Meat Science - 4 BEEF PRIMAL CUTS AND MUSCLE BIOLOGY

CHUCK BLADE

roast contains many small muscles and is easily identified by the blade bone located in the upper centre of this cut. Note also that rib bones and a portion of the backbone are located along the lower left portion of the cut. However, these bones may be removed from this large roast before it is packaged.

BEEF PRIMAL CUTS: RIBS

short ribs

What are the three different types of muscle

skeletal, cardiac, smooth

Cardiac muscle =

striated, involuntary, limited to heart

Skeletal muscle =

striated, voluntary, moves bones

TENDERLOIN

the most tender retail cut from the entire beef carcass. This muscle has a fine texture and is circular in shape

BEEF MUSCLE PRIMAL CUTS

- Chuck - Rib - Loin - round - brisket - flank

Beef value cuts

- Creating steaks out of more of the carcass - Discovering value in the chunk and round subprimals through muscle separation

BEEF PRIMAL CUTS: ROUND

- Round steak - top round - bottom round - eye round

BEEF PRIMAL CUTS: LOIN

- Sirloin - T Bone - Top loin - Tenderloin

Changes in the beef industry

- Whole side to boxed beef - Trimmed beef to case ready beef

Muscle utilisation for steaks - Shoulder clod (triceps brachii)

- shoulder center - top blade - shoulder tender

Muscle utilisation for steaks - Round knuckle (rectus femoris and vastus lateralis)

- tip center - tip side

EYE ROUND

A small, round, boneless steak. It usually has a layer of external fat on two sides

BRISKET

A very course textured muscle. The heavy layer of fat and the sternum or breast bone have been removed.

TOP ROUND

Boneless and the most tender of all round steaks. It consists of a large muscle called the top or inside round. Fat on the curved top surface, the cut surface on the left side & connective tissue along the bottom

Muscle utilisation for steaks - Bottom round (biceps femoris)

Bottom round

TOP LOIN

Cut from the end of the beef loin which contains the last or 13th rib. Has a large eye muscle, rib bone and part of the backbone.

T-BONE

Has the characteristic "T" shaped vertebrae and the large eye muscle. The smaller muscle located below the T-bone is the tenderloin.

SHORT RIBS

Small cubes containing a section of the rib bone and thin layers of muscles. The muscles of the chest perform considerable work and are therefore not very tender.

BEEF FLANK

The only steak in the carcass containing an entire large muscle. Also, the flank muscle fibres run the full length of the steak. To help tenderize these long fibres, note the knife scores across the cut.

BEEF PRIMAL CUTS: CHUCK

chuck blade

BOTTOM ROUND

identified by the heavy band of connective tissue between the muscles. Bottom Round is less tender than Top Round Steaks.

ROUND STEAK

identified by the round leg bone and three muscles. At the top of the screen is the top round, at the lower left is the bottom round, and lower right is the eye of the round.

SIRLOIN

located further back on the sirloin area of the beef loin. It has the greatest amount of lean and the least bone.

Myo-, Mys, or Sarco code for?

muscle

Moderately priced beef fill the void between?

premium steak and ground beef

Smooth muscle =

unstriated, involuntary, walls of tubes

Muscle Cells

• Large, long cells called FIBRES • Contain two types of proteins -actin and myosin • Excitable (irritable), contractile, extensible, and elastic

Functions of the Muscle

• Produces movement • Maintains posture • Stabilizes joints • Generates heat