Development of a system to quantify muscle fibre destructuration

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Meat Science
• Histology

Background:

• Muscle fiber structure modification, or destructuration, impacts meat quality and classification.
• Quantifying destructuration is crucial for regulatory compliance and product development in the meat industry.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a reliable method for quantifying muscle fiber destructuration.
• To introduce a new indicator, the Meat Destructuration Indicator (MDI), for assessing meat raw materials.

Main Methods:

• Histology and image analysis were employed to establish a quantification method.
• The Meat Destructuration Indicator (MDI) was calibrated against market practices and sensory assessments.
• A European panel of 126 professionals provided sensory data for validation.

Main Results:

• A reliable method for quantifying muscle fiber destructuration was established with 3.2% uncertainty.
• The MDI showed a strong correlation (0.95) with expert sensory panel assessments.
• A threshold of 58.1% for MDI was defined to distinguish between 'meat' and mechanically separated meat (MSM).

Conclusions:

• The MDI system provides a reliable and objective method for characterizing meat raw materials from mechanical recovery processes.
• This system aids in complying with regulations like EC No. 853/2004.
• The MDI can be utilized to investigate the relationship between processing parameters, destructuration, and final product characteristics.