mainly associated with the capillary system.

LIPID
 Is about 5-10% of lean meat
 Fat is first down abdominally or under the skin and only later in
muscle
 The lipid of the meat is primarily triacylglecerols, but vary
according to animal, diet, age and sex.

WATER
 About 75% by weight of meat is water.
 The majority of water is bound between the thick and thin
myofibrils.
 Damage to muscle cells by slow freezing (ice crystallization)
can markedly increase drip

MEAT COLOR
 A combination of the meat pigments and light scattering.
 Basic protein is myoglobin.
 Levels of myoglobin vary according to breed and increase with
age.

Food Selection and Preparation

 102 Page

 Myoglobin’s main function is oxygen storage, so appears higher

in harder working muscles such as shins.
Forms of myoglobin in meat:
1. Reduces myoglobin – purple red (the color at the
center of meat)
2. Oxymyoglogbin – bright red
3. Metmyoglobin – brown
4. Sulphumyoglobin – can occur from bacterial
combination with H2S- green

MEAT FLAVOR
 Raw meat tastes like blood.
 Diet, age, sex and species have an effect on flavor.

Post- Mortem Changes in Meat

1. PRE-RIGOR STAGE
Immediately after the animal is killed, the muscle is soft
and pliable. Biochemically, the level of ATP and creatine
phosphate falls with active glycolysis. Post mortem glycolysis
results in the conversion of glycogen o lactic cid,causing pH to
fall.

2. RIGOR MORTIS
The development of stiff and rigid condition in the muscle
is known as rigor mortis. This stage of stiffness occurs as the
pH fall and actomyosin is formed from the previously distinct
actin and myosin proteins of the muscle fiber.

3. POST RIGOR STAGE

At this stage the muscle which has stiffened, gradually
tenderize. This makes the meat more acceptable as aging
progresses.

Rate of spoilage
1. The condition of slaughter
2. The health and condition of the animal prior to slaughter

Food Selection and Preparation

 103 Page

3. Temperature and relatively humidity condition of storage.

Rate of spoilage increases with temperature.
4. The pH or acidity of the meat. Rate of spoilage increases at
higher pH levels.

Nutritional Importance of Meat

 Lean meat is an important source of high quality protein which
amounts on the average to 18% of the meat.
 High quality protein means that all the essential amino acids
are present in meat.
 Meat can be regarded as an important source of vitamins B 1
and B2
 It is an excellent source of iron and phosphorus
 It also contains the unsaturated fatty acids although plant
sources are better.
 Nutrionally, meat proteins are complete proteins as contrasted
to vegetable proteins.

MEAT SPECIALTIES

Liver – the largest gland of the animal body and performs varied
functions including the storage of nutrients in the live animals.

Tripe – is the edible lining of the first and second stomach of the
cattle and carabao.

Sweet bread – refers to the thymus glands of claves and lambs

Dinuguan – is a well – known Flipino dish consisting of diced pork or

beef and pook or beef blood.

Tokwa at baboy and kilawin – are popular snack items. They are
made sliced cooked pig’s ear, tokwa (bean curd), uncooked onions
and pepper.

Food Selection and Preparation

 104 Page

MEAT TENDERNESS
Tenderness is much desired attribute of meat, the impressions of
which involves three aspects:
1. The initial of the meat by the teeth
2. The ease with which the meat breaks into fragments
3. The amount of the residue left after chewing

Methods of Tenderizing Tough Meat Cuts

1. Mechanical methods - pounding the meat using a device
called meat tenderizer or a plan pestle.
2. Marinating – is primarily for heightening the flavor of meat but
has the tenderizing as well
3. Use of proteolytic enzymes.

Aging
Aging is a practice or storing meat carcasses usually beef at hill
temperature just above 0 degree C for 10-14 days at 70% relative
humidity prior to cutting.

