Meat Science

Meat
Meat comes from different
mammals, mostly
domesticated, but also
game. In restaurants,
meat most often comes
from different cows, pigs,
lambs and calves. Each
animal is butchered into
specific cuts. The cuts
have various uses. All
meat types are often
ground into forced meat
for numerous recipes.

Types of Meat
Beef

Veal

Lamb

Venison

Rabbit
Poultry
Pork

Sea

Food
Wild Game
Ostrich
Emu

Beef

Beef has a clear red

colour.
Beef has a low fat
content.
The texture of beef
depends on the age,
the amount of stress
put on the animal and
how much the
muscles are used.

Beef is obtained from

Steers - males castrated when they are

young
Heifers - female before breeding
Cows - female after breeding
Bulls - adult males
Stags - males castrated after maturity
Calves - 3-8 months
Baby beef - 8-12 months
Veal - 3 weeks -3 months

Veal

Calves are slaughtered

at an age that varies
from 12-24 weeks.
Veal is pale pink in
colour.
The meat is firm, but
more tender than beef.
Like beef, veal has low
fat content.
The cuts of veal are
similar to beef.

Lamb

Lamb meat is distinctly red, like beef.

Racks of lamb is often barbequed
Other cuts of lamb are seasoned it herbs and roasted in the oven.
Shoulders of lamb can be braised or cooked in the oven.

Pork

There is many kinds of

pigs just as with cows
and lambs.
The pigs are
slaughtered when they
are 6-7 months old.
Pork is noticably paler
than beef and lamb
due to the higher
content of fat.

Pork is obtained from

Pigs <4monts of age, <120lbs

Hogs >4 months, >120 lbs
Swine 5-7 months
Gilts females 5-7 months, before
breeding
Barrows males castrated when young
Sows adult females that have litter
Boar adult males

Poultry
Poultry is a kind
of meat that
comes from
birds. The color
of the meat is
lighter than pork,
beef and lamb.

Variety meats

liver
tongue
kidney
hearts
tripe (a stomach lining of beef animal; honeycomb-lining of
the second stomach; smooth-lining of the first stomach)
sweetbreads (thymus glands and pancreas)
brains
lungs
brains, sweetbreads, liver, kidney from young animals are
tender
tongue, heart, tripe, beef and pork kidney, beef liver -less
tender.
Organs always should be cooked to well done stage to

Why is Meat Important?

High

quality protein

Iron
Vitamin

B
Vitamin A

Meat is Composed of
Muscle

Cartilage

Tissue
Tendons
Nerve Tissue
Bone
Fat Tissue
Organ
Blood
Tissue
Vessels

Edible By-Products

Brain
Cheek Meat, Ears, Snout
Pigs Feet, Knuckles
Head Meat
Heart
Intestines
Kidney
Lips
Tripe
Tongue

Liver
Lungs
Spleen
Pancreas
Stomach
Sweetbreads
(Thymus)
Tail/Oxtail
Tallow
Testicles

History of The Meat

Industry
Early

butchers began killing

and cutting animals for other
people outside of their own
family
Meat preservation began with
the packing of meat in a salt
solution in wooden barrels

History of The Meat

Industry
Animals

were driven on the

hoof until refrigeration was
invented
Huge meat packing plants
developed in the Midwest and
began processing meat and
shipping it

History of The Meat

Industry
As

cities grew, small meat

shops began to open to the
public
Animals were driven to the
railroad on the hoof and
taken to larger cities to be
butchered

History of The Meat

Industry
Meat

plants were rebuilt

and/or automated
It became more
economical to ship frozen
meat products than the
live animal

How meat is sold:

Traditionally

sold as sides,
quarters or wholesale cuts
Now mostly sold as
boxed beef
Some large packers now
prepare consumer-ready
meat in vacuum packages
ready for the supermarket
shelf.
USDA photo

Beef Cattle Breeds

Angus (black and

red)
Charolais
Hereford
Limousin
Simmental
Brahman
Salers
Texas Longhorn

Shorthorn
Belted Galloway
Holstein and other
dairy breeds???

> 250 beef cattle

breeds

Nutrient Content of Meat

High biological
value protein
Important
micronutrients
essential for good
health
Most healthy,
balanced diets will
include lean meat

Meat, fish, eggs,

beans and other
non-dairy
sources of
protein

Energy Content of Meat

Energy

Energy provided of meat is variable

Meat contains
- virtually no carbohydrate
- principally protein - 17kJ/4kcal per g
- variable fat - 37kJ/9kcal per g ( fat content=
energy)
In UK adults:
meat (all sources) contributes to 17% of total
energy intake red meat contributes to 12% of
total energy intake (2008-2010 NDNS data)

Protein Content of Meat

Protein

Dietary protein is required for growth,

maintenance and repair of the body and can also
provide energy
Red meat contains on average
20-24g of protein per 100g (raw)
27-35g of protein per 100g (cooked)
When meat is cooked water content and
nutrients become more concentrated so protein
)
In most developed countries average protein
intakes for all age groups are above requirements
Reference Nutrient Intake for adults: 55g/day
(men), 45g/day (women)

Protein Content of Meat

(continued)

Protein

Proteins from animal sources contain the full

range of essential amino acids required for an
adults diet

Meat & meat products (incl. poultry) contributes

to 40% (men) and 35% (women) of average daily
protein intake in adults (NDNS 2008/10 data).

