Definition and Measurement of Meat Texture in Military Development and Procurement

Abstract

The need for improved texture evaluation methods in meat product development and procurement is discussed with emphasis on problems facing the Armed Forces. It is pointed out that inexpensive, reproducible, simple methods are needed similar to, for example, the rapid moisture analysis equipment now being used in chemical evaluation of foods.

Contributions of the Us Army Natick Research and Development Center to the Objective Measurement of the Textural Quality of Meat*

“…The needle penetrometer, developed by our Food Engineering Laboratory and discussed by Tuomy in this issue (Tuomy, 1976), is a good example of a rugged and simple device which can give relatively good correlations between mechanical measurements on raw meat and sensory ratings on the cooked product.…”

Descriptive Quality Analysis of Mutton

“…The confusion in correlations reported in the literature (Voisey 1976;Tuomy 1976) may also be attributed to the result of poorly understood and inadequate scales for reflecting sensory judgment and inconsistencies of the methodologies adapted, such as (1) wide range of variation in quality of the product not being presented to the panel for familiarization, (2) use of hedonic ratings for judging attributes and attempting to predict them through the intensity measures by the instruments (using simple linear regressions), (3) use of a combination of intensity and hedonic scoring methods, (4) use of small panels, (5) panel inadequacies in terms of its sensitivity and consistency, and (6) range of intensity of attributes covered for predictive purposes.…”

SENSORY QUALITY OF CHICKEN MEAT AS A FUNCTION OF ITS FATNESS: COMPARISON OF MEAT LOAF WITH MEAT COOKED IN WATER1

“…The logistical problems associated with the presentation of a cooked product based on a heterogeneous raw material such as chicken meat, are considerable. Inherent variation is to be expected between one animal and another, from muscle to muscle, and even from one end of a muscle to the other (Tuomy 1976). Unless there is some means of reducing this variation, the results obtained may be diffuse and imprecise, particularly from organized-subjective taste panels.…”