Glossary - The Meat Industry

Actin = aktin
Myofibrillar protein and main component of the I-band or thin filament of the sarcomere.
Active constituent (of a veterinary product)
The substance(s) in a formulated veterinary product that is responsible for the primary biological
effect of the product.

Adipose = mastan
Lipid-containing tissue distributed throughout the carcass between muscle fiber bundles
(marbling) and muscles (seam fat) internally and subcutaneoulsy.
Adulterated = zagadjen, pokvaren
The inclusion of a deleterious substance that may render the food product injurious to health.
It may be biological, chemical, or physical.
Aged beef = zrela govedina
Beef held for relatively long periods of time at controlled temperature and humidity for
purposes of improving tenderness and changing flavor.
Aging or conditioning = zrenje
Tenderization of meat following rigor and storage due to disruption of cross-links in collagen
fibers of connective tissues, Z-line disruption in myofibrillar proteins and proteolysis of
soluble sarcoplasmic proteins.
Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS)
Agency of the United States Department of Agriculture with the responsibility of developing
and applying the federal meat and poultry grading systems.

Amplification (of bacteria). see Selection

animal unit
Common denominator for measuring animal feed requirements where one animal unit is
equivalent to the feed requirement for a 1,000-lb mature beef cow.
animal unit month (AUM)
Amount of feed or forage required to maintain one animal unit (e.g., a 1,000-lb cow and calf)
for one month.
Antemortem = pred smrt/ klanje
Before death, USDA-FSIS inspectors review livestock and poultry, commonly referred to as
antemortem inspection.

Antimicrobial

A chemical agent that, on application to living tissue or by systemic administration, will

selectively kill or prevent or inhibit growth of susceptible organisms. This definition includes
antibacterials (including ionophores), antiprotozoals, antifungals, antiseptics and
disinfectants, but excludes antineoplastics antivirals, immunologicals, direct-fed microbials
and enzyme substances.

antibiotic
Product produced by living organisms such as yeast that destroys or inhibits the growth of
other organisms, especially bacteria.
A subset of antimicrobial agents (see above) that include antibacterial agents (including
ionophores).

Antibiotic ‘load’

The total quantity of antibiotic(s) that a particular animal/human or group of animals/humans

are exposed to. It is a measure of the antibiotic selection pressure for resistant bacteria. see
also Selection

Antibiotic regimen

The way in which antibiotics are used, ie the dose rate, route of administration, interval and
frequency of use.

Antibiotic resistance

A property of bacteria that confers the capacity to grow in the presence of antibiotic levels
that would normally suppress growth or kill susceptible bacteria. An organism is said to have
become resistant to an antibiotic when the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) is
significantly higher (> 4 times) than the sensitive parent or than the range of MICs found in
the same species not previously exposed to that antibiotic. see also Clinical antibiotic
resistance
artificial insemination (AI)
Placing semen into the female reproductive tract (usually the cervix or uterus) by means
other than natural service.
ATP
 Adenosine triphosphate, a high-energy molecule that is the carrier of free energy used in
animal systems.
auction
Market for cattle through which an auctioneer sells cattle to the highest bidder.
AUM
see animal unit month.
average daily gain
Pounds of liveweight gained per day.
Backfat
Term used to refer to the layer of subcutaneous fat along the back of the carcass.
Amount of fat over the animal’s back, usually measured at the twelfth to thirteenth rib.
backgrounding
Growing program for feeder cattle from time calves are weaned until they are on a finishing
ration in the feedlot.
Bacterial ‘load’

Level of exposure of humans to bacteria, as an indicator of potential exposure to resistant

bacteria. In the context of food-producing animals the bacterial load is a measure of the level
of contamination of food with commensal or zoonotic bacteria from animals. In the human
hospital situation, bacterial load is related to the level of cross-infection between patients.

beef
Meat from cattle (bovine species) other than calves. meat from calves is called veal.
beef belt
Area of the United States where commercial beef production, slaughtering, and processing
are concentrated.
beef checkoff program
Beef Promotion and Research Act established in October 1986. Each time cattle are
marketed, $1 per head is paid by the seller to the Beef Industry Council (BIC). Month is used
in promotion, research, and education. Generates approximately $70 million per year.
Bioavailability
A measure of a nutrient s utilization by the body in a biologically meaningful way.
biological type
Usually refers to size of cattle (large, medium or small), growth rate, milk production (high,
medium, or low), and age at puberty.
biotechnology
Use of microorganisms, plant cells, and animal cells or parts of cells (such as enzymes) to
produce
birth weight (BW or B.Wt.)
Weight of the calf taken within 24 hours of its birth.
Bloom
Process of the development of the bright color associated with the formation of
oxymyoglobin on lean surface of a muscle cross section when it is exposed to oxygen. The
color generally turns from a purple color to a bright reddish color.
bovine
Refers to a general family grouping of cattle.
Boxed Beef
A relatively recent (since 1970) innovation in the shipping of beef in boxes, by primal or
wholesale cuts rather than as quarters (fore and hind). The beef carcass is cut into the
wholesale cuts at the packing plant and trimmed of excess fat and possibly boned; these cuts
are vacuum-packaged and boxed by like cuts and shipped under refrigeration to wholesalers
or retailers directly.
Cuts of beef put in boxes for shipping from packing plant to retailers. These primal (round,
loins, ribs, and chuck) and subprimal cuts are inter../../mediate cuts between the carcass and
retail cuts.
brand
(1) Permanent identification of cattle, usually made on the hide with hot-iron or freeze
branding. (2) Process of branding.
Branded product
Used by processors and distributors to identify for consumers food articles that are of
particular quality.
branded beef product
A specifically labeled product that is differentiated from commodity items by its brand name.
Certified Angus beef is an example.
breakeven price
 Volume of output required for revenue to equal the total of fixed and variable expenses.
Breakpoint

The point at which the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for an antibiotic is defined
as sufficiently high to indicate clinical resistance. This level varies for different 216 The use
of antibiotics in food-producing animals antibiotic–bacteria combinations. see also
Antibiotic resistance, Clinical antibiotic resistance, Minimum inhibitory concentration
breed
Cattle of common origin and having characteristics that distinguish them from other groups
within the same species.
breeder
In most beef breed associations, the owner of the dam of a calf at the time she was mated or
bred to produce that calf.
British breeds
Breeds of cattle, such as Angus, Hereford, and Shorthorn, originating in Great Britain.
Break joint
Used in lamb grading to aid in estimating skeletal maturity. There is a thin layer of soft
cartilage between the metacarpal and the spool joint, making it easy to break the spool joint
from the metacarpal; hence, the rough edge of the metacarpal is referred to as the break joint.
As sheep advance in maturity, the thin layer of soft cartilage undergoes ossification and
becomes bone, fusing the spool joint and the end of the metacarpal together, making it
impossible to break the spool joint from the foreshank of the carcass.
Broad-spectrum antibiotic

