Animal Processing and Meat Science Vocabulary

Vocabulary terms and definitions related to animal handling, slaughter, processing losses, and dressing percentage based on lecture notes.

Meat

Animal tissues that are suitable for use as food, including all processed or manufactured products prepared from these tissues.

Meat Science

The study of animal tissues and all facets of the meat industry, starting with animal production and ending with final preparation of meat for consumption.

Humane Methods of Slaughter Act (HMSA) of 1978

A United States federal law enforced by USDA's FSIS requiring humane handling, stunning, and quick, effective death of food livestock, excluding poultry.

Effective Stun

Successfully making and keeping an animal unconscious throughout shackling, sticking, and bleeding without killing it or destroying the medulla oblongata.

Ecchymosis

Also referred to as blood splash, a condition caused by blood vessel rupture that can occur during electrical stunning.

Exsanguination

The process of bleeding an animal by severing carotid arteries and jugular veins to cause death by blood loss.

Drop

Everything removed from the animal during processing except the carcass, including the head, hide, feet, and internal organs.

Variety Meats

Specific edible offal items selected from the total processing drop.

Slaughter

The process of killing an animal, usually accomplished through blood loss via exsanguination.

Dressing

The series of processing steps required to remove all drop items, leaving only the hot carcass on the rail.

Pencil Shrink

An assumed transportation weight loss value, typically $4\text{\%}$ for cattle.

Cooler Shrinkage

Carcass weight loss caused by moisture evaporation during chilling, averaging $2\text{\%}$ for blast chill and $1\text{\%}$ for spray chill.

Breaking Loss

A processing loss of approximately $4\text{\%}$ caused during carcass breaking by bone/meat dust (sawdust), moisture evaporation, and tissue adherence to equipment.

Cutting Loss

A processing loss averaging $25\text{\%}$ that occurs during further fabrication after breaking due to lean trimming, fat trimming, and bone removal.

Dressing Percentage (DP)

The percentage of an animal's pay weight that yields usable carcass, calculated as $\text{DP} = \frac{\text{HCW}}{\text{Pay Wt}} \times 100\text{\%}$.

Pay Weight

The live weight of an animal upon which packers base their payment to the seller.

Hot Carcass Weight (HCW)

The weight of an animal carcass immediately after slaughter and dressing, before chilling.

What are the 2 most important things of slaughter?

Animal welfare and meat safety and quality

Electric prods must be what voltage?

Under 50V

What must animals need before slaughter?

Always have water, access to feed if held more than 24 hours