A comparison between a method of jointing meat carcasses based upon their anatomical structure and a method based upon standardized butchering practice: II. Comparison of the uniformity of results

Abstract

SUMMARYA standardized butcher-type method (B) in which anatomical reference points were used to determine cutting lines was compared with a semi-anatomical method (A) in which the jointing was based still more closely upon the anatomy of meat animals. Thirty-two lamb carcasses were split by hand sawing and the sides prepared for quartering, quartered and finally jointed into five hindquarter and five forequarter joints by one or other of two operators by either method A or method B according to a pre-arranged plan. Operator bias in the preparation of the sides for quartering was only noteworthy for the removal of internal fats.Method A proved to be more consistent than method B, but the degree of advantage varied for different joints. In terms of the coefficients of variation for different joints by the two methods, method A had an advantage in consistency over method B for eight of the ten joints into which each side was divided.The reproducibility of the semi-anatomical method (A) could be further improved by adopting more fully anatomical methods of joining.The application and implications of an anatomical method in the excision of sample joints is noted.