An antibiotic effective against a large number of bacterial species; generally describes

antibiotics effective against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria.
Broilers
Young chickens raised exclusively for meat, usually under 8 weeks of age, producing dressed
weights of 3-5 lbs. It is the most popular poultry meat consumed.
brucellosis
Contagious bacterial disease that results in abortion; also called Bang’s disease.
bull
Bovine male. The term usually denoted animals of breeding age.
bullock
Young bull, typically less than 20 months of age.
By-product
Product derived from animals in the animal-to-food production process that is not part of the
skeletal muscle associated with the portion of the animal that is typically considered a
carcass.
Product of considerably less value than the major product. For example, the hide and offal
are by-products while beef is the major product.
calf
Young male or female bovine animal under 1 year of age.
calf crop
Number or percentage of calves produced within a herd in a given year relative to the number
of cows and heifers in the breeding herd.
calve
Giving birth to a calf. Same as parturition.
case ready
Beef cuts received by the retailer that do not require further processing before they are put in
the retail case for selling.
cash market price
Price that results when cattle go to market.
Casing
Packaging material for sausage meat; can be artifical or the lining or membrane of an organ
from an animal that produces muscle foods.
Cathepsins
Lysosomal-bound, muscle proteases with optimal activity at acidic pH.
Chain speed
Often the carcass is elevated on a rail and a chain moves along the rail transporting the
carcass from one location of the plant to another. Chain speed is often described as the
number of carcasses slaughtered and/or processed per hour.
checkoff
See beef checkoff program
Chine button
The white, cartilaginous tip of the spinous processes.
Chromosome
DNA structure (the major part of the bacterial genome) that is inherited by progeny of the bacterium.

chuck
Wholesale cut (shoulder) of the beef carcass.
Clinical antibiotic resistance
Clinical resistance occurs when the organism can continue to divide in the presence of the antibiotic
concentrations that normally occur during treatment (therapeutic doses) and the antibiotic is no
longer effective for treatment. The definition includes strains with abnormally elevated minimum
inhibitory concentrations, which may be classified as ‘susceptible’ or ‘intermediate’ according to
agreed breakpoints for standardised susceptibility testing used in diagnostic laboratories. see also
Antibiotic resistance, Breakpoint

Coccidiostat
An antimicrobial agent that kills the protozoan parasites (Eimeria spp.) that cause the disease
coccidiosis in chickens. Some coccidiostats are also antibiotics (eg the ionophore coccidiostats are
also polyether antibiotics).

Cold-shortening
A physiological occurrence that results from rapid temperature decline during the onset of
rigor mortis; this process results in muscle fibers that are contracted to a greater extent than
muscle fibers from muscles that were subjected to higher temperatures during the onset of
rigor mortis; severe muscle shortening may occur, resulting in reduced meat tenderness.
Collagen
It is a precursor to gelatin and can be processed into a variety of forms; predominant fibril-
forming protein of the connective tissue or stomal portion of muscle.
Collagen cross-links
Lysine-derived structures linking together molecules and fibrils of collagen, increasing its
tensile strength. More cross-links result in tougher meat.
Collagen solubility
The amount or percentage of collagen that breaks down with heat while the meat sample is
suspended in Ringer s solution; it is a result of collagen cross-links being susceptible to heat
denaturation and is defined as hydrothermal labile collagen.
colostrum
First milk given by a female following delivery of her calf. It is high in antibodies that
protects the calf from invading microorganisms.
Commensal bacteria
Bacteria that live continuously on or in certain parts of the body (eg gut, skin) without causing
disease, but which may cause disease if they gain access to parts of the body other than their normal
habitat (opportunistic pathogens), eg E. coli, enterococci. Bacteria can be commensal in one
organism (animal or human) and pathogenic in another.

Comminution
A process of particle size reduction that includes grinding, flaking, chopping, and milling.
Community-acquired infections
Infections acquired in the course of daily life in the community (including in the home and
workplace). see also Nosocomial infections

Competitive exclusion products

Products containing many species (up to 30) of undefined or partially defined bacteria isolated from
the gastrointestinal (GI) tract of animal species. They are used to attempt to colonise the GI tract of
animals with beneficial bacteria and thus exclude harmful ones. see also Probiotic

composite breed
Breed that has been formed by crossing two or more breeds.
composition
Usually refers to the carcass composition of fat, lean, and bone.
concentrate
Feed that is high in energy, low in fiber content, and highly digestible.
conditioning
Treatment of cattle by vaccination and other means prior to putting them in the feedlot.
Conformation
Structure and shape of a carcass thought to denote muscularity; considered in lamb and
poultry grading.
Conjugation
Direct transfer of conjugative plasmids or conjugative transposons between bacteria via cell–cell
contact or by a so-called sex pilus (also called conjugal transfer of genes). Genes can be transferred
in this way between bacteria of the same species or sometimes between different species of bacteria.
see also Horizontal gene transfer, Conjugative plasmid, Conjugative transposon

Conjugative plasmid
A conjugative plasmid is a plasmid that carries a set of genes that encode the functions required for
the coupling of two bacterial cells and the conjugative transfer of the plasmid DNA to another
bacterium. see also Horizontal gene transfer, Conjugation

Conjugative transposon
A discrete mobile element (normally located in the chromosome of a bacterium) that can excise and
transfer by conjugation to another bacterium. In the new host it inserts into the bacterial
chromosome. The mechanism of excision and reintegration is sitespecific recombination. Both
conjugation and site-specific recombination functions are encoded by the conjugative transposon.

Connective tissue
Forms cellular structure of most animal tissues including bone, fat, and muscle. The two
major proteins are collagen and elastin.
continental breed
See European breed.
Controlled atmosphere
The intentional alteration of the natural gaseous environment and maintenance of that
atmosphere during the distribution cycle.
Controlled studies
Studies in which the effect of an intervention (eg effect of antibiotic exposure on the development
and emergence of resistance in animal populations) is studied and compared to a control population
without the intervention.

cost of gain
Total of all costs spanided by the total pounds gained; usually expressed on a per-pound
basis.
Cotransfer
Simultaneous transfer of different resistance or other genes located on the same mobile element (eg
plasmid).

