Meat Composition
This makes up about 75% of muscle tissue.
What is water
Fat found within the muscle is called this.
What is intramuscular fat?
This stage occurs shortly after slaughter when muscles become stiff.
What is rigor mortis?
This organization performs beef inspection and grading.
What is the USDA?
These major sections of the carcass are called this.
What are primal cuts?
The loss of water during cooking is called this.
What is shrinkage?
The term for streaks of fat within beef muscle.
What is marbling?
This process allows enzymes to break down connective tissue.
What is aging?
Inspection guarantees this, not quality.
What is safety/wholesomeness?
Name three beef primal cuts.
What are chuck, rib, loin, round, brisket, plate, or flank?
This protein bundles muscle fibers together and connects muscle to bone.
What is connective tissue?
This type of fat surrounds the outside of muscles.
What is subcutaneous fat?
Traditional aging where beef hangs in a low-humidity cooler.
What is dry aging?
Grading is (mandatory or voluntary?).
What is voluntary?
The three most common foodservice grades are these.
What are Prime, Choice, and Select?
These are the two main types of connective tissue in beef.
What are collagen and elastin?
The more marbling a carcass has, the ______ the grade.
What is higher?
Aging beef in vacuum-sealed bags is called this.
What is wet aging?
These three factors determine beef quality grade.
What are marbling, maturity, and muscle conformation?
Cartilage turning to bone is called this.
What is ossification?
Cutting beef this way makes it more tender.
What is cutting against (perpendicular to) the grain?
Marbling improves these three qualities of beef.
What are tenderness, juiciness, and flavor?
This connective tissue breaks down into gelatin when cooked with moisture.
What is collagen?
Inspection occurs at these two times.
What are before slaughter (live animal) and after slaughter?
The 8 grades of beef
What is Prime, Choice, Select, Standard, Commercial, Utility, Cutter and Canner?