Fresh Meat

Yoshihiko Tomioka , in Food Packaging, 1990

1 Advantages of Boxed Beef

The reasons that boxed beef has been preferred by distributors and retailers as wholesale packaging can be summarized as follows:

1.

Weight loss and drying can be prevented: Bags for meat cuts have low moisture transmission rate.

2.

It is hygienic: Meats are protected from contamination by dust or bacteria by packaging films. These films have very low oxygen permeability, thus preventing the growth of aerobic bacteria that are responsible for meat spoilage.

3.

Maintenance of good meat color and good meat quality: If the meat is kept in the open air, the meat pigment myoglobin is oxydized to metmyoglobin, giving an undesirable brown color. But, if the meat is packaged with films with low oxygen permeability, myoglobin is maintained at a reduced level (purplish red color), and on exposure to the air, myoglobin is oxygenated to oxymyoglobin, which assumes a bright red color (Hood and Riordan, 1973).

In the same way, these packaging materials retain the other qualities of meat, such as flavor, texture, and juiciness, for a longer period than without packaging, thus providing prolonged edibility (Seideman and Durland, 1983).

4.

Operations can be centralized: In a well-equipped plant, dividing and packaging can be concentrated in one place. This enables more efficient use of labor and by-products.

5.

Rational distribution is possible:

(a)

Boxed beef reduces weight of shipment by some 20–25%, and thus reduces space and freight costs.

(b)

The sizable boxes are convenient for handling and stacking.

(c)

Standardized boxes bearing bar codes make possible movement through the plant and automatic palleting (Mans, 1980).

6.

Ease of inventory control: Each box bears labels that clarify its production date, parts name, and weight. Packers can deliver products in order, according to the record (or computer memory), on shipping requirements. Store managers can utilize a necessary amount of meat cuts stored in their own refrigerator at any required moment.

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Historical perspectives of the meat and animal industry and their relationship to animal growth, body composition, and meat technology

Steven M. Lonergan , ... Dennis N. Marple , in The Science of Animal Growth and Meat Technology (Second Edition), 2019

The Change to Added-Value Products

In the 1990s, many of the traditional packing companies expanded from commodity products, such as boxed beef and pork, to value-added meat products; for example, ready-to-consume roasts, chops, deli products, taco meat, pizza toppings, and hors d'oeuvres. IBP, Hormel Foods, Oscar Mayer, and Cargill are examples of the traditional packing companies that expanded into premium, added-value food products. Some of the expansion was by the purchase of established food companies that already had outstanding markets. This was another major change in the historical development of the meat industry. The new added-value concept was expanded to "ready-to-serve" meat and food products that included complete dinners that could be heated in a microwave oven for a very convenient way to serve a family meal ( Fig. 1.13).

Fig. 1.13

Fig. 1.13. An example of added-value meat products.

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The role of quantitative risk assessment in assessing and managing risks related to microbial food pathogens

G. Duffy , in Improving the Safety of Fresh Meat, 2005

26.3.2 E. coli O157:H7 in minced beef in the Republic of Ireland

A national quantitative risk assessment has recently been completed for minced beef in The Republic of Ireland (Duffy et al., 2004 ). The quantitative risk assessment is broken into three 3 main modules: (i) production of boxed beef trimmings; (ii) processing of trimmings and burger formation; and (iii) retail/domestic/consumption phase. These modules are modelled separately with each preceding module acting as an input into the next. The exposure assessment is unique in that at key points in each module (beef hide, beef trimmings and beef products at retail) the models are being validated using data derived from microbiology sampling at beef abattoirs, supermarkets and butchers shops in Ireland ( O'Brien et al., 2003; Cagney et al., 2004). The microbial data generated indicated the following levels of contamination: beef hide (prevalence 7.4%; concentration < log100.13–2.97 CFU/100 cm2); beef trimmings (prevalence 1.7%, concentration < log100.13–log100.65); and minced beef products at retail (prevalence 2.8%, concentration < log100.52– 4.03 CFU g−1). Data for the retail/domestic part of the model are based on a mixture of qualitative data derived from a questionnaire survey of Irish consumer food-handling practices, backed up by storage temperature data and microbial data from Irish retail and domestic settings. The consumption data is derived from an Irish Food Consumption Survey carried out by the Irish Universities Nutrition Alliance in 2001 (www.iuna.net).

In the developed model, variability and uncertainty in the input parameters are incorporated by the construction of a second-order model by means of probabilistic distributions. As @Risk does not facilitate the separation of variability and uncertainty a macro was developed in Visual Basic to deal with this task. The model also takes into account the error associated with the methods used to obtain the microbiological data used in the exposure assessment.

