Dept.

of Livestock Products Technology

BVSc 3rd year

Dr. Rawat

BASIC MEAT PROCESSING PROCEDURES

Processing refers to any treatment including salting which brings about a substantial change in
chemical and physical state of meat

Basic processing procedures

1. Comminution- All processed meats can be classified as either non comminuted or

comminuted products. Non- comminuted meat products are made from intact cuts of meat
such as ham and bacon. These are usually cured, smoked or cooked. Comminuted meat
refers to subdivision of meat into meat pieces or particles. Size reduction helps in uniform
distribution of seasoning and eliminates toughness of meat from older animals and also
saves fuel cost for cooking. Example of comminuted meat products are sausage and meat
patties. Meat mincer is used for coarse grinding and bowl chopper is used for fine grinding
to make meat emulsions.
(Difference between and examples of comminuted and non-comminuted meat products)
imp
2. Emulsification- Mixture of two immiscible liquids where one liquid is dispersed in another
liquid is known as emulsion. Emulsion has continuous and dispersed phase. Meat emulsion
contains a dispersed phase of solid or liquid fat droplets and continuous phase of water
containing salts and proteins. Meat emulsion is an oil-in-water type of emulsion.
Solubilized myofibrillar proteins act as emulsifiers which stabilizes the emulsion. Fat
droplets are usually larger than 50µm. For preparation of emulsions, lean meat is first
chopped with salt to extract salt soluble proteins and then fat and other ingredients are
added.
3. Meat extension- Non-meat food incorporated in meat products are known as meat
extenders. They are of 3 types-
 • Fillers- They are used to reduce the cost of formulation. Eg. rice, pea, corn, potato,
etc. They have high carbohydrate content.
• Binders- They act as binding agent to hold the shape of the product together. Eg.
skim milk powder, sodium caseinate, dried whey, etc.
• Extenders- Meat extenders are non-meat substance with high protein content. It is
used to reduce cost of meat product processing. Eg- soy protein, pulses, etc.
(difference between the 3)
4. Preblending- It refers to mixing of a part or all the curing ingredients with ground meat in
a specified proportion. This process helps in better extraction of proteins.
5. Hot Processing- It refers to processing of carcass as soon as possible after slaughter in pre
rigor state. It is a common practice in India.
6. Cooking- Meat and meat products are cooked by any 3 of the following methods-
• Dry heat cooking- It is used for relatively tender cuts of meat. It involves broiling,
roasting or frying.
• Moist heat cooking- It is used for relatively tough cuts of meat. Eg. pressure
cooking, stewing, simmering, etc. Simmering involves cooking meat in hot water
at 70°C.
• Microwave cooking- Microwaves are high frequency, non-ionising
electromagnenic waves generated by magnetron vacuum tube within the oven.
They penetrate the food from all directions causing water, fat and sugar molecules
to vibrate at a high speed. The vibration produces tremendous friction, which lead
s to heat production which cooks the food. The spread of heat throughout the 3D
space in food is called volume heating. Heat transfers from the food then into the
container and environment as opposed to conventional cooking.