cow
Sexually mature female bovine animal that has usually produced a calf.
cow-calf operation
Management unit that maintains a breeding herd and produces weaned calves.
‘Critical’ antibiotics (human use)
‘Critical’ antibiotics are those used to treat serious or life-threatening infections in humans for which
there are very limited or no alternative antibiotics that can be used to treat the infections if antibiotic
resistance develops. In this report, antibiotics considered critical have been deignated category A and
are shown in Table 7.2. The antibiotics that are in this critical class change from time to time and are
influenced by the availability of newer antibiotics and the resistance rate of bacteria causing serious
human infections. More recently, because of increasing antibiotic resistance in many human
pathogens and the need for alternative antibiotics, the streptogramins (Synercid, virginiamycin) may
have entered this ‘critical class’. However, other antibiotics that were considered ‘critical’ in
Australia in the past (eg choramphenicol, cloxacillin, kanamycin) are no longer considered critical
because of the availablity of other agents.
crossbred
Animal produced by crossing two or more breeds.
crossbreeding
Mating animals from different breeds. Utilized to take advantage of hybrid vigor (heterosis)
and breed complimentary.
Cross-contamination
Process whereby a food acquires a pathogen from contact with another contaminated food or
from contact with an object (e.g., cutting board) used first with a contaminated food.
Cross-resistance
Resistance to two or more antibiotics or classes of antibiotic conferred by a single resistance gene.

cud
Bolus of feed that cattle regurgitate for further chewing.
cull
To eliminate one or more animals from the breeding herd or flock.
currentness
Marketing term indicating how feedlots market fed cattle. If current, then feedlots market
cattle on schedule. If feedlots are not current, then a backlog of cattle usually results—these
market cattle on schedule. If feedlots are not current, then backlog of cattle usually lower
prices.
custom feeding
Cattle feeders who provide facilities, labor, feed, and care as a service but they do not own
the cattle.
Cutability
Percentage of edible portion or closely trimmed, boneless retail cuts that can be obtained
from a carcass.
cwt
Abbreviation for hundredweight (100 lb).
Dark cutter
Dark-cutting is a term used in beef to denote darker than normal lean color. It is a result of a
reduced glycogen content in the muscle prior to slaughter and is often associated with stress
prior to slaughter. The muscle pH of a dark cutter is high, generally above 6.0, which results
 in a higher water-holding capacity and more light absorbency than normal thus causing a
dark lean color.
Dark, firm, and dry (DFD)
Term used in pork to refer to a dark lean color that is a result of the same condition described
as dark cutter.
Definitive therapy
Directed therapy selected on the basis of culture and susceptibility testing (laboratory culture or other
molecular tests) of the infectious agent. Often, a narrow-spectrum agent specific for the organism can
be used.
Delaney Clause
Section of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act of 1959 requiring that foods be free of residues
of pesticides found to cause cancer in experimental animals.
Demersal fish
Species that live near the ocean floor and also are known as ground fish or bottom fish. These
fish are limited to the continental shelf and include haddock, cod, flounder, and sardine. Low
in fat.
Deoxymyoglobin
The reduced form of the meat pigment myoglobin where a compound is not bound to the
ligand and the heme portion of the myoglobin is in the Fe2+ or ferrous state; this pigment is
purple-red in color.
Dressing percentage
An expression of yield of carcass as a proportion of live animal weight. Calculated as warm
carcass weight divided by live weight multiplied by 100.
Percentage of the live animal weight that becomes the carcass weight at slaughter. It is
determined by spaniding the carcass weight by the liveweight then multiplying by 100. Also
referred to as yield.
dry (cow)
Refers to a nonlactating female.
ear tag
Method of identification by which a numbered, lettered, and/or colored tag is placed in the
ear.
Edible
Products processed and sold with the intent that people will consume it. Also one of the three
main classifications for coproducts.
Edible unit
Portion eaten as food, excluding trimmable fat and bone.
Elastin
Rubberlike connective tissue protein noted for its elasticity and extreme insolubility.
Electrical stimulation
The application of an electrical current to carcasses for the purpose of hastening the onset of
rigor mortis.
embryo transfer
Transfer of fertilized egg(s) from a donor female to one or more recipient females.
Emergence of antibiotic resistance
In this report this term is used to mean the appearance of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains in
clinical or veterinary laboratory isolates.

Empirical therapy
Initial therapy if the infection is suspected of being bacterial on clinical grounds but pending the
outcome of culture and susceptibility results, or where cultures are difficult to obtain or have not
yielded a pathogen. Combination therapy or treatment with a single broad-spectrum agent is usually
used, but in certain circumstances narrowspectrum agents are also suitable (eg penicillin for sore
throat thought to be due to streptococcal infection).
Endomysium
Connective tissue surrounding each muscle fiber overlying basement membrane.
Enrichment (of bacteria) see Selection

EPD
See expected progeny difference.
Epimysium
Connective tissue sheath surrounding muscle and contiguous with tendon and perimysium.
Establishment number
The number assigned a slaughter facility and/or processing facility by USDA-FSIS to
identify the source of the meat or poultry product.
European breed
Breed originating in European countries other than England (these are called British breeds);
a larger dual-purpose breed such as Charolais, Simmental, and Limousin; also called
continental or exotic breed in the United States.
exotic breed
See European breed.
Exotoxin
A toxin produced by a microorganism and excreted into the surrounding environment.
expected progeny difference (EPD)
One-half of the breeding value of a sire or dam; the difference in expected performance of
future progeny of a sire, when compared with that expected from future progeny of bulls in
the same sire summary.
Exsanguination
The process of removing blood from an animal.
Experimental study
A study in which the conditions are controlled by the investigator, for example, a study in which a
population is selected for a planned trial of an intervention the effects of which are measured by
comparing results of the outcome of the intervention with the results of a comparable control group
without the intervention. see also Observational study

Extensive farming
Livestock rearing and production methods in which animals have free-ranging access to field/pasture
conditions. see also Intensive farming
Fat-free muscle
An expression of muscle composition in which adipose tissue is excluded.
fed cattle
Steers and heifers that have been fed concentrates, usually for 90-120 days in a feedlot.
Federal code of Regulations
Government regulations published by the Office of the Federal Register National Archives
and Records Administration of the Government Printing Office. Animal and Animal Product
code of federal regulations can be found in Title 9 part 1 to part 399.
feeder
(1) Cattle that need further feeding prior to slaughter. (2) Producer who feeds cattle.
feedlot
Enterprise in which cattle are fed grain and other concentrates for usually 90-120 days.
Feedlots range in size from less than 100-head capacity to many thousands.
Feed-miller (stockfeed)
A person or company whose business is to compound and supply feeds for animals.
feedyard
Cattle-feeding facility.
finished cattle
Fed cattle whose time in the feedlot is completed and are now ready for slaughter.
First-, second-, third generation (cephalosporins)
Structurally related subgroups of cephalosporin antibiotics that were developed sequentially in
response to the development of resistance and consequently have increasingly broad spectra of
activity.