The developed models for each modular stage give a prediction which agrees well with the experimentally derived results. Sensitivity analysis on the draft model indicates that initial prevalence and numbers of E. coli O157:H7 on the beef hide and the prevalence and numbers of E. coli O157:H7 on the beef trimmings (used in burger production) have the most impact on the level of E. coli O157:H7 to which the consumer is exposed.

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Vacuum Packaging of Meat☆

T.E. Lawrence , D.H. Kropf , in Reference Module in Food Science, 2018

Benefits of Vacuum Packaging

Vacuum packaging offers some special benefits because of the extended product life, reduced weight loss through the control of evaporation, protection against contamination, preservation of color, and improved eating characteristics because of the longer aging that is possible in vacuum bags. These benefits led to the 'boxed beef' program (vacuum packaging and placing beef subprimal cuts in conveniently sized boxes) developed originally by Iowa Beef Processors (later named IBP, Inc. and, today, Tyson Foods, Inc.). This system offered huge benefits because bones and fat trim were retained at the slaughter– fabrication plant and not shipped to retail stores. This allows huge savings in transport space and in cost and results in fresher fat trim and bones for rendering. Vacuum-packaged subprimal cuts in boxes holding approximately 9–27  kg were more easily handled at individual stores and their use facilitated quicker cutting and retail packaging of retail cuts. The system also lends itself to enhanced marketing flexibility, as individual retail market managers can order a product mix to suit their anticipated business.

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MEAT PRICING SYSTEMS

G.T. Tonsor , in Encyclopedia of Meat Sciences (Second Edition), 2014

Public Policy Issues in Meat Pricing Systems

The growing importance of base livestock prices as inputs into arrangements of vertically integrated systems and associated concerns with possible market power of industry segments characterized by fewer and larger entities have resulted in several public policy issues. For instance, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has a long history of reporting cash prices from direct trade of slaughter hogs with similar practices in place for other US livestock. However, the portion of slaughter hogs marketed in negotiated cash markets has fallen from 43% in 1997 to less than 5% in 2010. The declining market share of livestock being transacted in cash markets has led to numerous calls for new regulation and industry adjustment. These and other related concerns ultimately led to mandatory price reporting of prices in live hogs, fed cattle, boxed beef, lamb, and boxed lamb markets under the authority of the US Livestock Mandatory Reporting Act of 1999. These mandatory price reporting systems have recently been reauthorized through 2015 and now include wholesale pork products. Broadly speaking, the introduction of corresponding mandatory price reports by the USDA has altered the pricing efficiency of the US meat industry by providing information, which in some cases at least partially replaces previously reported prices and in other cases provides entirely new insights to the industry. Although assessing the net benefit/cost of these reports is beyond the scope of this discussion, an appreciation of several aspects is needed, including the public and private industry costs underlying generation of these reports, the provision of new information such as wholesale primal level prices previously not reported publically, and the value of these reports in supplementing insights obtained directly from the reduced set of direct cash market transactions.

A related policy issue pertains to the actions of meat processors, including a particularly focused discussion on the impact of various livestock procurement procedures. Several producer groups have expressed concern that processor procurement strategies have resulted in detrimental impacts on cash market prices. This concern has led to notable public interest in the issue including an extensive Congressionally funded study completed in 2007. This interest has persisted with the USDA proposing changes, which ultimately were largely not implemented at the time of this writing, as recently as 2012. Given the underlying changes in industry structure that are expected to continue, there will remain a complex set of public policy issues to be considered and debated regarding meat pricing systems well into the future. Moreover, similar discussions can be expected in other meat-producing countries that may have similar experiences to the US and yet have alternative histories of public price information provision and expectations.

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FOOD AND NUTRITIONAL ANALYSIS | Meat and Meat Products

M. O'Keeffe , in Encyclopedia of Analytical Science (Second Edition), 2005

Sampling and Preparation

Meat and other edible tissues of animals are difficult samples to analyze because of the nonuniformity and inherent instability of the sample. Because of the high water content (⩾70%) of raw meat, meat samples are particularly prone to change either in storage or during preparation for analysis. This is more of a problem for raw meat than for meat products, which are often 'stabilized' by some of the constituents added to the meat or by the processing procedures (cooking, curing) used.

In the case of raw carcass meat, another problem is that of obtaining a representative sample. Because the muscles of the animal (the primal cuts) are irregular in shape and in fat content, samples for analysis must be clearly defined in terms of anatomical position. In the case of boxed beef, which is used in meat processing, it is important to have a sample representative of the total content, particularly in terms of lean and fat.

