23 Meats – Beef and Pork

Beef and pork are two commonly consumed meats that can be processed in many different ways. The primary reason for processing beef and pork is to improve consumer acceptability and convenience of preparation, and to extend shelf life. To achieve this, processing usually accomplishes the following. 1. Remove bones, if applicable. 2. Make connective tissue less objectionable, by removal of extremely tough or inedible pieces. 3. Ensure the fat to lean ratio is appropriate. 4. Maintain the nutritional value of the beef and pork. Most people associate “meat” with skeletal muscle, but there are also sources of meat that are primarily internal organs. Skeletal muscle makes up most of the meat that is processed and consumed from cattle and pigs but there are several uses and processes for variety meats. Variety meats include the liver, heart, tongue, kidneys, tripe (edible part of the bovine stomach), oxtail, brains, intestines, and blood. Variety meats can be minimally processed before being sold to consumers or used in the formulation of value-added or processed meats. Beef is meat from bovine (Bos) species, especially domestic cattle (Bos taurus and B. indicus). Beef is a common meat in many cultures, especially the Americas and Europe. It is also an important meat source for cultures from the Middle East, Australia, Argentina, Europe, Africa, parts of east Asia, and south east Asia. Beef is the third most widely eaten meat in the world, accounting for about 25% of meat production worldwide (USDA, 2011a). The US, Brazil, and China are the world’s three largest consumers of beef in total; however, on an annual per capita basis, Argentines eate the most beef, at 64.6 kg per person in 2010; people in the US ate 40.2 kg, while those in the EU ate 16.9 kg (USDA, 2011a). Beef comes from all classes of cattle, but can vary greatly in quality and processing characteristics depending upon the class of cattle and management of the cattle prior to slaughter and processing. The classes of cattle include steers, which are young castrated males; heifers, which are young females that have not had a calf or been pregnant; cows, which are mature females that have produced offspring; bulls, which are mature uncastrated males. There are other classifications of cattle such as bullocks (young bulls) and heiferettes (young cows that have had one or two calves). Worldwide, there are other terms used to define classes of cattle, such as oxen, which can refer to any castrated male beef, but often is used to indicate a more mature steer, and stag, which refers to an uncastrated male. Pork is meat from pigs (Sus scrofa or Sus scrofa domesticus), and in many parts of the world is referred to as pigmeat. Pork is often referred to as the most commonly consumed meat in the world despite many cultures that prohibit its consumption. Pork is primarily sourced from young castrated males, called barrows, and young females that have not produced offspring, called gilts. Cull sows, which are mature females that have produced offspring, and boars, which are intact males, are also sources of pork for processing.