Maximus Gage
Meat is synonymous with the animal it comes from, but the muscle tissue undergoes chemical and physical changes before it becomes edible meat. The journey from muscle to meat begins even before the slaughtering process, with so-called 'pre-slaughter stress' affecting meat quality. Once the animal is slaughtered, its blood circulation ceases, and its heart stops beating. This means the muscle can no longer use oxygen, and so begins to produce lactic acid, which builds up and causes pH levels to decline. Meat muscle is made out of fibres that are bundled together with connective tissue, and when cooked, the muscle-movement proteins unfold and form intricate knots, making the meat more firm.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Muscle tissue undergoes chemical and physical changes | The chemical changes are irreversible |
| Muscle fibres are bundled together with connective tissue | Muscle fibres are also known as myofibrils |
| Muscle-movement proteins are cooked | They unfold and form intricate knots |
| Meat becomes more firm | This is due to the denaturation process |
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What You'll Learn
The chemical changes that take place after slaughter
Muscle tissue undergoes chemical and physical changes before it becomes edible meat. The journey from muscle to meat begins even before the slaughtering process. For example, "pre-slaughter stress" can dramatically affect meat quality. In pigs, this process is referred to as pale soft exudative meat, resulting in meat that is a very pale colour and that tastes particularly acidic. In cattle and sheep, the equivalent is Dark Firm and Dry Meat.
Once an animal is slaughtered, its blood circulation ceases, and its heart stops beating. Since blood helps bring oxygen to the muscles and push waste products away from them, this means that the muscle can no longer use oxygen. Once all the oxygen is depleted, the way in which the muscle breaks down energy changes, and it begins to produce lactic acid. As lactic acid builds up, pH levels decline.
Meat muscle is made out of fibres that are bundled together with connective tissue. Muscle fibres, also known as myofibrils, contain filaments arranged in a repetitive pattern alongside the other myofibrils. When myosin and actin, muscle-movement proteins, are cooked, they unfold and form intricate knots—a similar chemical process occurs when you cook an egg. And, like an egg, meat becomes more firm during this denaturation process.
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The physical changes that take place after slaughter
Rigor mortis sets in quickly after slaughter and the muscles become stiff, which means that the proteins in the muscles that contract, actin and myosin, have now bonded together. The actin and myosin filaments form permanent cross-bridges as the muscles shorten. The muscle fibres reach maximum shortening, resulting in stiff muscles. The cross bridges are now firmly in place.
However, the stiffness in the muscle tissues does not last forever. Eventually, the stiffness begins to decrease due to the enzymatic breakdown of structural proteins (collagen) that hold muscle fibres together. This phenomenon is known as the resolution of rigor and can continue for weeks after slaughter in a process referred to as ageing of meat. This ageing effect produces meats that are more tender and palatable.
The ageing process can be done through dry ageing (hanging) or wet ageing (storing in vacuum packaging). The tenderness of the meat is also influenced by the age of the animal at slaughter, with younger animals having higher post-mortem meat tenderisation.
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The role of blood circulation in muscle becoming meat
The journey from muscle to meat begins before the slaughtering process. Once an animal is slaughtered, its blood circulation ceases, and its heart stops beating. Blood helps bring oxygen to the muscles and push waste products away from them, so when an animal is slaughtered, the muscle can no longer use oxygen. Once all the oxygen is depleted, the way in which the muscle breaks down energy changes, and it begins to produce lactic acid. As lactic acid builds up, pH levels decline.
Meat muscle is made out of fibres that are bundled together with connective tissue. Muscle fibres, also known as myofibrils, contain filaments arranged in a repetitive pattern alongside the other myofibrils. When myosin and actin, muscle-movement proteins, are cooked, they unfold and form intricate knots—a similar chemical process occurs when you cook an egg. And, like an egg, meat becomes more firm during this denaturation process.
The physical effect of these changes are what scientists are trying to replicate in cultured meats, to create a sensorially palatable imitation of real meat.
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The structure of meat muscle
The connective tissue of muscle is composed mainly of collagen and elastin. Collagen fibres and heavier connective tissue (elastin) form a thin covering (called silverskin) separating muscle groups or a tendon at the ends of the muscle group. As animals age, the molecular structure of the collagen is altered and becomes more difficult to change into gelatin when the meat is cooked.
Meat muscle contains 60% to 70% moisture, 10% to 20% protein, 2% to 22% fat, and 1% ash, depending on type and species. The contractile and metabolic types, size and number of muscle fibres, the content, composition and distribution of the connective tissue, and the content and lipid composition of intramuscular fat all affect the technological, nutritional, and sensory properties of meat.
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The chemical composition of meat muscle
Meat is mostly made up of muscle tissue. The chemical composition of meat muscle varies depending on the animal species and the type of muscle, but it is typically composed of around 70% water, 20% protein, 9% fat, and 1% ash or mineral content.
Muscle fibres, also known as myofibrils, are bound together with connective tissue. These fibres contain filaments arranged in a repetitive pattern alongside other myofibrils. The total water, protein, and fat contents will vary in different muscles and species, but the above values represent a typical average composition for raw muscle with the external fat cover removed.
Moisture is the major component of meat muscle and plays an important role in its sensory aspects, influencing the tenderness, juiciness, and processing quality. From an economic perspective, moisture also contributes to the weight of the meat. The remaining composition includes carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, chlorine, and magnesium.
Meat muscle also contains a small amount of natural "juice" called exudate, which is a mixture of water, amino acids, and other soluble compounds.
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Frequently asked questions
Muscle tissue undergoes chemical and physical changes before it becomes edible meat.
The journey from muscle to meat begins before the slaughtering process.
'Pre-slaughter stress' can dramatically affect meat quality. In pigs, this process is referred to as pale soft exudative meat, resulting in meat that is a very pale colour and that tastes particularly acidic. In cattle and sheep, the equivalent is Dark Firm and Dry Meat.
Once slaughtered, the animal's blood circulation ceases, and its heart stops beating. Since blood helps bring oxygen to the muscles and push waste products away from them, this means that the muscle can no longer use oxygen.
Once all the oxygen is depleted, the way in which the muscle breaks down energy changes, and it begins to produce lactic acid instead. As lactic acid builds up, pH levels decline.
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