Samples of meat are taken either from defined locations, as multiple subsamples over the entire material, which are combined to form the analytical sample, or as a single sample after comminuting and mixing to ensure homogeneity. Preferably raw meat samples should be analyzed immediately but, if this is not possible, refrigerated or frozen storage is required to prevent (reduce) alteration to the sample.

Having defined the batch that is to be sampled, the sampling must be such as to ensure that the batch will be characterized adequately from the analyses. The number of samples to be taken from a batch depends on criteria such as the number of discrete units in the batch, the importance of the analyte, and the confidence required from the results. Since these are subjective or variable criteria, the number of samples is determined initially and then particular procedures of sampling are followed.

The sampling of meat and meat products is covered by an International Standard (ISO 3100-1: 1991). This standard gives general instructions and specifies procedures to be followed for taking primary samples and is intended primarily for commercial, rather than regulatory purposes. It distinguishes between units not exceeding 2   kg in weight, which are treated as a sample, and carcasses or meat cuts exceeding 2   kg in weight, from which secondary samples of 0.5–1   kg may be taken. The above standard deals with issues such as the inertness of the containers and the integrity of closures and the necessity to store and transport samples at 0–2°C (for analyses to be completed within 24   h) or frozen (where longer storage is required). The standard also describes the use of seals and the information to be attached to the sample container label.

Before analysis, meat samples must be ground in a suitable mincer or bowl-cutter to produce a homogeneous sample. Connective tissue is a particularly difficult component of the meat sample to homogenize and this is of importance in collagen analysis. Suitable comminution of meat samples is specified as a mincer (meat chopper) plate size of 4   mm or less.

Equipment used for sample preparation must be dry and clean and may be cooled or chilled. Speedy sample preparation is required to reduce heating and consequent evaporation of water, which would affect the determination of moisture content. Blades must be sharp to achieve consistent and fast comminution. Samples (preferably well chilled or slightly frozen) may be prepared by passing through a meat chopper or mincer multiple (3×) times, often using plates of decreasing size where the sample is very large. Often, quite small samples are received for analysis and a bottom-driven bowl cutter may be more appropriate.

In the case of meat products that are a composite (such as meat-filled pies), the analysis may require separation of the sample into its constituent parts, weighing of each part, and analysis as separate samples.

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The Storage and Preservation of Meat

Youling L. Xiong , in Lawrie´s Meat Science (Eighth Edition), 2017

7.2.3 Meat Tenderness Changes During Chill Storage

The greatest benefit of postmortem chill storage (aging) of carcasses or deboned wholesale cuts is tenderness improvement due to myofibril degradation and, to a lesser extent, improved solubility of collagen, which are caused by muscle endogenous proteases. For beef, significant tenderness improvements can be achieved within the first 2   days postmortem, but generally it requires more than 2   weeks for the tenderness to reach the desirable level of consumer acceptance, i.e., about 3   kg of Warner–Bratzler shear force (Taylor et al., 1995). Because primal cuts are usually vacuum packaged and boxed for wholesale distribution and subsequent inventory storage at the retail store, the time elapsed before the meat is put on retail display usually has passed 2 weeks. The fabrication of carcasses for boxed beef has replaced the traditional dry aging of beef and lamb carcasses.

At least four groups of proteolytic enzymes are implicated in tenderness improvement of aged meat, namely, calpains, cathepsins, caspases, and proteasome (Kemp et al., 2010). μ-Calpain and m-calpain are isomers requiring micromolar (μM) and millimolar (mM) range calcium concentrations for maximal activity (Edmunds et al., 1991). Since the calcium concentration in cytosol is in the micromolar range, μ-calpain seems to play a major role in the degradation of myofibrillar proteins, and hence, meat tenderization postmortem. Calpains are able to degrade titin, nebulin, desmin, tropomyosin, troponin-T, and C-proteins, but do not affect myosin and actin (Goll et al., 1983). Cleavages of these proteins lead to the disruption of the Z-disks. Because calpains can reproduce all the proteolytic changes in meat under normal aging conditions, it is believed that the calpain protease system plays a dominant role in meat tenderization (Koohmaraie et al., 1986). Calpains are susceptible to autolysis and are regulated by their endogenous inhibitor calpastatin. Moreover, the low pH condition (pH 5.5–5.6) in postrigor muscle tissue would also limit the enzyme activity. These two factors explain why even undergoing a lengthy aging period, meat rarely becomes mushy.

