ORGANOLEPTIC AND OTHER PROPERTIES

AND ABNORMALITIES OF MEAT

Colour (myoglobin, haemoglobin content) Odour/taste Flavour (Free amino acids, creatine, nucleotides,

IMP, carnosine, glucose, lower fatty acids, N-containing compounds: pyrazine, oxygen and/or sulphur containing ompounds)

Body condition Imperfect bleeding Rotting Stuffiness OTHERS

Colour

THE NORMAL COLOUR Scarlet (purple-red) (not exposed to atmospheric oxygen yet) Cherry-red (oxymyoglobin) Brownish-red (methmyoglobin, e.g. fish food that is rich in

unsaturated fatty acids) AFFECTED COLOUR

Green (verdochromin: decomposition or bacterial decay) Yellow 1. Pigment of internal origin, e.g juidance that is

pathologic or 2. Pigment of exogenous origin, e.g. mainly plant lipochromes

from feed) MEASUREMENT OF COLOUR

Photometrically

CHANGES IN COLOUR-YELLOW

NON-PATHOLOGIC (Developed on alimentary basis) LIPOCHROMATOSIS: Yellow discoloration is found usually in the

liver of cattle (Overfed with caroten. Palmitin) (Lipochromes: ether-soluble) Judgement:

Approved for human consumption (Only the liver is condemned: partial condemnation)

Condemned for human consumption (If accompanied with abnormal/musty odour)

YELLOW BACON: At slaughter when the meat is warm this kind of disorder cannot be seen. It appears at 24 hours after slaughter (Low level of antioxidants and high level of unsaturated fatty acids in the diet. Lipofuschin-like material is deposited) Judgement:

Approved for human consumption (It is suggested for industrial processing).

CHANGES IN COLOUR-YELLOW

PATHOLOGIC ICTERUS (Pathologic deposition of bile pigments: alcohol-

soluble) Ante-mortem: conjuctiva and mucosa of the mouth Post-mortem: So called white points are yellow:

Joints Tendons Fat deposits Serous membranes Aorta ascendens Sternum

CHANGES IN COLOUR-YELLOW

Judgement: In EU, any degree of icterus:Condemned

PIGMENTATION: BLACK

Pathologic deposition of melanin (Normally only in skin, hair, claw and hoof)

Localization: Subserously, Intramuscularly: fascia) Size: from lentil up to humans head Judgement:

According to the general (overall) judgment of tumors (Frequency, pattern of localization and shape)

Approved for h.c. (If they are in low number and easily can be removed) (It is suggested for industrial processing)

Condemned (If those are large-extended, metastatics cannot be trimmed perfectly)

EXAMINATION OF ODOUR (AND TASTE) BOILING (meat) and ROASTING (fat)

TESTS Carried out 24 hours after slaughter (The

meat easily takes up and releases odour, aeration of meat):

METHODS

Pour water into an empty pot enough to cover the meat and heat under cover. At boiling, put a fist-sized meat into the pot for 5-10 min. Take off fast, cut and take the smell immediately (smell escapes rapidly) (Odour is trapped by a shell of coagulated proteins and at cut it escapes rapidly)

Cut small pieces of meat into the pot that is filled with water. Boil under cover. Sometimes take off the cover and take the smell.

At roasting, the fat&bacon is cut for small pieces and it is started roasting slowly and continuously taking the smell

POSSIBLE JUDGEMENTS RELATED TO THE BOILING TEST No abnormal odour: Approved for human

consumption Strong abnormal odour: Condemned for

human consumption In EU: detected abnormality: condemned

SPECIFIED CASES WHEN BOILING TEST MUST BE CARRIED OUT

On occasion of any kind of special slaughter (emergency, casualty)

In case of cryptorchism In the presence of purulent-suppurative

processes/inflammation In case of supplementary laboratory meat

examination When toxicosis is suspected At re-examination of frozen meat (after defrosting)

(freezing can hide abnormalities)

ORIGIN OF ABNORMAL ODOURS (and taste) Alimentary (Fed on fish flour, beet root,

mouldy, yeast) Sexual (boar, scatol, androgens)

5 alpha androszteron Skatole Warm meat Most intensive Judgement after 24 h chilling, boiling test

ORIGIN OF ABNORMAL ODOURS Intravital

Perforation of rumen-reticulum uraemia, ascaridosis, purrulent-suppurative, and lab findings, stuffiness, medicines, chemical subst.)

Post-mortem: (Garlic, disinfecting agents, synthetic paints, anise) Ventillation ( at 7C or -18C)

Judgement: boiling test

CHANGES IN BODY CONDITION

Thin (poorness)(alimentation) (Non-pathologic) Emaciated (Pathologic) Cachexic (Pathologic) Thin: The musculature is firm, surface is dark, dry,

reduced quantity of fat around kidneys and the fat is hardening upon chilling, pH is normal.

