MSU Students Learn What Makes Good Meat

By Carol Flaherty

04/25/00 BOZEMAN, Mont. - Most of us cut into a steak and decide whether we like it or not. Students in Montana State University's Meat Science class try to learn why we like it or not.

Barry McCoy, from Bishop, Calif.in MSU's meat science class.

Of course, the students study the cows and the cuts, but they also are briefed on the chemical compounds that produce "off" flavors and aromas, and what conditions for the animal and the later meat contribute to those flavors or prevent them.

Vacuum-packing gets a hearty endorsement, since it slows oxidation and decay of meat. However, that is one of the last steps. The students first learn about the U. S. meat industry and that of other countries, about the growth and development of livestock and the hormones affecting that growth. They look at the slaughter process and the resulting meat inspection and grading.

All of those things might seem "givens" in the competitive world of meats. But the students also learn about muscle proteins, the relationship of animal stress to resulting meat quality (calmer is better), and about meat lipids, meat grading, meat microbiology, and the 1,000 volatile compounds that affect meat flavor. It's because of this in-depth approach that the prerequisites of this class are organic chemistry, biology.

"It's very important to understand the basics behind meat," says Jane Ann Boles, who teaches the Meat Science class. "If you understand how something works, its easier to think through answers.

"I want to help students understand meat as a product, and everything that goes into making that a good and safe product," says Boles. "When they first come into class, students think meat safety is simple. They don't understand that everything has to be right to result in a good product."

Jane Boles teaching Montana State University's Meat Science Class

The class work is aided by a weekly lab that includes live animal evaluation of pigs, lambs and cattle, followed by carcass evaluation and cut identification of the three species.

Melissa Kovanda-Kramer of Columbus, in white hat,
takes notes during meat science class.

Tawnya Rupe in MSU's Meat Science Class

Send questions or comments to Carol Flaherty, MSU Communications Services, Bozeman, MT 59717: carolf@montana.edu.

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