Fish frame
The remaining portion of a fish after the head, viscera, and fillets have been removed.
Flank streaking
Flank streaking is the streaky appearing fat deposits in the primary flank muscle and the
secondary flank muscle; also called flank lacing and fat streaking in the flank.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
agency of the U.S. Government Health and Human Services with the responsibility of
monitoring the processing and safety of nonmeat and nonpoultry foods. They are also
responsible for the review, approval and use of approved human and animal health products.
The agency also approves chemicals used in food directly and indirectly.
Food-producing animals
Animals reared for the production of meat or other food products (eg eggs, milk).
Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)
Agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that has the predominant
responsibility of the safety and wholesomeness of meat and poultry.
Foodservice
Refers to establishments that produce and serve food to a large number of people.
forage
Grazed or harvested herbaceous plants that are utilized by cattle.
Freezer burn
Dehydration of loosely packaged fresh meat items while in frozen storage. Moisture is lost
from the product, causing localized tissue dehydration as ice crystals form on the inner
surface of the packaging material due to improper frozen storage.
Further processing
Smoking, cooking, canning, curing, refining, or rendering in an official establishment of
product previously prepared in an official establishments.
futures market
Electronic market through which buyers and sellers trade contracts on commodities or raw
materials. Futures contracts are available for a variety of delivery months. However, delivery
of actual products seldom occurs. Futures markets are used as a risk management tool or as a
speculative venture.
gene
Segment of DNA in the chromosome that codes for a trait and determines how a trait will
develop.
The basic unit of inheritance; a segment of nucleic acid (usually DNA) that encodes a single
cellular protein (or RNA) plus associated elements to allow transcription to occur (promoter,
reading frame, etc). The gene product may contribute to specific characteristic(s) of the
organism.

Glycogen
Polysaccharide of glucose.
Glycolysis
As applied to anaerobic metabolism, glycolysis is the conversion of glucose to lactate and
hydrogen ion, with concurrent regeneration of high-energy bonds (as ATP).
Grade
System (government or industry) that is used to segment a heterogeneous population of
livestock and poultry into smaller, more homogenous groups according to economic,
merchandising, and/or production characteristics.
grade and yield
Marketing transaction whereby payment is made on the bases of carcass weight and quality
grade.
Grain-fed
Feeding animals diets in which the majority of the feedstuff is composed of grains such as
corn, wheat, or sorghum; these diets are also referred to as a high-energy diets, as grains are
high in energy compared to grass-based diets.
Gram-negative bacteria
Bacteria (rods or cocci) with a cell wall with a structurally distinct outer membrane layer and less
peptidoglycan in their cell wall than gram-positive bacteria. Because of the outer layer, they do not
take up and retain Gram stain and are decolourised by alcohol or acetone (eg salmonellae,
campylobacters, Escherichia coli). Gram-negative bacteria are commonly more resistant to
antibiotics because their outer membrane impedes entry of the drugs. Most growth promotant
antibiotics are not active against gram-negative bacteria.

Gram-positive bacteria
Bacteria (rods or cocci) with a monolayered cell wall with large amounts of the polymer
peptidoglycan. They retain Gram stain (crystal violet and iodine) after solvent treatment with alcohol
or acetone, and appear deep blue under the microscope (eg enterococci, staphylococci, streptococci).

Grass-fed
Feeding of animals grass where the grass fed could be a multitude of grass species that
should be defined.
Green weight
Total weight of the meat raw materials (lean meat and fat meat sources); also referred to as
meat weight or block weight. Green weight is often used to determine the amount of a
specific nonmeat ingredient (e.g., 200 ppm sodium nitrite) to be incorporated into the meat
batch.
Grower pigs
Pigs during the period from the end of the weaner stage until pigs are sent for slaughter. see also
Weaner pigs

Growth promotants
Substances used to increase weight gain and/or reduce feed requirements in foodproducing animals
(World Health Organization definition).

Growth promotion
The use of substances to increase the rate of weight gain and/or the efficiency of feed utilisation in
animals by other than purely nutritional means. The term does not apply to the use of antibiotics for
the purpose of inhibiting specific pathogens even when an incidental growth response may be thus
obtained. (The above notwithstanding, growth promotants appear to act by virtue of their
antimicrobial effect since they do not work in germ-free animals.)

Hazard
A biological, chemical or physical agent that may have an adverse health effect.

Home-mixer (stockfeed)
A person or company who compounds feeds for animals belonging to that person or company.

Horizontal gene transfer (of resistance genes)

The movement of genetic material (DNA) from one organism to another. Horizontal gene transfer
can occur by transformation, transduction or conjugal transfer. see also Conjugation
Hospital-acquired infections see Nosocomial infections

Hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP)

 The HACCP concept is a systematic approach to hazard identification, assessment, and
control.
Heat-labile
The breakdown of chemical cross-links due to the influence of heat.
hedge
Risk management strategy that allows a producer to lock in a price for a given commodity at
a specified time.
heifer
Young female bovine cow prior to the time that she has produced her first calf.
heiferrette
Heifer that has calved once and is then fed for slaughter, the calf has usually died or been
weaned at an early age.
Hemoglobin
A protein in blood that is the major pigment of blood.
herd
Group of cattle (usually cows) that are in a similar management program.
hide
Skins from cattle.
High-temperature conditioning
The holding of carcasses at 59oF (15oC) or greater to improve meat tenderness.
Home-mixer (stockfeed)
A person or company who compounds feeds for animals belonging to that person or company.

Horizontal gene transfer (of resistance genes)

The movement of genetic material (DNA) from one organism to another. Horizontal gene transfer
can occur by transformation, transduction or conjugal transfer. see also Conjugation
Hospital-acquired infections see Nosocomial infections

House grades
Grading system developed and applied within a processing plant and not associated with a
governmental applied grading system.
Humane Slaughter Act
 Handling and immobilization of livestock and poultry is done in a humane manner as
described in 1958 Humane Slaughter Act (amended in 1978), overseen by the USDA-FSIS
inspector.
Incidence
The number of new cases of an event of interest that occur over a specified time period in a defined
population. Incidence is usually expressed as a rate in relation to the population at risk (eg 10 new
cases of VRE per 100,000 people per year). see also Prevalence

Inducible resistance
The product of the resistance gene is only synthesised in the presence of the inducing substance,
usually (but not always) the antimicrobial that the resistance mechanism counteracts.

Inedible
Food defined as inedible by U.S. law; one of the three major classifications of by- products;
adulterated, uninspected, or meat and poultry not processed for human consumption.
Infection
The state produced by the establishment of a pathogen in its host after invasion.
In-feed antibiotic
In the Australian context, an in-feed antibiotic is an antibiotic manufactured for incorporation into the
feed of animals (as distinct from administration or application of antibiotics to animals by other
routes such as water medication, oral dosing, injection, dermal application or infusion). In Australia,
antibiotic substances are added to animal feed for therapeutic, prophylactic, growth promotion and
anticoccidial purposes.
Ingredient Statement
Listing on the food product label of the ingredients. The listing is in descending order based
on the quantities used.
Institutional Meat Processing Specifications (IMPS)
Developed by the USDA to provide the HRI (foodservice)/meat businesses with a uniform
set of cutting guidelines. Each product described has an IMPS designated number along with
the product name. Most boxed beef is marketed using the standards found under the IMPS
guidelines.
integrated resource management (IRM)
Multidisciplinary approach to managing cattle more efficiently and profitably; management
decisions are based on how all resources are affected.
integration
Bringing together of two or more segments of beef productions and processing under one
centrally organized unit.
Intensive farming
Livestock rearing and production methods in which large cohorts of animals are raised in close
proximity in feedlots (cattle), or rearing sheds (pigs or poultry). See also Extensive farming

