Meat Tenderness essays

Meat Tenderness essays Numerous consumer surveys done in recent years indicate that meat tenderness is the most important consideration made by shoppers and consumers when mealtime decisions are made. Tenderness, juiciness, and flavor are the three main factors contributing to palatability, however, much more variation from cut to cut can be found in the tenderness category than in the other two. Causes for variation can range from age of carcass, genetics, muscle stress, and handling after kill to suspension of the carcass, rigor mortis, and enzyme soaking and radiation treatments. This paper will focus primarily on the tenderness factor in beef; however, pork will be addressed when applicable. Beef is essentially a muscle food. In order to fully understand the tenderness factor of beef, one must have working knowledge of the properties of muscle structure. One of the primary factors in tenderness levels is the amount of connective tissue in the cut of beef. Connective tissue surrounds the myofibrils, and another layer of connective tissue covers the muscle fiber. Still more layers cover the muscle bundles, and the entire muscle itself. Different parts of the beef animal have different amounts of connective tissue. Generally speaking, the more connective tissue present, the less tender beef is when cooked (Beef production/management d.). For example, the psoas major, the multifidis dorsi, and the gluteus medius are some muscles that contain the least amount of connective tissue, and are therefore some of the most tender. The cutaneous, the trapezius, and the super pectoral have large amounts of connective tissue, and therefore are some of the toughest cuts of bee f. These variations in toughness between and even within muscles place a higher importance on cutting practices. Meat should be cut to ensure uniform tenderness throughout the cut, so that proper cooking practices to increase tenderness can reap their maximum benefit (s...