Cathepsins are a group of acidic lysosomal proteases believed to be involved in the postmortem tenderization of meat as well. Five of the catheptic endopeptidases have been extensively studied, i.e., cathepsins B, D, E, H, and L (Ouali et al., 1987). These proteases are capable of degrading most of the same substrates affected by calpain and, additionally, are effective against myosin and actin. However, the role of cathepsins in meat postmortem aging is subject to debate because cathepsins in intact muscle tissue are confined within the lysosomal apparatus, i.e., not in direct contact with myofibrils as do calpains. Moreover, these proteases have a very low pH requirement for optimal activity. In fact, cathepsins have a high affinity for myosin and actin, neither of which shows a degradation pattern in muscle that undergoes normal aging (Asghar and Bhatti, 1987). Nevertheless, it is generally accepted that during prolonged aging, lysosomal membrane is disrupted, and the released cathepsins will diffuse into the intermyofilamental space to initiate protein degradation (Moeller et al., 1977).

The "multicatalytic proteinase complex" (MCP) is another possible enzyme system involved in postmortem changes in muscle structure. The 20S proteasome is the catalytic core of the enzyme complexes that have been studied for its potential role in meat tenderness. According to Robert et al. (1999), bovine proteasome is capable of degrading myofibrillar proteins, including nebulin, myosin, actin, and tropomyosin. Such proteolytic changes induced by 20S proteasome have been linked to improved tenderness of meat (Thomas et al., 2004). However, the degradation pattern of myofibrillar proteins by 20S proteasome does not mimic the degradation pattern observed in postmortem muscle, suggesting that MCP may not have a significant role in meat aging.

Another concept that has been introduced to explain meat tenderization is "programmed cell death" (Herrera-Mendez et al., 2006). A large group of cysteine peptidases, known as "caspases," which are involved in the apoptosis and elimination of dead cells, appear to participate in muscle fiber disruption through degrading myofibrillar proteins. Caspases involved in apoptosis are subdivided into initiator caspases (e.g., caspases 8, 9, 10, and 12) and effector caspases (e.g., caspases 3, 6, and 7), depending on their location on the cell death pathway (Earnshaw et al., 1999). Caspases remain active in postmortem muscle and their role in meat tenderization is attributed to their ability to inactivate calpastatin thereby promoting the activity of calpains (Kemp and Parr, 2012). However, the exact role and biochemical mechanism of caspases in meat aging and tenderization are not fully elucidated.

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51st International Congress of Meat Science and Technology (ICoMST)

Melvin N. Kramer , ... J. David Weidner , in Meat Science, 2005

In 1998, Colorado Boxed Beef operating in Florida announced a recall of 359,000 pounds of ground beef possibly contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. FSIS requested that the firm recall the product based on a presumptive positive on a routine sample obtained by the Florida Department of Agriculture. The presumptive positive result was not confirmed by a more accurate 48-h test. In addition to the lack of confirmation on the meat sample, the recall was announced thirteen days after the latest use by date. Ultimately, one pound was recovered and no illnesses were ever associated with this product. The lack of confirmed scientific evidence and the date that the product recall was announced offered minimal to no benefit to the public's health.

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An overview on production, consumer perspectives and quality assurance schemes of beef in Mexico

G.M. Parra-Bracamonte , ... J.F. Vázquez-Armijo , in Meat Science, 2020

3 Beef processing and retail

In 2018 there were 44% federal, 33% private, and 21% slaughterhouses in Mexico (COMECARNE, 2018). Beef designated for export markets is processed under federal inspection while beef destined for domestic consumption can be processed in federal, private or municipal slaughterhouses (INEGI, 2017).

Meat marketing in most of Mexico was historically hot carcass based. However, Peel et al., 2011 indicated that chilled carcass sales where the most frequent and hot carcass markets in 2011 were declining. Additionally, an increasing amount of meat is marketed and sold in units of primal cuts of carcass (forequarters and hindquarters) resembling Spanish-style cuts, while boxed beef is sold mostly in northern states ( Peel et al., 2011). Changes in retailing, especially through rapidly expanding supermarkets and growth in away-from-home consumption, are part of a large set of lifestyle changes causing significant shifts in market infrastructure, marketing practices and product specialization within the industry (Peel et al., 2011).

Historically, beef production in Mexico evolved into two different domestic meat markets. The first market was located in the northern states where heifers were finished in USA type feedlot systems and then processed into American style beef cuts. The second market developed throughout Mexico where beef was predominantly consumed as Spanish-style thinly sliced beef used for slow cooking methods (Peel, Mathews & Johnson, 2011) and the very popular charcoal grilled "carne asada" (Peel, Mathews & Johnson, 2011; Taddei et al., 2012; Narchi, Búrquez, Trainer, & Rentería-Valencia, 2015). These markets changed with the increased urbanization of the Mexican population (Peel, 2005).

