307 Lab Review: Meat Inspection Basics

Lab 1 - Orientation and Meat Inspection

• Essential knife types: Skinning Knife, Boning Knife, Steel, Scabbard.
• Knife Sharpening Procedures:
  • Grinding: Full replacement of knife edge, usually for new/abused knives.
  • Honing: Replacing edge post normal use.
  • Steeling: Regular edge maintenance at a 20-25 degree angle.
• HACCP: Stands for Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points; consists of 7 principles:
  • Conduct hazard analysis
  • Determine CCP (Critical Control Points)
  • Establish critical limits
  • Establish monitoring procedures
  • Establish corrective actions
  • Establish verification procedures
  • Establish record-keeping/documentation procedures
• Antemortem Inspection: Conducted prior to slaughter; identifies animals that are dead or disease-symptomatic.
• Postmortem Inspection: Conducted after slaughter; inspects carcass condition.
• Major meat inspection laws:
  • Meat Inspection Act of 1906: Federal inspection requirement in commerce, inspired by The Jungle.
  • Wholesome Meat Act (1967): Established "equal to" standards.
  • Pathogen Reduction and HACCP Systems (1996): Required testing and HACCP compliance after E.coli outbreak.
• SSOP: Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures; examples necessary for meat facility cleanliness.
• SRMs: Specified Risk Materials; in cattle, refers to BSE risk areas including tonsils and distal ileum.
• Inspection stamp color for "U.S. Inspected and Passed": Purple.

Lab 2 - Anatomy

• Four fat deposit types:
  • Perinephric: Internal fat (e.g., KPH)
  • Intermuscular: Seam fat
  • Subcutaneous: External fat
  • Intramuscular: Marbling
• Axial Skeleton: Comprises head, vertebral column, ribs, sternum.
• Appendicular Skeleton: Includes thoracic and pelvic limbs; the visceral skeleton is the Splanchnic Skeleton.
• Cattle vertebrae count:
  • Cervical: 7
  • Thoracic: 13
  • Lumbar: 6
  • Sacral: 5
  • Coccygeal: 18-20
• First cervical vertebrae names: Atlas and Axis.
• Head removal occurs between occipital condyles and atlas vertebrae.
• Ribs articulating with the sternum identified as Sternum Ribs.
• Endochondral Ossification: Describes the aging process of bones.
• Connective tissue layers in muscles:
  • Epimysium: Surrounds entire muscle
  • Perimysium: Surrounds muscle bundles
  • Endomysium: Surrounds individual fibers.
• Study diagrams of meat cuts and corresponding muscles.

Lab 3 - Pork Slaughter

• Stunning method: Electrical for pork slaughter.
• Key definitions:
  • DFD: Dark, Firm, Dry
  • PSE: Pale, Soft, Exudative
  • PSS: Porcine Stress Syndrome
• Feed is withheld 12-24 hours pre-slaughter to ease evisceration and minimize bacterial migration.
• Free access to water prior to slaughter enhances bleeding, color, and electrical stunning efficiency.
• Humane Slaughter Act mandates stunning before bleeding.
• Seasonal distinctions: Soft-hair season in Feb-April, Hard-hair season in Sept-Nov.
• Key processes:
  • Bunging: Prevents contamination and maintains sanitation.
  • Evisceration: Removal of internal organs.
• Carcass calculations: Dressing percentage formula: DP% = (Carcass Weight / Live Weight) x 100; typical dressing percentage for pigs is about 70%.
• Pork evaluation focuses on quality grading based on color, firmness, and marbling scores.
• Two quality grades for pork: US and US Utility.
• Minimal belly thickness for grading: 0.6 inches.
• IMPS: Institutional Meat Purchase Specifications; guides meat purchase.
• NAMP: North American Meat Processors Association; sets standards for meat cuts.
• URMIS: Uniform Retail Meat Identity Standards; standard labeling for fresh meat cuts.

Pork Fabrication

• Five principles of meat cutting:
  • Separate fat from lean.
  • Separate tough from tender cuts.
  • Separate thin from thick sections.
  • Separate valuable from less valuable cuts.
  • Cut across the grain for retail cuts.
• Lean cuts include: Ham, Loin, Boston Butt, Picnic Shoulder.
• Major wholesale "bony" cuts: Spareribs.
• Major wholesale "fat" cut: Belly.
• IMPS series for pork: 400.