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4. Electrical stimulation - passing an electric current through the carcase shortly after killing
also encourages muscle relaxation and prevents cold shortening. This speeds up the onset of
rigor mortis (setting) before the meat is chilled. This also reduces the amount of weep or
fluid loss (which is not blood) that seeps from cut meat surfaces.

Meat cuts:
Complete, dressed beast; that is, minus
Carcase
head, hide, hooves, and entrails.
One side of a carcase, split along the
Side
backbone.

A side cut into two sections-forequarter and
Quarter
hindquarter
First cuts after quartering a carcase. Bones
Primary Cuts and connective tissues are intact and
individual muscles have not been separated.
Divided cuts or second cuts. Usually boned,
Secondary Cuts trimmed, trussed or rolled and ready to
portion or cook.
Prepared, trimmed and shaped for
immediate use. Can be purchased from a
Restaurant Cuts
butcher but are usually prepared by kitchen
staff.
Purchasing

When selecting meats for purchase, or when selecting cuts from stores, read for use, a number of
characteristics must be taken into consideration:

1. Freshness. Meat should be moist, but not slimy. It should smell fresh. Its colour should be
appropriate for the type of meat; that is, veal is pale, beef is red, pork should be pale and
pink, lamb should be dark pink. The meat should be firm, not sticky or stringy. Meat should
be well packaged or trayed - not sitting in pools of blood or liquid.
Vacuum seals on unopened vacuum packed meats must be intact. Frozen meats should show
no evidence of freezer burn-dehydration. Frozen meats should be well frozen when delivered,
transported in freezer vans or containers and checked for any evidence of thawing or
thawing and refreezing. Liquid in bags, or excess frozen liquid in bags, might indicate that
thawing has occurred. Products that do not meet quality requirements should be returned to
the supplier, if it is deemed the fault lies with the supplier, or wasted.
2. Marbling. This describes the intramuscular fat, which appears as fine flecks within the
muscle. It is deposited unevenly throughout the body, increasing through the carcase
towards the neck and decreasing towards the tail. It is the last fat to be deposited and the
first to be utilised by the animal as an energy source. Therefore, to maximise marbling,
animals must be on a high nutritional plane. Stress or fasting pre-slaughter can quickly
reduce the marbling score. Marbling potential can also be adversely affected by growth
restriction in early life, that is, poor nutrition. Marbling is also affected by genetics.

Marbling has a positive effect on the eating quality of some cuts, but it is only one of the
many factors affecting eating quality. High quality cuts of beef from young cattle that have
low marbling can have good eating quality; however, cuts from high marbling carcases can
fail to grade if other factors are poorly managed. All factors that interact to determine eating
quality need to be managed together. However, where all else is equal, enhanced marbling