Meat-Animal Composition and Its Measurement

Abstract

Composition is the aggregate of ingredients, their arrangement, and the integrated interrelationship which form a unified, harmonious whole. Figure 8.1 is an example that represents the composite average of cattle, hogs, and sheep and includes the major parts. Because animals are intentionally raised to produce meat for humans, the greatest emphasis is the musculature and its relationship to everything else. The proportion of the animal’s musculature is related to several criteria, but the three most important are visceral proportions (primarily affected by contents of the alimentary canal and pregnancy), fatness, and muscling (as expressed by muscle/bone). Variations in fatness and muscling are illustrated by the exhibits shown in Fig. 8.2., and practical averages of carcass composition (including poultry, fish, and venison) are included in Table 8.1. Since Fig. 8.1 represents a composite of beef, pork and lamb, Figs. 8.3–8.6 are included to illustrate how each of these three species’ parts are divided into muscle, fat, and bone. These are averages that are highly dependent on method of cutting, stage of growth, and heredity.