Intermuscular Fat
A deposit of fat located between muscles; also called seam fat.
Fat located between muscle systems. Also called seam fat.
Intoxication
The state produced by ingestion of a poisonous (toxic) substance.
Intramuscular fat
Amount of fat within the lean of a meat cut, referred to as marbling.
Fat within the muscle or marbling.
IRM
See integrated resource management (IRM).
Kosher
Jewish dietary laws and ritual practices.
Koshering
Preparation of food and utensils to be fit for consumption by Jews described by a set of
Jewish ritual laws. For the Preparation of meat and poultry, koshering means schita, hadacha,
melicha, niputs, and shetifa immediately after or no later that 72 h after slaughter.
kosher meat
Meat from ruminant animals (with split hooves) that have been slaughtered according to
Jewish law.
Label restraint
A condition stated on the label that is a contraindication or limitation on either the effectiveness or
safety of the product.

Lean cuts
The ham, loin, Boston butt, and picnic shoulder of a pork carcass.
Leanness
A term describing live animals or carcasses depicting the degree of fat deposited. It is not
affected by muscling per se.
legume
Any plant type within the family Leguminosae, such as pea, bean, alfalfa, and clover.

Level of resistance
The concentration above which the resistant cells no longer grow. The level of resistance is a
property of the particular mutation or resistance gene and its context, and is not influenced by the
concentration of antibiotic to which the organism is exposed.

linebreeding
For of inbreeding whereby a bull’s genes are concentrated in a herd. The average relationship
of the inspaniduals in the herd to this ancestor (outstanding inspanidual or inspaniduals) is
increased by linebreeding.
Lipid oxidation
A chemical reaction involving unsaturated lipid with oxygen to yield hydroperoxides;
degradation of the hydroperoxides yields a variety of products including alkanols, alkenols,
hydroxyalkenols, ketones, alkenes, etc. Results in off-flavor Loin eye area
Size or area of a cross section of the longissimus muscle at the 10th rib cross section in pork
carcasses.
long yearling
Animal between 19 months and 2 years of age.
Low-moisture foods
Foods that contain less than 25% moisture and have aw < 0.6.
Marbling = mramoriranost
Amount of visible fat within the lean of a meat cut; also referred to as intramuscular fat.
Flecks of intramuscular fat distributed in muscle tissue. Marbling is usually evaluated in the
rib eye between the twelfth and thirteenth ribs.
maverick
Unbranded animal, usually on the range.
Maximum residue limit (MRL)
An MRL is defined as the maximum concentration of a residue resulting from the officially
authorised safe use of an agricultural or veterinary chemical that is recommended to be legally
permitted or recognised as acceptable in or on a food, agricultural commodity or animal feed. The
concentration is expressed in milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg) of the commodity (or milligrams per
litre in the case of a liquid). Although MRLs are not directly based on any health criteria, they are
only established after a comprehensive risk assessment process, where the known toxicological risks
are not considered to constitute an undue hazard to human health based on dietary exposure.
MDM
Mechanically deboned meat; meat removed from its skeletal matrix by mechanical means.
meat
Tissue of the animal body that are used for food.

Meat factor
The phenomenon in which the bioavailability of nutrients (specifically iron) in a food is
higher when that food is consumed along with meat.
Metmyoglobin
The oxidized form of the meat pigment myoglobin where water is bound to the ligand and
the heme portion of the myoglobin is in the Fe3+ or ferric state; this pigment is brown in
color.
middle meats
Rib and loin of a beef carcass. These primals generally yield the highest-priced beef cuts.
Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC)
The lowest concentration of an antibiotic that will inhibit the visible growth of a microorganism,
usually after overnight incubation. MICs are determined using agar or broth dilution methods. see
also Antibiotic resistance, Breakpoint, Level of resistance

Modified atmosphere
Initial alteration of the gaseous environment in the immediate vicinity of the product,
allowing the packaged product interactions to naturally vary their immediate gaseous
environment.
Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP)
The alteration of the gas atmosphere inside a package to something other than ambient air for
the purpose of extending the shelf-life of the product.
Monitoring
In this report the term ‘monitoring’ is used to describe continuous routine measurement and analysis
of information (in this case about antibiotic usage) to detect trends (in volume and type of use).

Monounsaturated
A fatty acid with only one double bond in the carbon chain.
Multiple drug resistance
Resistance to two or more antibiotics from different classes.
Multiresistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
Strains of Staphylococcus aureus resistant to methicillin (and other -lactams) and one or more other
antibiotic classes (also called methicillin-resistant S. aureus).

Muscle fiber
Elongated, syncytial fibrous cell containing multiple nucleic and the specialized contractile
organelles, myofibrils.
Muscle meat
Striated (skeletal) muscle from the carcasses of meat animals, poultry, and fish. Some variety
or glandular meats may be nonstriated (involuntary) muscle tissue. All muscle has a high
protein content (15-25%).
Muscle score
Score used in the pork grading system to denote the muscularity of a pork carcass.
Muscling
A term describing live animals or carcasses depicting varying degrees of shape due to
magnitude of muscle/bone. It is not affected by fatness per se.
Myofiber
A skeletal-muscle cell.
Myofibril
Long rodlike (70-80% of volume) organelle of the muscle cell, composed of sarcomeres held
in register laterally and longitudinally; the main component of the muscle fiber that
constitutes the contractile apparatus.
Myofibrillar component
The portion of a muscle cell that contains the muscle proteins responsible for muscle
contraction.
Myofilaments. Main protein filaments of sarcomere, consisting mostly of actin (thin filament) or
myosin (thick filament).
Myoglobin
Sarcoplasmic, heme-containing protein in muscle that binds and delivers oxygen in the
myofiber; this major pigment is responsible for red meat color.
Myosin
 Major myofibrillar protein and predominant salt-soluble muscle protein that comprises 50-
60% of the myofibrillar contractile proteins; it is the main component of the A-band or thick
filament of the sarcomere and has a molecular weight of 475,000 D.
Narrow-spectrum antibiotic
An antibiotic effective against a limited number of microorganisms; often applied to an antibiotic
active against either gram-positive or gram-negative bacteria.