Judgement: Approved for h.c. (Suggested for industrial processing)

CHANGES IN BODY CONDITION

Emaciated: The musculature is soft, light red, wet

surface, fat around kidneys is in reduced quantity and is hardening upon chilling but at some areas it is substituted for gelatinous material. pH is not characteristic.

In EU: Condemned

CHANGES IN BODY CONDITION

Cachexy: The bulk of musculature is reduced Muscles are soft with oedematic feature

(palpation) There is no adipose depots and are

substituted for gelatinous material Internal organs are smaller pH is not characteristic Judgement: Condemned for h.c.

IMPERFECT BLEEDING 1.Technical reason (Sticking) 2.Diseases (Tetany, Pseudorabies=Aujeszkys d., etc.),

Exhaustion, Stress. FINDING

Musculature is dark-red Parenchymal organs are rich in blood (congested) The vessels of the parietal serous membranes are full of blood

(engorgement of capillaries) and appear to the eye (Normally cannot be seen)

The vessels of subcutaneous connective tissue are well observable following removal of skin. Due to the developed high blood pressure, these vessels may be ruptured and the blood is streaming down (spleshing).

Judgement In EU: Any degree of imperfect bleeding: Condemned

Rotting Rotting is the result of bacterial activity that takes

place: Intravital infection upon stress or exhaustion when

microbes can get into the circulation from the intestines.

Post-mortem (Storage at higher temperature, core temperature is higher, storage at room temperature).

All those bacteria may be involved that have at least proteolytic enzymes.

Aerobe rotting (Pseudomonas spp capable of decomposing protein, fat, carbohydrates,

Proteus spp., Achromobacter spp, Micrococcus spp., Alcaligenes spp.) Bacterial decomposition: polyamines, putrescine, cadaverine, volatile carboxylic acids, indol, scatol, phenols, S-containing compounds, mercaptain, ammonia, H2S (small quantiy), acetic acid, butyric acid, proprionic acid, etc.

Starts developing superficially but deeper layers may also be affected (Penetrate into deeper layers along with connective tissues and vessels and fat is also decomposed).

Peptonization (The surface of muscle is covered by mucinous, sticky, grey layer and the fine structure of the muscle cannot be seen).

Aerobe rotting Judgement:

Superficial layer is removed and from the lower layer sample is taken for bacteriological evaluation and if it is negative, the meat is approved for h.c. (It is suggested for industrial processing)

Anaerobe ANAEROBE (Clostridia) It occurs mainly in the bulky muscles (Gas production,

Malignant oedema-Gas gangrene in any usual species) Judgement: Condemned for h.c.

Rotting Tests are based on the identification of the presence of

ammonia. Nessler test (Very sensitive) (Small watch-glass+meat+

Nessler reagent: KJ, HgJ2 and KOH) In the presence of ammonia an orange-colour complex (turbid)

is formed: mercury-ammonium iodide. Eber test (Chloride ions) (Mixture of

HCL:Alcohol:Ether=1:3:1)

Stuffiness Stuffiness is the result of chemical process/decomposition

upon some heat-surplus and H2S is formed from S-containing amino acids.

It occurs when carcasses are touched at storage (Only the overlapping surfaces are involved) and also after delayed evisceration.

The meat is light, soft, having particular sweatish-sour smell.

Judgement: In EU: Condemned

stuffiness Tests based on the identification of H2S Lead acetate or nitrate test

Cut small pieces of muscle into an Erlenmeyer flask. Pour on 10% sulphuric acid to cover the meat sample. Damp a paper strip that is already soaked by lead-acetate with distilled water and fixate hanging it by a cock inside the Erlenmeyer flask.

10 min later the test is positive if the strip becomes brown or black (Lead sulphite).

SOME OTHER CONDITIONS AND ABNORMALITIES OF MEAT

Anaemia: if mild conditionally approved, if body condition is poor: condemned

Oedema with good body condition, sets well, dried out during 12 hours rest: approved for human consumption

Tumors: localised and emovable: approved for human consumption, if extended, multiple malignant and not removable: condemned

Atrophy, hypertrophy, hyperplasia, dysplasia, aplasia: if localised partial condemnation if accompanied by emaciation or extended: condemned

SOME OTHER CONDITIONS AND ABNORMALITIES OF MEAT

Unborn, stillborn: total condemnation Congenital and hereditary malformation: condemnedand

parent approved or partial condemnation (depending on the body condition)

Abscesses:: Multiple septic foci (even if chronic) condemned. It is also condemned if even is single but is accompanied by toxaeia or anaemia or emaciation or septic, gangrenic wound

Meat of young animals is unfit for human consumption (disgusting, veal less than 8 days and pig younger than 14 days, lamb younger than 3 weeks). Pregnant females and up to 8 days after parturition.

SOME OTHER CONDITIONS AND ABNORMALITIES OF MEAT

Gangrene (e.g. ergot), abscess: depending on extension and if the abscess is encapsulated and no evidence for general/systemic changes and bacteriology, residue testing are negative, partial condemnation, otherwise total condemnation

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