Meat, Poultry & Egg Processing

FST-4011

“Characteristics of Meat”

Course In charge = Ms. Saniya Tayyab

 Topic Outline
In today's lectures following subtopics will cover
Characteristics of Meat
Physical Composition of Meat
• Muscle tissue
• Connective tissue
• Adipose or fatty tissue
 Learning Objectives
After this lecture conduction we should be able:

• Understand physical composition of meat.

• Understand formation of muscle.
• Types of connective tissue & their role on quality of meat.
• Understand the different type of fatty tissue in meat & their
importance.
Characteristics of Meat
Muscle
tissue

Physical
Composition of
Meat

Adipose or Connective
fatty tissue tissue
 Muscle Tissue

Cardiac

Muscle
Tissue
Smooth muscle Skeletal
 Muscle Tissue
o Myofibrils are alternating thin and thick protein filaments, namely
the actin.

o And myosin (contract and relax in the living animal).

o Length, perhaps 1 or 2 inches long, and are very small in diameter.

o Covered by a thin connective tissue sheath called endomysium.

 Muscle Tissue
o 20–40 fibers make up one primary bundle.

o Primary bundle is surrounded by perimysium connective tissue.

o Collectively, several primary bundles form a larger, secondary bundle.

o Each secondary bundle is also surrounded by perimysium.

o Several of the secondary bundles are surrounded by epimysium

connective tissue.
 Connective Tissue

Collagen
Elastin

Reticulin

Connective tissue is made up of protein and mucopolysaccharides.

 Fatty Tissue
o A third meat component in addition to the muscle tissue and connective
tissue is fatty tissue.

o Cuts of meat may vary substantially in composition and appearance due

to the presence of adipose or fatty tissue.

o Fat content is dependent on factors such as animal feed, hormone

balance, age, and genetics.
 Fatty Tissue
Adipose Tissue
o Fat that is stored around the heart, kidney organs, and in the pelvic canal areas.
o Suet refers to the hard fatty tissue around the kidneys and other glandular organs
Of cattle and sheep.

Subcutaneous fat (Cover Fat)

o Fat that is visible after the skin is removed.
o If well trimmed, the visible fat layer is less apparent.

Intermuscular Fat
o Fat between muscles also known as seam fat.

Intramuscular Fat
o Fat within muscles (marbling)
Different Levels Of Meat Marbling
 Reference
Essentials of Food Science
Fifth Edition
By: Vickie A. Vaclavik, PhD, RD

Chapter # 09
Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, and Nuts