Fresh Meat Quality

Aixa Rivera, MS
Extension Beef Cattle Specialist
Department of Animal Industry
UPR - RUM - CCA
Production cycle

sept 2006 2
Meat is define as:
animal tissues that are
suitable for use as
food.
Includes processed or
manufactured products
that might be prepared
from these tissues.
It also includes:
Liver
Heart
Intestines
Stomach
Kidneys
Other

sept 2006 3
Fresh Meat:

Meat that has undergone

the chemical and
physical changes that
follow slaughter and has
only been minimally
processed,
Such as
fabrication into retail
cuts,
de-boning
Grinding/ cubing

sept 2006 4
Processed meat

Meat whose fresh

properties have
been modified by
one or various
processes:
Adding of spices or
curative salts,
Color alteration
Thermal treatment.

sept 2006 5
Quality

Group of properties or
attributes that gives meat
products the necessary
characteristics to be
accepted.
Principally :
Nutritional quality
objective
Acceptance or
comsumtion quality
subjective
Sensory characteristics
Safety

sept 2006 6
Risk factors:

Handling during the muscle Handling of fresh meat:

to meat period: Cutting/ retail cuts
Nutrition Grinding/ cubing
Transportation Further process
Stunning Packing
Bleeding Storage
Evisceration
Washing
Storing
De-boning
Packing

sept 2006 7
 Characteristics of
fresh meat: Quality

sept 2006 8
Characteristics of fresh meat:

Determines market use,

Attractive for the consumer
or buyer
Determines its use for
further processing

sept 2006 9
 Most important attributes of fresh meat:

a. Water Holding Capacity (WHC)

b. Color
c. Structure, firmness and texture.

sept 2006 10
Water Holding Capacity (WHC):

The meats ability (myofibril Importance due to its

protein) of retaining its influence on:
water or added water,
Color, texture and
during the application of
firmness of raw meat
external forces such as
cutting, grinding or Palatability
pressing. characteristics
Juiciness and
tenderness of cooked
meat.

sept 2006 11
Water

Principal component of meat, estimated close

to 70 75% (muscle is 65 to 85 %)
Most variable component
Most of the meats water is in the free state.
Affects juiciness.

sept 2006 12
Color

The color sensation varies with the observers vision,

the quality and intensity of the light and the chemical
and physical properties.

sept 2006 13
Color is produced by pigments:

Components of the cell or tissue that produces

color. (proteins)
Absorbs some wave lengths and reflects others.
Affected by light conditions in place.
Texture and structure also affects:
Compact and firm dark
Soft and flaccid pale

sept 2006 14
 Most important pigments:

Myoglobin
Principal pigment of the muscle
80 90% of total muscular pigments (heme-pigment)
Hemoglobin
pigment in red blood cells
20-30 % present

Serves as oxygen transport from the lungs to muscle.

In a well bled animal, 80-90 % of the color is due to Myoglobine,

because it is the most abundant.

sept 2006 15
Color depends on:

Type of muscular fiber:

White less concentration of myoglobine
Red more concentration of myoglobine
Meat has a combination of these different types
of fiber.

sept 2006 16
The color intensity is affected by the amount of
myoglobine.

Age
Specie
Sexual category
Muscle position and function

sept 2006 17
Age
Age Myoglobine

2mg/g
Veal
(1 3)

4mg/g
Calf
(4 6)

8mg/g
Heifer/bullock (6 10)

18mg/g
Adult
(16 20)

sept 2006 18
Difference among species:

Species Color Myoglobine

2mg/g
Pork Pink/ gray
1-3

6mg/g
Lamb Brick Red
48

8mg/g
Beef Bright Red
4 10

Tuna White/ gray 0.5 1 mg/g

Chicken Light beige 1 - 2 mg/g

sept 2006 19
Localization and function of the muscle:

Localization / Function Muscle name Myoglobine

Locomotion Extensor carpi radialis 12mg/g

Support Longissimus dorsi 6mg/g

Localization / Function Myoglobine

Leg 1.75 2.0mg/g

Heart 6mg/g

Gizzard 19.6 26.5mg/g

sept 2006 20
Color is affected by pre and post-management:

Stress
Fight or flight
Conditions that can be produced:
Pale Soft Exudative
Dark Firm Dry

sept 2006 21
Pale Soft Exudative:

Common in Pork Porcine Stress Syndrome 5 10%

Results in pale meat, lots of water loss (low WHC) and loss of
firmness.
May cause low yield % in process meats, increases loses
while cooking, reduction of juices.

sept 2006 22
Dark Firm Dry

More common in beef (3%)

Cause by excess of ante-mortem physical activity
Results in dark color meat, increase of WHC, very firm.

sept 2006 23
Bacterial activity causes changes in
color:
Pigment Catalysis New pigment Color

Oxidation +
Oxymyoglobine Metmyoglobine (-OH) Brown
bacteria

Bacteria
Metmyoglobine Coleglobine (-H2O2) Green
produces H2O2

Bacteria
Metmyoglobine Sulfmyoglobine (-SH) Green
produces H2S

sept 2006 24
Color changes during cooking:
Changes in color due to:
increase of internal To.
denaturalization of the
pigments
When meat is cooked all the
oxymyoglobine and
myoglobine are changed to
metmyoglobine.
Once all reaction have been
completed the protein is
denaturalized.
Surfaces changes:
Maillard Browning carbonyl-
amine browning (sugar amine
browning)
Surface Dehydration
crystallization

sept 2006 25
Structure, firmness and texture:

These properties are very

difficult to measure objectively
and are measured by the
consumer through the use of
his senses.
Some factors that affect these
properties are:
Grade of firmness,

Intramuscular fat content.

Connective tissue content.

sept 2006 26
Firmness grade :

During chilling the carcass has developed firmness:

Loss of extensibility
solidification of intra and inter muscular fat
Tissues of great firmness:
High quantity of trapped water
sensation of a sticky and dry texture.
Non tender meats:
Granulose structure
Humid (poor WHC).
Firm cuts with well defined muscles are preferred.

sept 2006 27
Fat, meat and connective tissue:

Subcutaneous, Intermuscular,
Intramuscular (marbling), Offal
Solidification of fats
Helps maintain the cuts
uniform and with their
characteristic form.
Locomotion muscles:
Great quantity of connective
tissue.
Texture tend to be open
coarse, less tender.

sept 2006 28
Questions??

sept 2006 29