MEAT QUALITY

Meat Technology (FST-409)

Presented to: Dr.Tusneem Khausar

Presented by: Ayesha Shafique(17-uglc-603)
Amber Arshad(17-uglc-604)
Aqsa Nasreen(17-uglc-608)
 Introduction:

• Quality is the degree of acceptance of

something.
• The sum of characteristics of a given food item
that influence the acceptability and preference
of that food by consumer are:

Visual appearance
Smell
Firmness
Juiciness
Tenderness 
Flavour
Visual Identification:
The visual identification of quality
meat is based on 

Color
Marbling 
Water holding capacity.
Meat Colour:
• Myoglobin is the important pigment of meat that is responsible for meat
colour.
• A diet with high content of iron will result in high amount of myoglobin
• The concentration of myoglobin increases with age so that older animals have
darker colour than younger one.
• Meat colour varies from uncooked to cooked meat.
• During the time meat is stored the color changes to a darker brown-
color because of the formation of metmyoglobin
 
• When meat is cut and exposed to oxygen in air, it takes about twenty
minutes for myoglobin to change to oxymyoglobin, which is brighter
red in color. after sometimes, the meat becomes a browner
color again metmyoglobin formed. 
• These colors changes do not make any difference to the taste or
texture.

In un-cooked meat, pigments are:

• Myoglobin (Purple red colour)
• Oxymyoglobin (Bright red colour)
• Metmyoglobin (Brown colour)
Temperature affects cooked-meat, pigments are:​​
• Globinmyohaemochromogen (meat which is cooked at
the temperature  of 60°C has dull red color).​​
• Globinmyohaemichromogen (meat which is cooked at 70-80°C 
has grayish brown color).​​
Water Holding Capacity:
• The capacity of the meat to retain its water during the application of physical
forces is known as water holding capacity.
• Juiciness and tenderness of meat is affected by amount of water.
• Fresh meat with a good water holding capacity is less prone to shrinkage
during processing.
• water holding capacity of meat can be checked by looking the water at the
bottom of the package.
Marbling:
•Marbling is small streaks of fat that are found within the
muscle and can be seen in the meat cut.  
•Marbling has a beneficial effect on juiciness and
flavor of meat.
•Visibly dectect when the muscle surface is 
cut.

Smell:
•Another quality factor is smell. 
•The product should have a normal smell.  
•This will be different for each of the species (i.e. beef, mutton, chicken), but
should vary only slightly within the species.
•Any rancid or strange smelling meat should be avoided.
Firmness:
• Meat should appear firm rather than soft. 
• When handling the retail package, it should be firm, but not tough.

Juiciness:  
• Juiciness depends on the amount of water retained in a cooked meat
product. 
• Juiciness increases flavour, helps soften meat - making it easier to chew.
• Water retention and lipid content determine juiciness. 
• Marbling and fat around edges helps hold in water. 
• Water losses are from evaporation and drip losses. 
• Meat aging can increase water retention and therefore increases juiciness.
Tenderness:  
•Tenderness has been linked to several factors, such as the animal's age,
sex (male animal have more muscles and connective tissues, so their meat is
tough as compared to female animal, which have more fatty tissues), and muscle
location. 
•One important way to tenderize meat is by aging (holding of meat at
refrigeration temperature for 2-4 weeks which make the meat more tender). 

Flavor:
•Flavor and aroma are combined to create the sensation the consumer has during
eating.  
•These perceptions rely on the smell through the nose and on the sensations of
salty, sweet, sour and bitter on the tongue. 
•Meat flavor is affected by the type of species, diet, cooking method and method
of preservation (e.g. smoked or cured).
Pre-slaughter factors affecting meat quality:

• Species of the animals from where the meat is taken.

• Age and Sex.
• The specific part of the animal from where the meat was derived.
• Stress on the animal before slaughter.
• In stress animal pH falls which means the meat is of poor quality.
 Post -slaughter factors affecting meat
quality
Post Mortem Changes in Meat
The process of converting once living muscle to meat begins soon after the
animal has been bled and the oxygen in the muscles is rapidly exhausted.
Impartial bleeding is a major defect that leads to early meat spoilage.
If animal is in stress during slaughtering, then meat will be of low quality.
because due to stress, glycogen will be converted into lactic acid which will
lower the pH of meat, so affecting the quality of meat.
Loss of Homeostasis:
Homeostasis mechanism, a system for the physicologically balanced internal
environment which helps the body to cope up with the stresses of oxygen
deficiency, extreme variation in temperature, energy supply, etc is lost.

The homeostasis is controlled by nervous system which ceases within 4 to 6
minutes after bleeding.
In the absence of blood supply, there is loss of body heat and temperature starts
declining

pH decline
The accumulation of lactic acid lowers down the muscle pH which is an important
postmortem change during the conversion of muscle to meat.
The pH decline are variable, being influenced by the species of food animals,
various preslaughter factors, environmental temperature, etc. in most species, a
gradual decline continues from approximately pH 7 in the living muscle during first
few hours (5 to 6 hours) and then there is a little drop in the next 15 to 20 hours,
giving an ultimate pH in the range of 5.5 to 5.7. the rate of pH decline is enhanced
at high enviornmental temperature.
• PSE (pale, soft and exudative) at low pH
• DFD (dark, firm and dry) at high pH

Both conditions are undesireable

pH and Meat Properties
Rigor Mortis
Immediately after the animal is killed, the muscles are soft and pliable. As
the pH falls, the development of a stiff and rigid conditions occurs.
Biochemically, it is accompanied by the formation of actomycin.

The optimum temperature requirement for rigor mortis is 14- 21C.

• if the temperature is more than the optimum temperature the resulting
meat will be hard and tough, and this condtion is called Heat Rigor.
• if the temperature is less than the optimum temperature the resulting
meat will be hard and tough, and this condtion is called Cold Rigor.