Three Major Types of Aging

1. Dry Aging - is accomplished with careful temperature and
humidity and air flow monitoring.
2. Fast Aging - involves holding the meat at higher temperature for
shorter time.
3. Vacuum pack aging - meat cuts are vacuum packed prior to
aging at controlled temperature.

Juiciness
It is associated with the water-holding capacity of meat.

Meat would be less juicy if it is:

1. Overcooked
2. Cut to small size and cooked extensively by dry heat.
3. Frozen for long periods especially if stored without a
wrapper.
4. Repeatedly heated as left-over.

Food Selection and Preparation

 105 Page

MARKET FORMS OF MEAT

1. Fresh meat - this is meat immediately after slaughter without
undergoing chilling.
2. Chilled meat - meat that has been cooled to a temperature just
above freezing,1-3°C within 24 hours after slaughter.
3. Frozen meat - are meats cuts frozen to an internal temperature of
-2 °C.
4. Cured meats - are meat products that have been treated with a
curing agent.
5. Processed meat - may be included not only the heat processed
canned meat preparation.

MEAT COOKERY
Meat is cooked for various reasons:
1. To improve its palatability quality
2. To increase tenderness
3. For sanitary purposes

METHODS OF COOKING MEAT

1. Moist Heat Cooking
Braising and boiling are moist cooking methods. In
braising,the liquid released from the meat provides the steam
that cooks.

2. Dry Heat Cooking

Dry heat cooking methods applied to meat include
broiling,roasting,pan-broiling,pan- frying or deep fat frying.

CURED AND SMOKE MEATS

Four Methods Of Curing Meat
1. Dry cure - a mixture of the first compound is rubbed on a cut
of meat and is held under refrigiration for some days while the
compounds penetrate the tissue.
2. Pickled cure - the compounds are dissolved in water and
the cuts of meat are submerged in the pickle for a period of
time.

Food Selection and Preparation

 106 Page

3. Injection - now widely used in the United States, often

combination of other methods.
4. Communication and mixing - the meat is simply chopped
fine and the curing compounds mixed with it.

SMOKING MEATS
Effects of Smoking
1. Drying effect
2. Imprating desirable organoleptic properties
3. Bringing out color inside the cured meat
4. Imparting antioxidants to the fat
5. Impregnating the outside portions of the meat with
constitutents of smoke that serve as antiseptics and
germicides
6. An adjuvant action of constitutents of smoke and heat
on microorganisms
7. A tendering action from the high humidity of the smoke-
house in combination with its high temperature
8. The imparting of a desirable finish or gloss on both the
skin and the flesh sides of the meat

MEAT AND MEAT PRODUCTS

BACON
 The product produced from the picking of the loin of the pig
 Is sometimes sold cooked and sometimes semi-cooked
 Sold as loins, portioned into various size for later
preparation,sliced an diced.

PASTES AND TERRINES

 Ground meat,usually liver is cooked and is set in a container,
often with garnish.
 Are often vacuum packed
 Are intended to be ready to eat
 Are commonly sold in portion sizes, but may also be portioned
by the proprietor

Food Selection and Preparation

 107 Page

DRIED MEATS
 Meats that are rapidly dried by heat to a very low water activity
 Are packed in a variety of forms. For long distance are often
modified atmosphere or vacuum packed
 Are intended to be ready to eat
 Are commonly sold in bite size pieces

MEAT PROCESSING
Fresh meat should be kept under refrigeration or cool storage
and covered to protect it from insects and animals. Additionally,the
hands and clothes of workers who handle meat should be regularly
cleaned.

In all meat processing, the aim is twofold:

1. To preserve the meat for a longer storage life
2. To change the flavor and texture to increase variety in
the diet.

In smoking, the effects of heat from the smoke and chemicals in the
smoke, combine to preserve the meat. Smoke also adds distinctive
and attractive flavors and colors to the meat.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF MEAT CUTS

BEEF CUTS

Food Selection and Preparation

 108 Page

PORK CUTS

LAMB CUTS

Food Selection and Preparation