Meat Science

CHARACTERISTICS OF MEAT

Horse meat

• The meat of horse is dark red in colour, on exposure to air acquires a bluish tinge or shield on the surface and later become very dark.
• Odour is peculiar – sweet and to most people more or less repulsive. Horseflesh contains large quantities of glycogen (2%).
• Fat is yellow or brownish yellow in colour and owing to its high olein content it is soft and greasy.

Beef

• The colour of beef varies from light red to dark red according to the age and the part of the carcass from which it was collected.
• The meat is moist, silky to the touch and is marbled with fat.
• Fat is fine usually creamy white or yellowish white in colour.
• In old cattle the fat tends to be more yellow and somewhat loosen in consistency.
• In Jersey and Guernsey fat is pronounced yellow colour.
• Meat of heifer closely resembles that of young ox.
• The meat of old cow is not marbled and tends to be lean, dry and somewhat coarse.
• However, the meat and fat of old dairy cows are often relatively moist.
• The veal is pale or grayish red in colour.
• Not very firm under pressure of fingers. Fibres are tough.

 Mutton

• The meat of wether or ewe varies in colour from light red through brownish red to dark red.
• According to the age of the animal and to the part of the carcass – the fibres are fine, dense and firm. Marbling with fat is practically absent.
• The fat is white, very firm and odourless.

Goat meat/Chevon

• Chevon is not marbled and bears a fairly close resemblance to that of sheep.
• The meat of uncastrated adult goat has a goaty odour.

Pig

• The meat of pig varies in colour according to the age and nutritive condition of the animal and also according to the body region from which it is derived.
• It may be pale red, reddish gray; rose red, dark red or in certain parts may be almost colourless.
• It is less firm to the touch than other food animals.
• The fibres are fine, fat is white, soft and greasy.