Marbling Effect In Meat

The presence of marbling has an extremely positive effect on the eating quality of beef in terms of tenderness juiciness moisture and flavour.

Marbling effect in meat.

The term marbling refers to the small flecks of fat scattered throughout the muscle. But at temperatures of 125 f and below marbling actually has an adverse effect on steak quality. A high quality steak will have a lot of marbling while a lean cut will have very little or no. A well marbled steak is a truly beautiful thing and there s a reason why we re willing to pay top dollar to get it.

For example breeds such as wagyu a bos taurus breed of cattle marble extensively. Marbling is so named because the streaks of fat resemble a marble pattern. What exactly is marbling and why is it so desirable. The unmelted fat gives steak a slightly waxy and unpleasant texture.

The fat makes the meat softer and easier to chew as there is simply less muscle fibre and collagen per unit volume of meat. When cooked rare or blue rare marbling fails to melt. Marbling is the white flecks of intramuscular fat in meat most notably red meat. The fat in lean muscle creates a marble pattern hence the name.

Marbling affects meat s juiciness tenderness texture and flavor attributes that determine eating experience in this case more of all the above is better. An expert on skeletal muscle growth in cattle helped lead a study examining. Marbling intramuscular fat is the intermingling or dispersion of fat within the lean. Marbling is affected by genetics and nutritional management.

Overcooking is marbling s worst nightmare since it renders all the fat out of the meat leaving behind a dry and tough steak without the moist flavors we know and love. It is possible to achieve good eating quality without marbling. Marbling keeps the meat moist during cooking so natural juices don t evaporate in the pan. Marbling has a positive effect on eating quality in many high value cuts.

May 5 2016 source. The effect of marbling on beef eating quality. Increasing marbling in beef without increasing overall fatness date. Well we ll tell you marbling simply refers to the fat found within a cut of meat and between the muscle fibers themselves.

It does have a positive effect on eating quality and it is this marbling that contributes to the juiciness and flavour of meat. This produces a rich buttery texture and enhances the bold beefy flavor of the meat. In general the more marbling it contains the better a cut of meat is. Degree of marbling is the primary determination of quality grade.

Also called intramuscular fat marbling adds flavor and is one of the main criteria for judging the quality of cuts of meat. Graders evaluate the amount and distribution of marbling in the ribeye muscle at the cut surface after the carcass has been ribbed between the 12th and 13th ribs. The result is a far tastier steak.