National Association of Meat Purveyors

(NAMP) The organization that provides a Meat Buyer s Guide with colored pictures and
cutting instructions for fresh meat items described by IMPS.
Nosocomial infections
Infections acquired as a result of medical intervention, eg in hospitals or in other clinical settings
(also called ‘hospital-acquired infections’). see also Community-acquired infections

nutrient density
Amount of essential nutrients relative to the number of calories in a given amount of food.
Nutritional Label
Label that specifies the quantity of calories, fat, saturated fatty acids, cholesterol, and other
selected minerals and vitamins. The label is mandatory for all further processed food items,
meat, and poultry products that make a health claim and is voluntary for raw meat and
poultry products.
Observational study
A study that does not involve any experimental intervention. Changes in one characteristic are
observed in relation to another characteristic, eg observe the prevalence of bacterial resistance in
animal or human populations. see also Experimental study

Off label (uses of veterinary antibiotics)

A use practised by, or prescribed by, a registered veterinarian where the label directions for use of an
NRA-registered antibiotic product are varied. For example, use on a different species (such as use of
an antibiotic registered in cattle on deer) or by varying the dose regimen (such as doubling the dose
rate or increasing the frequency of dosing).

Omega-3-fatty acid
Fatty acid with its first carbon-carbon double bond starting at the third carbon atom from the
CH3 end. Onset time
Time interval between ingestion of an infectious organism or toxin and manifestation of
illness (often referred to as incubation period when an infectious microorganism is involved).
open
Refers to nonpregnant females.
Open sellers
NRA-registered veterinary chemical products that are available for open sale to the public. An open
selling antibiotic product does not require a veterinary prescription.

Ossification
Biological process of skeletal cartilage converting to bone, often occurring between joints
and on the end of the spinous process.
Oxymyoglobin
The reduced form of the meat pigment myoglobin in which oxygen is bound to the ligand
and the heme portion of the myoglobin is in the Fe2+ or ferrous state; this pigment is bright
red in color.
packing plant
Facility in which cattle are slaughtered and processed.
Pale, Soft, Exudative (PSE)
or pale, soft, watery (PSW) condition of muscle of low (<5.3 pH), especially noticeable in
pork; often stress related.
pasture rotation
Rotation of animals from one pasture to another so that some pasture areas have no livestock
grazing on them during certain periods of time.
Pathogenic bacteria
The bacteria that cause infection. These can be either opportunistic infections, such as wound or
genito-urinary tract infections, or infectious diseases such as tuberculosis.

Pelagic fish
Those species of fish that normally occur in the upper part of the water column. High in fat
and less stable than demursal fish.
Per capita consumption
Refers to the annual disappearance of meat, poultry, and seafood on a per person basis. In the
United States, for example, it represents the total tonnage of the products divided by
approximately 250 million (U.S. population). However, these figures should be expressed
specifically, such as on a carcass basis, or on a trimmed, boneless basis, or on a cooked,
ingested-meat basis.
Perimysium
Intramuscular connective tissue surrounding primary and secondary bundles of muscle fibers.
Perirenal fat
 Adipose tissue surrounding the kidneys that is commonly called kidney fat.
Phospholipid
A class of lipids in which glycerol is linked to fatty acids at the C-1 and C-2 positions, the C-
3 position being occupied by phosphate and usually a nitrogen-containing chemical group, a
lipid that contains phosphoric acid, and fatty acids esterified to glycerol; found in all living
animal cells in the bilayer of the plasma membrane.
Plasma membrane
Lipid bilayer membrane encompassing each muscle cell; also called sarcolemma.
Plasmid
A piece of extrachromosomal DNA much smaller than the bacterial chromosome, usually covalently
closed circular molecules. Plasmids exists in the cytoplasm independently of the chromosome and
can control their own replication. Some of them can be transferred between bacteria. see also
Conjugation, Conjugative plasmids

Polyunsaturated
Fatty acids with two or more double bonds in the carbon chains.
Postmortem
After death, the USDA-FSIS inspectors reviews livestock and poultry carcasses, carcass parts
and viscera after slaughter, commonly referred to as postmortem inspection.
preconditioning
Preparation of feeder calves for marketing and shipment, may include vaccinations,
castration, and training calves to eat and drink in pens.
Preferred cuts
The leg, loin, rack, and shoulder of a lamb carcass.
Premix
A manufactured mixture of active ingredients(s) and carrier designed for direct inclusion into the
bulk ration of animals.

Pre-rigor muscle
Soft, pliable, and extensible compared to muscle in which rigor is complete, and permanent
crossbridges between actin and myosin have formed. Prerigor muscle has a high pH and
sufficient levels of metabolizable substrates necessary to remain physiologically active.
Prescription animal remedy (PAR) antibiotics
Antibiotics that must be prescribed by a registered veterinarian for animals under their care (also
known as poisons schedule S4). Persons distributing, wholesaling or retailing PARs (S4s) must be
licensed by the relevant State/Territory health department. All antibiotics used therapeutically in
animals are classified as PARs (eg penicillins, neomycin, tetracyclines). Poisons schedule definitions
are given in the Standard for the Uniform Scheduling of Drugs and Poisons (AHMAC 1997).

Prevalence
The number of events of interest in a given population at a given point in time, usually expressed as a
prevalence rate, ie as a proportion of the defined population size at that time (eg 5 VRE isolates per
100 enterococci isolates in an infectious diseases ward of a hospital at a particular time would be
expressed as a 5% prevalence). see also Incidence

price discovery
Process that shows how the specific price for a given quantity and quality of beef is
determined.
Primal cuts
The round, loin, rib, and chuck of the beef carcass. The ham, loin, Boston butt, picnic
shoulder, and belly of the pork carcass.
četiri glavna velikoprodajna dela svinjske polutke: šunka, grudi, slabine i trbušni deo.
Primal yield
procenat ili težina glavnih delova polutke.
Probiotic (direct fed microbials)
Preparations of microbes (usually bacteria) that are included in the diet to improve health. ( see also
Competitive exclusion products)

Processed meats
Includes items such as bacon, hams, sausages, and luncheon meats.
Processing
Anything done to a coproduct other than removing it from the animal, washing (water only),
trimming to specification, and packaging.
Prophylaxis
The use of antibiotics (by any route of administration) to prevent infection with a pathogen(s) that is
anticipated to challenge the host during the treatment period; that is, initiating treatment in advance
of an actual infection or disease condition because such a condition is expected to occur if treatment
is withheld. For example, some animals may be treated on reaching a particular age because a disease
condition usually occurs at that age. In humans prophylactic antibiotic treatment may be used for a
patient who is about to undergo a major operation or an immunosupressed patient to prevent
unwanted infections. In intensive animal production (and some human conditions) prophylaxis is
often initiated for the whole herd/flock/group when a small number have already developed the
disease.

