Meat: Conversion of Muscle into Meat

Abstract

Transformation of muscle to meat involves biochemical and metabolic processes induced by the animals' tissues in an attempt to retain homeostatic control. The size, extent, and timing of these responses postharvest can significantly affect the development of meat quality. A brief review of muscle structure is given and the profound influences of biochemistry on muscle structure and quality are discussed. Aberrations in meat quality are usually a result of a divergence from normal muscle biochemistry, due to variations in the genetics of the animal, stress preharvest, or chilling and freezing of the muscle and these factors are also discussed.