Meat is an important food to meet nutritional needs. In addition to high-quality protein, in the flesh there is also an essential amino acid content is complete and balanced.
Another advantage, meat protein is more easily digested than that derived from vegetable oils. These foods also contain several types of minerals and vitamins.
Humans eat meat since the beginning of the history of human civilization itself. Various types of livestock have been developed for meat, both large livestock (like beef or buffalo) and small livestock (such as sheep, goats, and pigs). In addition to these types of livestock, some other animals can also be used as a source of meat for human consumption. However, most meat is sold beef.
There are several requirements that must be met by the cattle that will be cut in order to obtain good quality meat, namely
(1) livestock must be in good health, free from various types of diseases,
(2) cattle should be well-rested, not abused, and never experience stress for
maximum muscle glycogen content,
(3) slaughter and extravasation should be as fast and as perfect as possible,
(4) how cuts should be hygienic.
Level of elasticity
* Meat is a set of muscles attached to the frame. Distinguished from the term meat carcass. Meat is the part that contains no bone, while the carcass of meat that has not separated from the bones or skeleton.
Quality of meat is influenced by factors before and after cutting. Factors before deduction that can affect the quality of meat is genetic, species, nation, type of livestock, sex, age, and feed additives (hormones, antibiotics, and minerals), and the state of stress.
Factors affecting the cutting quality of the meat is pelayuan methods, cooking methods, the level of acidity (pH) meat, additional materials (including enzyme meat tenderizer), intramuscular fat (marbling), storage and preservation methods, types of muscle meat, and muscle location.
Types of meat can also be distinguished by the age of slaughtered cattle. The beef is cut at a very young age (3-14 weeks) is called veal, the color is very bright. The meat comes from young cattle aged 14-52 weeks is called calf (pedet), while older than one year is called beef.
Based on age, gender, and sexual condition, beef (beef) comes from:
(1) steer (castrated bull before it reaches adult sex),
(2) Heifer (cow, which had never given birth),
(3) cow (adult cow / never given birth),
(4) bull (adult male cattle) and
(5) Stag (castrated bull as an adult).
Meat consists of three main components, namely the muscle tissue (muscle tissue), fat tissue (adipose tissue), and connective tissue (connective tissue). The number of connective tissue that contained in the meat will determine the level of kealotan / violence meat.
Based on physical conditions, meat can be grouped into:
(1) fresh meat without dilayukan or pelayuan,
(2) dilayukan fresh meat and chilled (cold meats),
(3) dilayukan fresh meat, chilled, then frozen (frozen meat) ,
(4) meat cooking,
(5) bacon, and
(6) of processed meat.
More digestible
* The composition of meat is relatively similar to each other, especially the protein content ranging from 15-20 percent of the weight of material.
Proteins are the most important chemical component in the flesh. Protein contained in meat, such as milk and eggs, very high quality, so good to be given to the baby.
Protein is needed for the process of growth, development, and maintenance of your toddler's health. Protein needs of children under five 2-2,5 grams per kilogram of body weight, whereas in adults only 1 gram per kilogram of body weight.
Protein meat more digestible than those derived from vegetable food. Value of high-protein meat due to its essential amino acids complete and balanced.
Essential amino acids are building blocks of proteins that the body must come from food or can not be formed in the body. Completeness of the essential amino acid composition is an important parameter penciri protein quality.
Besides the fresh form (Empal, stews, kebabs, Rawon, rendang, steak), meat can also be consumed in a variety of processed products. For example, corned beef (corned beef), bacon (smoked ham), beef jerky (dried meat), sausage (sausage), meatballs (meat ball), and others.
Due to manufacturing processes and components used spices, some processed products have a better nutritional value than fresh meat. Processed meat products can also be used as an alternative source of animal protein.
Nutrition Ingredients
* In addition to protein-rich, meat also contains kkal/100 energy of 250 g. The amount of energy in the flesh is determined by the intracellular fat content in the muscle fibers, called marbling fat.
Levels of fat in meat ranged between 5-40 percent, depending on the type and species, food, and age of cattle.
Meat also contains cholesterol, although in a relatively lower compared with the guts and brain. Meat cholesterol levels of about 500 grams miligram/100 cholesterol lower than the brain (1800-2000 mg/100 g) or egg yolk cholesterol (1500 mg/100 g).
With health reasons, many people are antipathy toward cholesterol. Such an attitude manifested by avoiding the consumption of cholesterol foods, like meat, eggs, and processed products of milk. In fact, the food materials is a source of nutrients is very good because it is full of protein, vitamins, and minerals.