Fat Content of Meat

Fat
Supplies rich source of energy and essential
nutrients such as fat-soluble vitamins and
essential fatty acids
Fatty acid composition of meat
Depends on the whether or not the species is
ruminant
Lean red meat contains similar proportions of
MUFAs to SFAs however exact proportions vary
depending on type
Lean meat is relatively higher in PUFA and lower
in SFA compared to with untrimmed meat.
Trimming fat off meat will help lower the
proportion of SFA as visible fat is higher in SFA.

Fat Content of Meat

Source: MAFF, 1995

Intakes vs. recommendations

As % of food
energy

Recommendati
ons

Total fat

35%

35.5%

35.2
%

34.7%

34.4%

Saturates (SFAs)

11%

13.3%

13.0
%

13.2%

12.6%

Monounsaturates
(MUFAs)

13%

12.0%

12.7
%

11.4%

12.1%

n-6
polyunsaturates
(PUFAs)

Minimum 1%

5.3% 5.1%

5.3%

5.1%

n-3
polyunsaturates
(PUFAs)

Minimum 0.2%

1.0% 1.0%

1.0%

1.1%

1.2% 0.8%

1.1%

0.8%

Source: National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) 2000/01 and

data from the 2008/09 2010/11 NDNS rolling survey

Trans fat

Less than 2%

Men
Previou
s
survey

Women
2008- Previou
2010 s
survey

20082010

Fat Content of Meat

SFAs
Main SFAs present are:
palmitic acid (C16:0)
stearic acid (C18:0) No effect on cholesterol

Minor amounts of
myristic acid (C14:0) Shown to cholesterol
lauric acid (12:0)
levels more potently than
C16:0

Fat Content of Meat

MUFAs
Lean beef has similar proportions of SFAs and
MUFAs
Main MUFA present is:
- oleic acid (C18:1)
About 30-40% of fat in meat is composed of
MUFAs

Fat Content of Meat

PUFAs

Source of essential fatty acids linoleic (n-6) and

-linolenic acid (n-3)
Intakes of n-6 are within recommended ranges,
but intakes of n-3 could be improved
Ingested n-3 long chain PUFAs (EPA and DHA)
intakes of long chain PUFAs have been
associated with reduced risk of atherosclerosis,
heart attack, cancer etc..
Meat makes an important contribution to long
chain n-3 for those who eat little/no oily fish

Fat Content of Meat

PUFAs continued

Work to enhance the fatty acid profile of beef so

that it is of benefit to human health, without
causing a detrimental effect on appearance,
shelf-life or eating quality ProSafeBeef (EU
project)
The feeding regime of the animals is a major
factor in the content of PUFAs in meat. e.g. meat
from animals fed on grass all year round have a
higher proportion of PUFAs

Trans fats
Trans fats can be produced in 1 of 2 ways:
1.

Industrial hydrogenation of vegetable oils to

produce semi-solid and solid fats widely used in
food manufacture.

2.

Hydrogenation of cis-fatty acids by gut bacteria

of ruminant animals

In UK, intake of trans fats is well below the

threshold of 2% of dietary energy as
recommended by the FSA

Micronutrient composition of
meat

Meat contains a range of micronutrients (vitamins

and minerals)
According to EU legislation, when a serving
(100g/100ml) provides 15% of the EU RDAs it can
be considered a source
Foods contributing 30% of the EU RDA, can be
classed as a rich source

Micronutrients
Beef

Lamb

Vitamin B1
(thiamin)

Pork

Rich source

Vitamin B3
(niacin)

Rich
source

Rich source

Rich source

Vitamin B12

Rich
source

Rich source

Rich source

Iron

Source

Zinc

Rich
source

Rich source

Source

Selenium

Source

Potassium

Source

Source

Source

Phosphorus

Source

Source

Source

B vitamins

Function: B vitamins work as co-factors in

different enzyme systems in the body

Meat and animal derived foods are naturally a

rich source of B12
Meat and animal derived foods make an
important contribution to B12 intakes
It has been shown consistently that vegetarians
and esp. vegans have low dietary intakes of B12
Meat also contains thiamin (B1), riboflavin (B2),
niacin (B3), folate and B6

Vitamin D

Function: essential for the development and

maintenance of bone

Many individuals have low vitamin D status

Dermal synthesis is the best source and therefore
dietary supply of vitamin D is important for
housebound people and individuals who wear
concealing clothing
Meat and liver can provide substantial quantities
of 25 (OH)D3 (vitamin D metabolite) which is
thought to have high biological activity and be
readily absorbable

Vitamin A

Function : Normal structure and function of the

skin and body linings e.g. in lungs, normal growth
and development, vision and the immune system

Source: offal, in particular liver can be an

excellent source (retinol) but content can be
variable (age of animal, composition of feed)

Note: very high doses many have adverse health

effects

Vitamin E

Function: As an antioxidant protecting the

bodys cells against damage

Small amounts of vitamin E in meat

Due to the fat soluble nature of vitamin E, fattier

cuts of meat will have a higher content of this
vitamin

Introduction of seed oils in animals diets

vitamin E content of the meat

Iron

Function: Important as an oxygen carrier in

haemoglobin in blood, or myoglobin in muscle,
and is also required for many metabolic processes

Meat is a rich source of bioavailable iron (haem

iron)
Non-haem iron is susceptible to factors affecting
its bioavailability (e.g. phytate)
Meat and meat products provide 19% (men) and
15% (women) to average daily intake of iron
(NDNS)
Vulnerable groups infants, girls/women of
reproductive age.