Abstract
Biochemical and structural characteristics of muscle and meat contribute to the ultimate quality of meat as food described in terms of its water-holding capacity, color, and tenderness. Water-holding capacity of meat is influenced by the rate and extent of pH decline that is observed up to the completion of rigor. Early postmortem proteolysis of desmin and other myofibrillar proteins also contributes to variation in water-holding capacity. Meat color is influenced by muscle fiber type and the amount of myoglobin in muscle fibers and the degree of oxygenation and oxidation of myoglobin visible on the meat surface at the point of sale. Meat tenderness is influenced by intrinsic factors such as sarcomere length, connective tissue content, fat content, and the degree of myofibrillar degradation as well as extrinsic factors including the degree of doneness to which meat is cooked, the method of cutting from the carcass, and the type of cookery used.
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