Meat Structure

STRUCTURE OF MEAT
Source: meatandeducation.com
Edited by: JBM
meatandeducation.com 2011
The structure of meat
Animal flesh consists of muscle tissue or fibres, connective tissue and fatty
(adipose) tissue.
Lean meat is the muscle tissue of animals.
Muscle cells comprise of:
• water
• proteins
• minerals
• vitamins
• the red protein called myoglobin
(similar to the blood pigment haemoglobin)
• fat
Study:
Meat products handbook by

Gerhard Feiner
Pg: 10 - 13
STRUCTURE OF MEAT
• Meat is the muscle of the animal
• Muscle is made of bundles of fibres
• The fibres are like hollow tubes and inside there is
water with vitamins, minerals, protein and extractives
dissolved in it.
• The fibres are held together in bunches by tough
stuff called connective tissue.
• There are fat cell scattered through the connective
tissue
What’s the connection?
Meat muscle is made up of bundles of muscle
fibres held together by creamy white connective
tissue.
Tendons join the muscle (made up of bundles

of muscle fibres, surrounded by connective
tissue) to the bones of animals.
Muscle fibres in action
Individual muscle fibres are made up of cells which contain the proteins
actin and myosin.
In live animals, actin and myosin work together to make the muscle
contract and relax.
Muscle fibres and cooking
Connective tissue is made up of two proteins called collagen and elastin.
Collagen
The connective tissue in and around the muscle fibres and tendons is mostly
collagen. When meat is cooked, the collagen becomes soft and soluble, and
forms gelatin.
Muscle fibres and cooking
Elastin
This is much more elastic connective tissue.
It is yellow in colour and remains tough, even when cooked. The ligaments
which join two bones together are mostly made up of elastin.
Muscle fibres
Muscle fibres are very small – and can only be seen under
a microscope. The length of muscle fibres varies.
Fine muscle fibres

These tend to come from the muscles of
young animals, or in older animals from the
muscles which do least work.
They contain little collagen and are tender

even when cooking times short, e.g. grilling.
Muscle fibres
Thick muscle fibres
These tend to be from older animals and
also muscles which do the most ‘work’ –
such as neck and shin.
They have more connective tissue to

prevent muscle damage.
This type of meat is tougher and needs

long, slow cooking with moisture to
make it tender, e.g. casserole.
Structure of Meat
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Tough v’s Tender
• In tender meat the fibres are shorter and
finer and there is less connective tissue.
• In tough meat the fibres are longer and

coarser and there is more connective tissue.
• Tough meat needs moist slow cooking to make

it tender e.g. stewing.
• Tender meat can be cooked by frying, grilling

or roasting.
Causes of toughness
Age The older the animal the
tougher the meat
Activity Meat from the more active

part of an animal is tougher
than from a less active part
Incorrect Meat must be hung for a
Hanging certain length of time or it
will go tough.
Incorrect The method must suit the

cooking method type of meat e.g. slow moist
method for tough meat
The composition of lean meat
Lean raw meat is made up of water, proteins, fats and minerals.
The exact amounts of each of these vary in any particular cut of lean meat.
The variation could depend on:
• the species – beef, lamb or pork
• the breed of animal
• the age of the animal
• how the animal was fed
• the particular muscle from which the cut of meat was taken
Activities
Ask groups within the class to research different cuts of meat. Challenge
the students to identify which cuts of meat contain the most of each of the
following:
• bone
• connective tissue
• marbling
• lean muscle
Students could also identify the types of cooking techniques which may be
suitable for these different cuts of meat.
Summary
•Red meat, comes mainly from: cattle (beef), pigs (pork) and sheep (lamb).
•Lean meat is the muscle tissue of animals which is made up of bundles of
muscle fibres held together by creamy white connective tissue.
•Connective tissue is made up of two proteins called collagen and elastin.
•Two different types of fat can be found in meat, visible and invisible.
•The colour of meat varies due to the red protein called myoglobin and
some haemoglobin remaining in the muscles. Exposure to oxygen
increases the red colour of meat.
•Lean meat consists of water, protein, fats, vitamins and minerals.
For further information and support, go
to:
www.meatandeducation.com

Meat Structure

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STRUCTURE OF MEAT

Meat products handbook by

Tendons join the muscle (made up of bundles

Fine muscle fibres

They contain little collagen and are tender

They have more connective tissue to

This type of meat is tougher and needs

• In tough meat the fibres are longer and

• Tough meat needs moist slow cooking to make

• Tender meat can be cooked by frying, grilling

Activity Meat from the more active

Incorrect The method must suit the

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