Cholesterol plays an important role in organ function. Cholesterol gall useful to construct the blood, brain tissue, nerve fibers, liver, kidney, and adrenal glands.
In addition, cholesterol is also a basic ingredient of steroid hormone formation, namely progestron, estrogen, testosterone, and cortisol. These hormones needed to regulate biological functions and activities of the body. Cholesterol levels are very low in the body can disrupt the process of menstruation and fertility, and even can cause sterility, both men and women.
Therefore, it is not wise if the parents get the baby and toddler cholesterol abstinence. Opinion stating that obesity in infancy and childhood will be carried over to adulthood, is not entirely correct.
So, do not memantang children to eat food sources of cholesterol, only for reasons of fear are obese (overweight). Obesity will only happen if the food consumption of energy resources is given to excess and continuous. Provision of milk, eggs, meat, and fish within normal limits, guaranteed not to cause obesity in infants and toddlers.
Meat is also a source of vitamins and minerals are very good. In general, meat is a source of minerals calcium, phosphorus, and iron, and vitamin B complex (niacin, riboflavin and thiamine), but low levels of vitamin C. Liver better known as offal, contain levels of vitamin A and iron are very high.
Iron is needed by your child for the formation of blood hemoglobin, which is useful to prevent anemia. Anemia will have a bad impact on children, such as sluggish, tired, tired, not excited, and unable to concentrate, and ultimately will lower the learning achievements in school.
Cooking with heat very useful to kill microbes and improve the taste. The process of cooking meat is not too much effect on protein content, as well as several types of vitamins such as thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and pantothenic acid.
When meat is cooked with water, lots of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids that will dissolve in the broth. That is why the stock has enough nutritional value well, so nice to be given to the child.
Flesh Color
* Color is the new beef sliced red usually dark purple. Color changed to light (red cherry) when the meat is left exposed to oxygen.
Purple red color changes to light that is reversible (could return). However, if the meat is exposed to oxygen for too long, bright red color will turn brown.
Myoglobin is purplish-red pigment that determines the color of fresh meat. Myoglobin may be susceptible to changes in shape due to various chemical reactions.
When exposed to air, myoglobin pigment be oxidized to produce oksimioglobin a bright red color. Further oxidation of the pigment oksimioglobin will produce brown metmyoglobin. The emergence of a brown color indicates that the meat has been too long exposed to air, so that becomes damaged.
Veal color brighter than the color of mature beef, as well as more bones pink. Goat meat color is darker (dark red) than the color of beef, pork and the color is red roses.
Besides color, the freshness of meat can also be judged from the appearance of shiny and not pale, does not smell sour or rotten meat or a little stiff elastic (not mushy). If held, still feels kebasahannya, but not sticky on the hands.
Meat Aging Process
* Animals freshly cut meat is pliable and soft, then place the changes that muscle tissue becomes hard, stiff, and not easily moved. This condition is called rigor mortis.
In rigor conditions, the meat becomes more stubborn and harder than when freshly cut. Therefore, if the meat is cooked in a state of rigor, will be tough and not enjoyable. To avoid the meat from the rigor, the meat should be left to complete the rigornya process itself. The process is called the aging process (pelayuan).
Pelayuan is handling fresh meat after slaughter in a way to hang or save for a certain time at temperatures above freezing meat (-1.50 C). The meat we buy at the market or the supermarket is the meat that has undergone a process pelayuan.
During pelayuan, occurs enzyme activity capable of describing woven ikat meat. Meat can become binding on the water, are more tender, and has a stronger flavor.
Meat is usually in the form dilayukan carcass or half carcass. This is done to reduce the surface area that can be infected by microbes.
The purpose of aging meat are:
(1) that the formation of lactic acid from muscle glycogen perfect place that
bacterial growth is inhibited,
(2) expenditure of blood becomes more perfect,
(3) the outer layer of the meat becomes dry, so the decay of microbial contamination
from the outside can arrested,
(4) to obtain meat that has a level of optimum tenderness and flavor characteristic.
Beef carcass dilayukan usually within about 2 × 24 hours. To obtain meat with optimum tenderness and distinctive taste, pelayuan performed at higher temperatures or with longer periods, such as 3-40C temperature for 7-8 days or the temperature of 200C for 40 hours. Can also be done at a temperature of 430C for 24 hours.
To inhibit microbial growth, a process aided by pelayuan ultraviolet light. (Prof. DR. Astawan Made, Lecturer at the Department of Food Technology and Nutrition IPB).
source: depkes.go.id
