Meat Composition

Composition

The ingredients or constituents of something; the way a whole or mixture is made up

What does muscle contain?

Water, protein, fat, carbohydrates, and inorganic constituents

What % (fresh weight bases) of Water does muscle contain?

75%

What % (fresh weight bases) of Protein does muscle contain?

18.5%

What % (fresh weight bases) of Non-Protein Nitrogenous substances does muscle contain?

1.5%

What % (fresh weight bases) of Carbohydrates and non-nitrogenous substances does muscle contain?

1%

What % (fresh weight bases) of Inorganic constituents does muscle contain?

1%

What % (fresh weight bases) of Lipids does muscle contain?

3%

What are/is the contractile protein(s)?

Myosin and Actin

What are/is the regulatory protein(s)?

Troponin and tropomyosin

What are/is the cytoskeletal protein(s)?

Titin

What are/is the sarcoplasmic protein(s)?

Myoglobin and hemoglobin

What are/is the stromal protein(s)?

Collagen and elastin

What component of skeletal musle is creatine phosphate considered?

Non-protein nitrogenous substances (NPN)

What component of skeletal musle are ADP and ATP considered?

Carbohydrates and non-nitrogenous substances

• Intermediates and products of cell metabolism

What protein components are salt soluble?

Contractile, regulatory, and cytoskeletal proteins

What protein components are water soluble?

Sarcoplasmic proteins

What protein components are insoluble?

Stromal proteins

What % nitrogen does meat contain overall?

16%

Water Holding Capacity (WHC)

The ability of meat to retain naturally occuring or added water during application of external forces such as cutting, heating, grinding, or pressing

Shrinkage

The loss of weight of meat during packaging

What does WHC affect?

Platability, yield, and adherence to federal regulations of further processed meat products

What are the 3 ways that water can be classified?

• Bound → tightly associated with proteins 

• Immobilized → held within muscle structure 

• Free/Purge → mobile/easily lost 

What is purge?

Red moisture seen in a concealed bag with meat

• Came from the meat itself

What Lipids make up the composition of skeletal muscle?

1. Neutral lipids / trigylceride

2. Phospholipids

3. Fatty acids

What does saturated mean? Unsaturated?

• Saturated = no double bonds

• Unsaturated = double bonds

what is MUFA?

Monounsaturated fatty acids = 1 double bond

What is PUFA?

Polyunsaturated fatty acids = 2+ double bonds

What are the primary components measured in meat?

Moisture, protein, total lipids, and inorganics (ash)

What is the most basic form of food analysis termed?

“Proximate Analysis”

What is FOSS?

Food scanner thats used to analyze meat composition 

• Uses near-infrared tranmission technology to penetrate meat sample (ground beef) 

• Can be utilized for dairy products, fermented products, and seafood 

What can Gas Chromotography be used to identify?

Fatty acids

• Can be combined with mass spectrometry