There is no evidence of a preferred style of beef cut throughout Mexico, therefore there is still a need to characterize the types of cuts consumers prefer, their characteristics and their way of preferred preparation. Some Mexican retailers have developed merchandising strategies for type of cuts and cutting style that best align with the preferences of local consumers (Huerta-Leidenz & Ledesma-Solano, 2010). Huerta-Leidenz, Ruíz-Flores, Maldonado-Siman, Valdéz & Belk (2014) surveyed consumers and found that the most frequently offered imported beef cuts from the USA in supermarkets in the five largest cities of Mexico were derived from the round and chuck and were preferred to those from rib and loin. These authors also reported a high frequency (25%) of whole muscle cuts not labeled by the retailer that were called "undetermined". Other studies have only differentiated cuts based on popular or specialized beef cuts (Table 1) and use this as a reference for cheaper or expensive priced beef cuts (COMECARNE, 2018). Nonetheless, exact information on what proportion or type of beef cuts that are preferred or offered to Mexican consumers has not yet been documented and are likely to vary between regions. For example, rib-eye and ojo de chuleta is the same beef cut but differentiate in thickness when compared as an American-style cut with a thickness of one inch and a Mexican-style with a maximum thickness of 20 mm (Ngapo et al., 2017).

Table 1. Published studies of cut preference, purchase decision and other traits influencing the Mexican consumers purchase of beef and, where given the percent of consumers using these traits to make their purchase.

Study Sample size Method Region Cut preference a (% consumers preferring cut) Purchase decision b (Reported trait %) Most important traits in the purchase decision (reported % when available) b Other important traits in purchase decision (reported % when available) b
Nuñez et al., 2010 300 Interview North Cheaper meat cuts (&gt;80) Easy to prepare
Tradition
Price
Presentation		 Colour (62), odor (30), consistency, juiciness. Packaging, marbling.
Arana et al., 2012 514 Interview All Quality (73)
Freshness (71)		 Point of purchase management (61), diseases management (54),
slaughter date (57).		 Slaughterhouse type (41), finishing management (34).
Nuñez-Lopez et al., 2012 1505 Interview North cheaper meat cuts (&gt;40%)
specialized (⁓10%)		 Tradition (46)
Easy to prepare (43)
Price 29%		 Colour (48), consistency (26), juiciness (30). Odor, packaging, marbling.
Taddei et al., 2012 1158 Interview Northwest cheaper meat cuts (80)
specialized (10)
Both (10)		 Likeness
Flavour
Convenience of point of purchase		 Freshness, flavour, hygiene.
Tellez-Delgado et al., 2012 440 Interview Central cheaper meat cuts (68.4)
specialized (0.7)
both (10.5)		 Price
Freshness		 Freshness.
Huerta-Sanabria et al., 2015 420 Interview Central South Southeast Price (74)
Quality (67)		 Colour (82), odor (75), flavour (56), Point of purchase management (54), diseases management (58), slaughter date (62). Finishing management (28), origin (2), slaughterhouse type (34).
Ngapo et al., 2017 488 Interview
Survey		 Central
West
North		 Little fat cover (62)
Less marbling (59)		 Marbling, quantity of fat, lean colour. Fat colour.
Schroeder et al., 2006 993 Interview
Survey		 Central
West
North		 Freshness (59.6)
Colour (47.4)
Price (44.8)		 Freshness, colour. Preparation time (14), organic (12), traceability (9).
a
Cheaper meat cuts: cuts from less expensive pieces of the carcass: Ground beef, Round, Chuck, Steak, Grilling cut. Specialized: specific cuts related to more quality beef, special dishes and imported beef: rib eye, T-bone, New York, Sirloin, Arrachera.
b
Purchase decision and importance of quality characteristics and their percentage (when available) are presented as published in the revised studies. Purchase decision was considered as the traits or characteristics that explicitly were indicated as most important for the consumer beef purchase. Most and Less important quality traits were designated by the most mentioned (or elected) and less mentioned (or elected) beef quality trait or characteristic considered by the consumer when purchase beef.

A source of homogeneous and continuous feeder cattle is a pre-requisite to obtain a consistent product, which only can be achieved if all the links in the production chain, from the breeding through to the feeder of cattle are integrated and focused on a final product demanded by consumer. Currently, the breeding objectives in most of the around 40 breeds of beef cattle in Mexico are focused on liveweight (Parra-Bracamonte et al., 2016). This highlights the lack of a Mexican beef classification system based on final product recognition and financial incentives for carcass grade or primal and subprimal cuts.

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