Protease
 A protein that is involved in breaking sown or degrading other proteins.
Protein denaturation
The process of modifying the molecular structure of a protein; alteration of the protein from
its original state.
Protein functionality
Numerous chemical and physical properties of the protein. Properties include the ability to
form protein to protein binding and/or to stabilize water and fat relative to texture formation
and appearance, organoleptic texture (bind, mouthfeel, hardness, cohesiveness), hydration,
gelation, and moisture retention (cooking yields, purge).
Proteolysis
The breakdown of protein.
Proximate analysis
Methodology used to assess the proportionate content of protein, water, lipid, mineral, and
carbohydrate of meat.
PSE
Acronym that stands for pale, soft, and exudative (watery) lean meat. Caused by the genetic
disorder PSS.
PSS
Porcine Stress Syndrome; pigs afflicted with this genetic condition are especially susceptible
to stress and produce carcasses with undesirable meat quality that often results in a PSE
appearance of the lean carcass.
Psychrophilic
Microorganisms that are capable of growing at refrigeration temperatures.
purebred
Animal eligible for registry with a recognized breed association.
purveyor
Firm that purchases beef (usually from a packer), them performs some fabrication before
selling the beef to another firm.
Quality grade
Grading system that utilizes carcass factors (e.g., marbling, maturity, and color) to estimate
the palatability of the meat.
quality grades
Grades such as Prime, Choice, and Select that group slaughter cattle and carcasses into value-
and palatability-based categories. Grades are determined primarily by marbling and age of
animal.
ration
Feed fed to an animal during a 24-hour period.
Red meat
Generally includes meat from large farm animals such as cattle (beef), sheep (lamb and
mutton), pigs or hogs (pork), and calves (veal). Poultry and seafood are much paler in color
and are referred to as white meat. However, pork and veal are more white then red and often
are classified as white meats.
Meat from cattle, sheep, swine, and goats. See also white meat.
Reflectance
The amount of light that is reflected from a sample.
Registration (of agricultural and veterinary chemicals)
The process whereby the National Registration Authority for Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals
approves the sale and use of a formulated agricultural or veterinary chemical product after the
evaluation and assessment of appropriate scientific data demonstrating that the product is effective
and not unduly hazardous to human health, the environment or target plants and animals and that it
will not adversely affect trade.

registered
Recorded in the herdblood of a breed.
Rendering
Process that separates the by-products of muscle food production into fat/oil, water, gel bone,
and meat and bone meal.
Residue (in food)
The remains of a chemical product persisting in or on food (including the active constituent and
relevant derivatives, metabolites and degradation products).

Restructured
Meat may be ground, flaked, diced, etc., and formed into steaks, chops, and roast like items.
retail cuts
Cuts of beef in sizes that are purchased by the consumer.
Rib eye area
 Size or area of a cross section of the longissimus muscle at the 12th rib cross section in beef
and lamb carcasses.
Rigor mortis
General stiffening of muscle that accompanies the loss of ATP in myofibers postmortem.
Risk
The probability of an agent (hazard) causing an adverse effect and the magnitude of that effect
(expressions of risk can be quantitative or qualitative, and should include consideration of any
uncertainties).

Risk analysis
The term used to describe the three-part process involving risk assessment, risk management and risk
communication.

Risk assessment
The scientific evaluation of known or potential adverse health effects resulting from human exposure
to hazards. The process includes hazard identification, hazard characterisation, exposure assessment
and risk characterisation.

Risk management
The process of weighing policy alternatives to accept, minimise or reduce assessed risks and to select
and implement appropriate options.

Risk communication
The process of interactive exchange of information and opinion on risk among risk assessors, risk
managers, and other interested parties.

roughage
Feed that is high in fiber, low in digestible nutrients, and low in energy (e.g., hay, straw,
silage, and pasture).
rumen
A compartment of the ruminant stomach that is similar to a large fermentation pouch where
bacteria and protozoa break down fibrous plant material swallowed by the animal.
Sometimes referred to as the paunch.
ruminant
Mammal whose stomach has four parts—rumen, reticulum, omasum, and abomasum. Cattle,
sheep, goats, deer, and elk are ruminants.
Safe Food Handling Label
Label placed on every raw (uncooked) meat and poultry product describing the storage,
cooking, and re-storage required to ensure safe foods through the preparation stage.
Sanitary and phytosanitary measures
Trade measures to protect human health and animal and plant life in a country from the entry,
establishment or spread of pests, diseases, disease-carrying or disease-causing organisms; and to
protect humans and animals from risks arising from additives, contaminants or toxins in foods,
beverages or feedstuffs. (Under this definition, ‘animals’ include fish and wild fauna.)

Sarcomere
Basic repeating contractile structural unit of the myofibril; in-register laterally and
longitudinally and responsible for striated appearance of skeletal muscle. Extends from z-line
to z-line.
Sarcomere length
A measurement of the distance between the two Z-lines (outer boundaries) of one sarcomere.
Sarcoplasm
Cytoplasm of muscle cell; major water depot of muscle cell containing soluble proteins.
Sarcoplasmic reticulum
A specialized form of endoplasmic reticulum in myofibers. This membrane system
surrounding myofibrils is responsible for storing, releasing, and resequestering calcium in
response to an action potential.
Seafood
The term used to identify fish and crustaceans sold for consumption. Generally the two types
are referred to as finfish and shellfish. A few others such as octopus and squid do not fall into
either description but are definitely seafood.
Selection (of resistant bacteria)
The process whereby exposure to an antibiotic kills or inhibits sensitive bacteria, thus allowing
resistant bacteria to continue dividing and increase in number (amplify) relative to the sensitive
bacteria (enrichment).
Shelf-life
The amount of time the product can be expected to remain consumable as a food based on
microbiological considerations, nutritional parameters, and organoleptic properties. The time
from processing meat items to the time the products are not considered acceptable for sale.
short yearling
Animal is over 1 year of age but under 18 months of age.
"show list" or "show pens"
Slaughter cattle that are ready for the cattle feeder to "show" the packer buyers.
silage
Forage, corn fodder, or sorghum preserved by fermentation that produces acids similar to the
acids used to make pickled foods for people.
sire
Male parent.
Skeletal maturity
Physiological maturity of a carcass as indicated by changes in skeleton, such as cartilage
turning to bone and ribs becoming wider and flatter with advanced maturity.
Specific gravity
Expression of tissue density in relation to density of water. Because density of fat is lower
than density of either muscle or bone, the specific gravity of a lean carcass is higher than a
fat carcass when muscle/bone is constant.
Spool joint
On the end of the metacarpal, it is a joint that resembles the appearance of a spool of thread
( spool joint ). As sheep advance in maturity, the thin layer of soft cartilage between the
break joint and spool joint undergoes ossification and becomes bone. The ossification
process fuses the spool joint and the end of the metacarpal together, making it impossible to
break the spool joint from the foreshank of the carcass.
Spread (of bacteria)
The term ‘spread’ is used in this report to denote the movement of bacteria (particularly antibiotic-
resistant bacteria) from one animal species, including humans, to another by direct contact,
nosocomial spread (in hospitals or other clinical settings), or in food, animal excreta or animal
products. (As opposed to ‘transfer’, which is used to denote the movement of antibiotic-resistance
genes from one bacterium or bacterial population to another). see also Transfer (antibiotic-
resistance genes)

steer
Bovine male castrated prior to puberty.
stocker
Weaned cattle that are fed high-roughage diets (including grazing) before going into the
feedlot.
Stockfeed
Includes hay, straw, chaff, grain, manufactured stockfeed and byproducts, and other substances
intended for feeding to animals (but not including veterinary chemical products or additives).
Surimi
Washed fish protein that can be used in a variety of products.
Surveillance
In this report the term ‘surveillance’ is used to describe the continuous, intensive, targeted and
nonrandom collection of data on the incidence, prevalence and spread of antibioticresistant bacteria
and antibiotic-resistance genes. Antibiotic-resistance surveillance can be either active or passive:
– passive surveillance is the collection of routine analytical data from diagnostic laboratories;
– active surveillance involves a prospective study of resistance directed at specific pathogens.

