Factors Affecting Meat Quality in Ruminant Animals: Red Meat Quality From Farm to Table

Öz

Meat is one of the basic protein sources rich in essential amino acids used in human nutrition. In addition to essential amino acids, it also contains minerals, vitamins and fatty acids in its structure. A large portion of the meat needed worldwide is obtained from ruminant animals such as cattle, sheep and goats. Meat quality characteristics can be examined in two categories as internal and external quality factors. Internal factors refer to physiological characteristics such as the appearance quality characteristics of meat (colour, texture, amount of intramuscular fat, fat colour, drip and clearance loss, etc.) and eating quality characteristics (softness, flavour, juiciness) that vary according to factors such as the type, breed and gender of the animal. External factors refer to the safety quality characteristics of meat products (microorganism load, physical and chemical residues, food additives). Many properties used as quality criteria in meats, such as chemical composition, pH, color, water holding capacity, softness, hardness, crispness, texture, flavor, spoilage and contamination, can be defined instrumentally. These features are considered as criteria for meeting consumers' expectations of quality meat. Consumers consider meats with high marbling rate, bright red color, moderate visible fat content and fresh meat odor as quality meat. On the other hand, meats that have lost their original meat color specific to the species they belong to, have relatively low marbling rate, excessive visual fat content and abnormal meat odor are considered as low quality meats. In this article, genetic factors affecting the quality of red meat obtained from ruminant animals, management factors, animal nutrition and feeding strategies, slaughtering of animals and the effects of subsequent treatments on meat quality are examined.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Meat quality
• Ruminant
• Quality parameters
• Consumer preference

Ruminant Hayvanlarda Et Kalitesini Etkileyen Faktörler: Çiftlikten Sofraya Kırmızı Et

Öz

Et, insanların beslenmesinde kullanılan esansiyel amino asitler bakımından zengin temel protein kaynaklarından birisidir. Yapısında esansiyel amino asitlerden başka mineral, vitamin ve yağ asitlerini de içerir. Dünya genelinde ihtiyaç duyulan et miktarının büyük bir bölümü sığır, koyun ve keçi türü ruminant hayvanlardan elde edilmektedir. Et kalite özellikleri içsel ve dışsal kalite faktörleri olarak iki kategoride incelenebilir. İçsel faktörler, hayvanın türü, ırkı ve cinsiyeti gibi faktörlere göre değişen etin görünüm kalite özellikleri (renk, tekstür, kas içi yağ miktarı, yağ rengi, damlama ve tasfiye kaybı, vs.) ve yeme kalite özellikleri (yumuşaklık, lezzet, sululuk) gibi fizyolojik özellikleri ifade etmektedir. Dışsal faktörler ise et ürünlerinin güven kalite özelliklerini (mikroorganizma yükü, fiziksel ve kimyasal kalıntılar, gıda katkı maddeleri) ifade etmektedir. Etlerde kalite kriteri olarak kullanılan kimyasal bileşim, pH, renk, su tutma kapasitesi, yumuşaklık, sertlik, gevreklik, tekstür, lezzet, bozulma ve kontaminasyon gibi birçok özellik enstrümantal olarak tanımlanabilmektedir. Bu özellikler, tüketicilerin kaliteli et beklentilerinin karşılanmasında kriter olarak değerlendirilmektedir. Tüketiciler, mermerleşme oranı yüksek, parlak kırmızı renkli, orta düzeyde görünür yağ içeren ve taze et kokusuna sahip etleri kaliteli et olarak değerlendirmektedirler. Buna karşın ait olduğu türe özgü orijinal et rengini kaybetmiş, mermerleşme oranı nispeten daha az, aşırı görsel yağ içeren, anormal et kokusuna sahip etler ise düşük kaliteli etler olarak değerlendirilir. Bu makalede ruminant hayvanlardan elde edilen kırmızı etlerin kalitesini etkileyen genetik faktörler, yönetimle ilgili faktörler, hayvan besleme ve yemleme stratejileri, hayvanların kesimi ve daha sonra ete uygulanan işlemlerin et kalitesi üzerindeki etkileri incelenmiştir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Et kalitesi
• Ruminant
• Kalite parametreleri
• Tüketici tercihi

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