Tenth rib cross section

Area of the carcass that is exposed when a pork carcass is ribbed by dividing the carcass
between the 10th and 11th ribs.
Tenth rib fat depth
Linear measurement of the subcutaneous fat layer adjacent to the loineye at the 10th rib cross
section, taken on pork carcasses.
terminal sires
Sires used in a crossbreeding system in which all their progeny, both male and female, are
marketed. For example, crossbred dams could be bred to sires of a third breed and all calves
marketed. Although this system allows maximum heterosis and complementary of breeds,
replacement females must come from other herds.
Thaw shortening
A phenomenon observed in muscle previously frozen prior to the onset of rigor mortis;
subsequent thawing results in massive shortening and loss of tenderness.
Therapeutic dose
The dose of a drug, including antibiotics, that is used in the treatment of disease.

Therapeutic use
The use of antibiotics for the purpose of inhibiting a pathogen(s) which already infects the host; that
is, initiating treatment because there is a disease condition.

Thermophilic campylobacters
The most common species of campylobacter, including C. jejuni and C. coli, which grow best at
42ºC.

Transfer (antibiotic-resistance genes)

The term ‘transfer’ is used in this report to denote the movement of antibiotic-resistance genes from
one bacterium or bacterial population to another. (As opposed to ‘spread’, which is used to denote
movement of the bacteria themselves). see also Spread (of bacteria), Horizontal gene transfer

Transposon
A small, mobile DNA element that carries one or several genes, plus genes encoding for its own
transposition between various locations in the bacterial genome.
tray-ready beef
Retail cuts that are cut and packaged at the packing plant for retail sales.
Triacylglycerol
Class of lipids in which three fatty acids are attached to a glycerol molecule.
Trichina
Microscopic parasite found in rats, dogs, cats, swine, bears, horses, and humans. It is not a
widespread problem among domestic hogs and is controllable through proper curing,
freezing, or heating. USDA-FSIS has set regulation (in 9 CFR 318.10) for curing, heating,
and/or freezing that must be preformed on all pork products that are not necessarily cooked at
home or in a foodservice establishment before consumption.
Trichinella spiralis
Microscopic parasite that can cause the illness trichinosis. This parasite is a nematode worm
sometimes found in pork muscle in the larva stage. Ingestion of insufficiently cooked
infected meat can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and muscle soreness.
Triglyceride
Ester of glycerol that contains three ester groups and either one, two or three fatty acids
attached to the ester group.
Twelfth rib cross section
Area of the carcass that is exposed when a beef or lamb carcass is ribbed by dividing the
carcass between the 12th and 13th ribs.
Twelfth rib fat thickness
Linear measurement of the subcutaneous fat layer adjacent to the ribeye at the 12th rib cross
section; taken on beef and lamb carcasses.
udder
Encased group of mammary glands of the female.
ultrasound
Using high-frequency sound waves to show visual outlines of internal body structures (e.g.,
fat thickness, rib-eye area, and pregnancy can be predicted). The machine sends sound waves
into the animal and records these waves as they bounce off the tissues. Different wavelengths
are recorded for fat and lean.
USDA
United States Department of Agriculture.
USDA Inspected
USDA-inspected products that have been prepared in an establishment operating under the
meat inspection guidelines of the United States Department of Agriculture designed to
provide the consuming public with wholesome meat and meat products. All meat products,
covered in the guidelines, crossing state lines must carry the USDA inspection legend which
identifies by an inspection number the plant of origin. Inspection is a federally funded
program supported by U.S. tax dollars.
USDA Quality/Yield grades
Voluntary service which groups carcasses into expected palatability levels (quality grades)
and/or expected yield of retail cuts (yield grades).
U.S. Inspected and Condemned legend
Meat and poultry product that has been inspected by USDA-FSIS and condemned under the
regulation described in the Federal Code of Regulations and then marked as such.
U.S. Inspected and Passed legend
Meat and poultry product has been inspected by USDA- FSIS and passed under the
regulation described in the Federal Code of Regulations and then marked as such.
U.S. Retained
Carcass, carcass part, viscera, or other product that has been held for further examination by
a USDA-FSIS inspector to determine if it should be passed or condemned.
U.S. Suspect
Live animal that suspected of having a disease or other condition that may require its
condemnation, in whole or in part, and is subject to further examination by a USDA-FSIS
inspector to determine its disposal.
Uniform Product Code (UPC)
Computer bar code used to identify products. This would be a universal code for that
product.
Uniform Retail Meat Identity Standards (URMIS)
Many states require that retail meat products must be prepared and labeled for retail sales
following these standards. Each package label must list (a) species, (b) wholesale cut, and (c)
recommended retail name.
value-based marketing
Marketing system based on paying for inspanidual animal differences rather than using
average prices.
veal
Meat from very young cattle (under 3 months of age). Veal typically comes from dairy bull
calves.
Volatiles
Compounds that are vaporized from a product. Responsible for aroma.
Warmed-Over Flavor (WOF)
Undesirable rancid or stale flavor that can occur in precooked, uncured meats after short
periods of storage time. WOF is caused by the oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids and
phosophlipids and iron-catalyzed lipid oxidation.
Weaner pigs
Pigs during the 6–8 week period after removal from the sow at 3–4 weeks of age. see also Grower
pigs

weaning (wean)
Separating young animals from their dams so that the offspring can no longer suckle.
Yield grade
Numerical representation (e.g., 1 most desirable, to 5, least desirable) of the percentage of
boneless, closely trimmed retail cuts from the major wholesale cuts of a carcass.
Z-disk
Component of sarcomere consisting mostly of actin and defining length of the sarcomere.
Zero-tolerance
Part of the USDA-FSIS Pathogen Reduction Program; carcasses and carcass parts are closely
scrutinized for any form of contamination, and when found, the contamination must be
totally eliminated and discarded before that carcass or carcass part is able to be further
processed.
Zoonotic bacteria
Bacteria that are pathogenic to humans and are transferred to people by direct contact with animals,
animal excreta or animal products (eg brucella, nontyphoid salmonella and campylobacter).